Review of Melissa Bashardoust's Girls Made of Snow and Glass

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale

At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Amazon Link: http://a.co/5NnblZO

My Review:
4 Stars

I loved the premise of this book when I read the description. Elsa is one of my favorite Disney characters. The ability to show everyone who you truly are is hard for even the average person, but having an extraordinary ability makes it that much harder. You're looked upon differently, whether its with envy, awe or horror, nothing is ever the same again. Much like the characters in this story, hiding their true selves for fear of being seen as different. 

Mina's one want in life is something that should come naturally. All she wants is to love and have that love returned to her. After learning that she has a heart of glass, those aspirations suddenly seem so far out of reach. With that feeling comes her natural instinct to survive. Biding her time until she can change her fate and put herself into a position of power. 

Lynette was definitely my favorite character is this book. She is so vivacious and alive. While everyone calls her delicate, the woman that leaps off those pages is far from it. Seeking adventure turns into a nightmare for her though. Testing herself in ways that she never imagined. Hoping that one day people would eventually stop seeing her dead mother and see her, Lynette, for who she truly is. 

An intriguing story filled with hope, love and deception. Characters that you will love to hate, love and just plain hate. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a little adventure. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a good fairy tale?