Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Ok, I have to get this out of the way before I begin my review proper: I haven't read Cinder yet. Sure I've always meant to pick it up, but it's so hard to find in Japan, and my TBR was so long that I didn't get to read it while I was in Singapore. So, if you need a Cinder/Stitching Snow comparison, you're at the wrong review. I'm reviewing Stitching Snow with no prior expectations of how this style of retold fairytales is supposed to take place.

I suppose Stitching Snow is what you consider steampunk fairytale. I mean, there are robots and spaceships and high-tech mechanics (Snow/Essie "stitches" machines together), and there are the "traditional" ways that the King likes to practice.

We all know how the story goes: the King is good (or dead) and the Queen is evil. But what if both parents are evil tyrants? What if this Snow White doesn't want to go back to the palace?

The only girl on a mind in Thanda, Essie (Snow) makes money by fixing robots (the seven dwarfs) and taking part in fights. A damsel-in-distress she is not. But one day, a guy called Dane crash lands on the planet. Except, Essie's new friend turns out to be an Exile (one of the supposed bad guys that aren't) that kidnaps her to trade for some political prisoners. After a ton of things, she falls in love with him and agrees to help the rebellion against her dad and step-mom. Ok, the falling in love and decision wasn't so strongly related in the book, but it sure felt that way to me.

Can I just be upfront here and say I don't like Dane? Sure, he has a good reason to kidnap Essie, but I just can't get that negative first impression from my mine. After all, he betrayed Essie's friendship. Sure, he spends the rest of the book helping her and falling for her, but first impressions stick.

The rest of the story was good though. I enjoyed reading about Essie's return to the palace, and her attempts to follow her mother's footsteps in being a secret rebel. I just wish a greater part of the book was dedicated to that, instead of her journey back home.

So basically, the story was decent, but I don't like the love interest. I might be one of the few though, so on the whole, I will say that if you're a die-hard fan of fairytale retellings, you should give this book a go.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.