This is a story that is dedicated to all women
It is a compelling feminist tale with folklore within. It is dark.
The writing is breathtaking.

A beautiful book wbich was very evocative. I really enjoyed it. Thank you net galley ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I requested this but sadly it wasn't for me. I'm sad as it sounds incredible. As beautiful as this book sounds, I just couldn't bring myself to finish this story.

The snow song - Sally Gardner

I’m sorry I didn’t get to read this title and so it expired therefore I cannot give an accurate review. Sorry

A beautiful story of love, and magic.
It also contains family secrets, the entitlement of the powerful and how stubbornness can prevail.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. X

I loved this I sat down and listened to it and got totally sucked in the voice everything it was beautiful. Well done Sally Gardner 5 stars for both.

The story is a step back in time into a fairytale style world to a small village at the bottom of a mountain. The village elders lead by example and traditions are superstitions are believed and followed.

Edith lives with her domineering alcoholic father, who doesn't seem to care much about anything other than where his next drink is. When Edith falls in love with a shepherd, she has never felt so happy. The village does not approve of the couple, and her father wants her to marry the village butcher. Edith couldn't think of anything worse.

This was painful to read at times and I truly felt sorry for Edith's plight. The butcher was a domineering, cruel and pompous man who had everyone in the village living in fear of his wrath. The author definitely made him a true villain in every way and I was rooting for his downfall throughout.

Edith was definitely the antithesis of the butcher's cruel character. It was interesting to read about a character who selected to be mute. The characters responded to her differently and opened up far more to her, as they felt their secrets/stories were in safe hands.

This was a magical read and a very different one from anything I have ever read before!

First of all this book is so stunning, I ended up buying several copies for friends at Christmas. It’s a stunning fable with aspects of feminism that I read in one Sunday afternoon cuddled up on the couch. The world it’s based in is a patriarchy, where the elders are using legends and superstition to keep their community under control.

Our heroine Edith is a beautiful young girl, who is in love with a shepherd Demetrius, but her father wants to engage her to the Butcher. The Butcher is a cruel, brutal man who is obsessed with Edith’s beauty. Demetrius leaves the village, promising to return for her, and her father makes her a promise. If Demetrius returns during a certain time frame she is free, but if he doesn’t return she will have to honour the promise and wed the Butcher. I felt so sad for Edith, waiting every day for his return with the deafening growing ever closer. When he doesn’t come back to the village, Edith becomes mute.

Her muteness was strangely a way she connected with the women in her community. It’s as if silence speaks louder than words. The women gravitate towards her as a counsellor, they can offload their emotions to her and disclose secrets, knowing she will listen and that she will keep their secret. In her silence is a strength that the women take away with them. It inspires them towards small acts of rebellion. Just like a whisper can be heard in a room of shouting, the men start to notice these women and the consequences of their laws and rules. It forces change. I loved this aspect of feminism within the fairy tale.

The landscape was stunning, the women’ emancipation was wonderful, and it was simply a beautiful story.

An absolutely stunning read, I was completely hooked reading this. It’s a heartbreaking feminist fairytale, it’s beautiful in its imagery, it’s metaphor for Edith’s silence representing the lack of voice women and she had in her life, the fact that she was able to provide someone who listened to the other women in the village, who are all equally repressed by the elders and men in the village. A wonderful tale of love, magic and the power of women , sadly this fairytale and themes are still present throughout the world and western society. This is an uplifting read despite its themes, one that leaves you changed from reading it. An hauntingly beautiful read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

What an enchanting read! I rarely return to books (there are so many more to read!) but this is one I will add to next year's Christmas read. It's the Christmas fairytale we all (especially daughters) need to read. Edith is a village daughter of the local cabinet maker. Her father has tried to persuade her to marry the local butcher. He is decades older with tow grown up daughters and is an all round bully. Edith meets Demitrious a shepherd, she hears him play the violin and they fall in love with one another. He asks her to marry him and she agrees bequeathing him her gold coin. Demitrious promises to return before the next snow fall. When he doesn't Edith loses her ability to speak. What follows is the growth and transformation of an exceptional woman in not just transforming herself but the suspicious villagers too. The descriptions of snow and even avalanches are quite magical. This is just exquisite - thank you Sally Gardner.

A wonderfully written dark fairytale for adults with no cutesy charm of a Disney story. 5* rating - Fabulous!

I absolutely loved this novel by Sally Gardner and couldn’t put it down. When I started reading I thought the fable would be based around the love story of Edith and Demetrius. How wrong I was! That is only the beginning and as with any fable, perfect ideologies are often overlooked. Each character is created with such detail and raw emotion that the heroes and villains are well distinguished. Each chapter is written with such care and detail that there are no plot holes. Twists and secrets executed with perfection and the description of scenery beautiful.

I really don’t want to hint at any spoilers but this whimsical tale of patriarchal control, oppressed women, tradition and superstition will stick with you long after the final page.

This is a tragic story of abuse, rape, domestic violence, bullying and corruption it is set in such a dramatic and romantic setting it almost takes away some of the horror of what Edith and most of the women suffer. It shows the cowardice of the men and how when you can find the courage to stand up for what’s right you are rarely alone. The setting is in another time, another world but somehow feels very real and you can certainly feel how these women find a way to survive. Mixed with magic and folklore means you are not reading such sadness that drains you but uplifts you for something better.
I truly love how the women eventually stand up for each other and together

Falling for a shepherd, Edith is promised to the Butcher if he does not return by winter. As the first snow falls, Edith's hair turns white and she loses the power of speech. Running away from her wedding she finds a shelter in the woods and survives to the next year, returning to her village and being viewed as a demon. But Edith's lack of voice has allowed others to find theirs and the village starts to rebel against tradition.
This is a rather oddly endearing book. At first I found it frustrating with the faux naif style and the simplistic folk tale, then it started to get darker and very adult themes of sex and violence were hinted at. A fairy story for modern generations and strangely excellent

Snow and magic.
This book should be devoured in one sitting, curled up by a fire.
The story of Edith, coping with her alcoholic, feckless Father, the death of her beloved Grandmother and an unwanted promise to marry the evil Butcher.
Good, evil and easily led characters are all beholden to the Butcher in the tiny snowy village which shuns strangers.
An avalanche brings matters to a head and Edith escapes for a while to the beautiful snowy forest, only to return to the suspicions of the villagers. The truth of the Butchers sinful ways emerges leading to redemption.

It has been quite a long time since I have read anything by Sally Gardner, around six years if I am trying to keep some sort of record. However, nothing was going to be able to prepare me for what was in store for me when reading 'The Snow Song'.

The Snow Song is one of those books which you can clearly see the message behind it and for this occasion it is crystal clear. To the point that it screams in your ear, pointing out what is clearly wrong in this society. It is heart wrenching and powerful and it is amazing to see how women are able to come together when they know something is wrong.

This is not in any shape of form for anyone younger than eighteen years-old as it deals with mature themes which can be quite hard for anyone. However, it is clear that sometimes in order to spread the message, there must be first some home truths about what society is to us and how it can be toxic.

The protagonist, Edith, is one character you can see develop from a naïve woman to a indestructible feminist who stands up for all of the women in her society. Her story is interesting and somehow you can't seem to look away from the horrors that she has to overcome and conquer. Truly she is an amazing character and Gardner does incredible work to make sure she gets the best character arc that she truly deserves.

Because of the nature of this book, the Butcher, the main antagonist throughout the story is one who Gardner paints to be terrifying not only for the characters in the book, but also the reader, where unfortunately, the Butcher's moral code can still be seen in the world today. Never have I read a book quite like this, almost singing like a tale of what used to be, what could happen and what shouldn't happen. This is a book that makes you want to read all through the night, where it tears at your soul and rebuilds it back together all in the same night.

So if I was to give any advice about this book and whether you decide to take the plunge to read it in the future all I can say is this: be prepared, you'll never be the same again.

Perched high on a mountain in a land of ancient forests lies a village, cut off from the outside world and run by elders, men to whom tradition is all. Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher, a brutal, bullying man to whom many in the village are in debt. But Edith is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes even further isolated in a sea of snow, and her lover fails to return, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.

Sally Gardner is an award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, and has previously written two fairytale-esque novels for adults – An Almond For a Parrot (2016), the story of eighteenth century courtesan and magician’s apprentice, Tully Truegood, and The Beauty of The Wolf (2019), an Elizabethan, gender-swapped reimagining of ‘Beauty & the Beast’ – under the pen name Wray Delaney. And her latest, The Snow Song, is even more fairytale-like in its construction and execution.

The story is set in an archetypal fairytale location of a rural village surrounded by forest. The wider setting of which is never made clear exactly, but little clues sprinkled throughout – certain names, pieces of folklore (such as people coming back from dead as creature known as the ‘bloodless’) and the presence of traveling peoples/communities – all suggest a location inspired by Russia or Eastern Europe. As for a time-period, it has that ‘once upon a time’ vagueness – where technology is minimal and could be anywhere between medieval and modern. The protagonist is Edith, daughter of the local cabinet maker, who falls in love with a shepherd named Demetrious, a stranger to the village. This angers the village Butcher, who also wants to marry Edith, despite the fact that he’s old enough to be her grandfather. But the Butcher is also a member of the village Elders, the group of prominent male figures – the Mayor, the Priest, the Doctor etc – and this position of power allows him to split the young lovers apart. When Demetrious fails to return, Edith, in her sorrow, loses the power of speech.

