Friday, June 3, 2011

The Snow Queen’s Shadow-Jim C. Hines

The Snow Queen’s Shadow
Jim C. Hines
Daw, Jul 5 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756406745

Snow knows the risk she takes with a potentially dangerous spell, but obsessively feels the enchantment is worth trying in order to save her queen. However, instead of achieving her objective, her mom’s magic mirror shatters. Worse a trapped demon escapes when the barrier containing the beast splintered into a seemingly zillion pieces.

Snow quickly learns why the nasty demon was incarcerated as the evil one releases hate amidst the people who begin loathing one another. As hostilities grows and to make matters viler and complex, each piece of glass has become a lethal magical weapon while Snow is fractured too. Talia and Danielle team up to try to find a way to trap the demon, save Snow and prevent a magical calamity.

The final Princess fairy tale saga (see The Stepsister Scheme, The Mermaid’s Madness and Red Hood’s Revenge) is a terrific ending to a strong turn of the Brothers Grimm even grimmer and somehow more charming series. The key to the ending is that Jim C. Hines ties up the overarching theme but does so inside an exciting story line as his three lead princesses have come a long way since discussing virginal sleeping beauties finding their Prince Charming at some inane ball.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: