Stitching Snow

 

Stitching Snow – R. C. Lewis – Disney Hyperion – Published 14 October 2014

♥♥♥♥♥

So blazing good! Stitching Snow is a Snow White retelling that is intelligent and fun, has a clever and kickass heroine that can take care of herself, a romance that is meltingly heartwarming, twists and turns that keep you quickly paging through, a fantastic ending, seven very cute little drones, and a wonderful mix of sci-fi and adventure.

Essie lives on Thanda, a cold and barren planet, where she keeps to herself for her own protection, fights to earn money and stitches code, continually solving tech problems and updating her drones. She works hard to maintain the facade of ‘approach at your own risk’. A shuttle that crashes near her home is unexpected but poses no great risk, so long as the authorities don’t bother to investigate. The sole occupant of the shuttle, the very good looking and yet ‘terrifying’, Dane, carries a risk all of his own, and one Essie isn’t quite expecting. No matter, Essie plans to have both Dane and his damaged shuttle back in the air long before he has any impact on her quiet, but safe(ish) life.

I really enjoyed Stitching Snow. I found it captivating, drawing me in from the very start. The writing style is engaging and well done and the characters, even and perhaps especially the drones, are strong, charming and loveable. The plot has both surprising twists that keep you on edge and subtle yet familiar fairytale plot markers, making it a suspenseful and enjoyable read. Yes, there are many similarities to Cinder by Marissa Meyer, especially at the start, but I believe that Stitching Snow has its own credibility and differs enough to hold its own. I loved the Lunar Chronicles, but found that I enjoyed Stitching Snow even more than I did Cinder. I especially loved Stitching Snow’s ending (and the middle, actually pretty much all of it). Loved, loved, loved. There is certainly room for more story in a sequel, but it could equally be left right where it is. Either way I eagerly look forward to more of R.C Lewis’ writing. I highly recommend Stitching Snow for lovers of clever fairytale retellings, strong heroines, or great romance and adventure.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Juvenile Fiction: Ages 14 and up. Fairy Tales and Folklore.