But this is where Gardner takes the archetypes and builds upon them, while also tackling some relevant themes and topics. A lot of the male figures, particularly those in positions of power, tend to be either weak-willed and/or bullying; the Butcher exploits the weaknesses of others as a means to make them indebted to him, leading them to not only not stand up to him but to facilitate his behaviour. Edith may have lost her voice but she doesn’t remain passive, indeed she cannot afford to – no one is going to magically going to swoop in and save her. This also brings us to another couple of fairy tale archetypes: the wise woman and the deceased maternal figure. Edith’s grandmother, who is deceased prior to the story, was the village storyteller, and the positive influence in her life to counter her father’s negative. The act of storytelling itself is an important component of the book, and how through it truths can be told and strength and hope can be found. This is a story about Edith, literally, finding her voice, about women finding their voices and making them heard.

The style is beautiful in its simplicity, creating a modern fairytale that is perfect for the cold winter months, but with a warm heart beating underneath, waiting for the warmth of the spring melt to reveal it.

The Snow Song by Sally Gardner is a beautifully written and magical read that’s perfect for this time of year. As the nights grow colder and thoughts turn to the festive season, what could be better than to curl up with a gorgeous book set in a world of snow and magic?

I loved this book. It swept me away on a dark and magical journey that once started I could not put down. Edith was a character I found myself drawn to from the outset, my heart breaking at her predicament of being forced into marrying a man she doesn’t love. The shock of losing the love of her life causes her hair to turn white and takes away her power of speech, leaving her with no other choice than to marry the atrocious village butcher, a fate even worse than death.

What follows is a dark but gorgeously written tale that had me captivated from beginning to end. As secrets slowly begin to be revealed, will the truth enable Edith to escape her fate? Or is she destined to live a life of oppression forever?

Edith’s strength of character as the story progressed was wonderful to see, with the other women of the village coming together to try to break free from their oppressors. Edith’s father, the cabinet maker, was an incredibly weak man who treated his daughter in such an appalling way it made my blood boil! But then the story moves in a direction I did not see coming, taking me completely by surprise as it moved towards its final, thrilling conclusion.

Oh my word, what a beautiful, dark and magical read The Snow Song is! Sally Gardner has written the perfect read for the festive season, especially if you like your stories dark and thought provoking with a magical twist.

Highly recommended.

I read this for a blog tour.

This is a beautiful, magical fairy tale set somewhere in snowy Northern Europe, I could see elements of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, as well as modern feminist retellings of other fairy tales in Edith and her story. Which is how Edith's own stories work, weaving together the old and the new.

Edith is the only woman, who finds strength in the midst of terrible heartbreak, to stand against the butcher and his cruelty (he seems a Bluebeard figure, there's no explanation as to what happened to his previous wife) in the small village where fear, tradition and the elders (all men) hold sway.

Edith's bittersweet winter in the forest (where the East of the Sun... came through strongest for me) enables her to return to the village and start to put things right, with her father, for her friends.

Lyrical, moving and with the gentlest of hope for the future at its ending, this is a stunning new fairy tale for this winter and those to come.

This was one of the most spellbinding novels I have ever read. I am in complete awe of Sally Gardner and her astonishingly beautiful writing. Read it, I beg of you.
It begins, with a hint of magic and a young girl falling in love. Edith has grown up surrounded by secrets and superstitions. A desire burns inside her for adventure and love. Then Demetrius enters her life and for the first time she sees exactly what she wants and a chance to escape from the confines of her small life with a drunken father.
But in the shadows of this story is the butcher. He has a hold over the people of Edith’s village. With an iron fist he controls with fear. His power and wealth unrivalled and he is a man who is used to getting exactly what he wants. And what he wants is Edith.

I read this wonderful story in one day. I was captivated from that very first line. The story held me under it’s spell. Edith is the most stunning creation. Such heart, such courage and I just had to read on to see if there was a happy ending somewhere for her. There is something of the fable about this story. It feels like a tale passed down from generation to generation. A story of a love that never dies. A story of hope, fear and the hold that superstitions can have over people. It is also a story of those who misuse their power, and reminds us that a monster can hold many forms. But ultimately it is a story about courage. The courage to stand up to those who seek to bring you to your knees, to destroy and to leave you lost without a voice. Yet, as Edith discovers, silence can hold the greater power.

This is without doubt, one of my books of the year.

Thank you so much to the lovely team at HQ Stories for inviting me to take part in this blog tour and for providing a digital copy via Netgalley. This is just too beautiful to stay on a device though so I shall be treating myself to a hardback copy for my forever shelves.