White as Witching was pretty good! It’s got that dark fairytale vibe that pulls you in right away—creepy forests, dangerous magic, and a castle full of secrets. Snow’s story is intense, and I liked how she’s not your typical perfect heroine—she’s scarred, angry, and determined. The whole twist on the Selection and the Witch-Queen made it feel fresh even if you’ve read similar fantasy before. Definitely some haunting moments and cool worldbuilding. If you like fairytales with teeth, this one’s worth a read.

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but it has been three years and I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

I am rudely late with this review and I'm not sure why it took me so long to actually sit down with White as Witching, previously published as Heart of Snow. But once I did, I found myself caught up in a delightful retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. My thanks to Victoria Editing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can only apologise for the delay!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an interesting fairy tale, but it never really had a hold on me the way other fairy tales did. I did not know what to do with my secret admiration of the evil queen, nor my slight disappointment at the prince, etc. The seven dwarves also felt twee to me, admittedly because of the Disney adaptation. I guess my question was always what I was meant to take away from it, good housekeeping, kindness, quiet perseverance, or the curse of beauty? I've seen a number of film adaptations and read some short stories based on it, but it never hooked itself into my imagination the way other tales did. I think in this book Katherine Buel found a good way to adapt this tale that allows themes to emerge that a young audience can do something with. She also makes the tale her own, I would say. Throughout the reading I'd find myself surprised when an element of the fairy tale suddenly appeared, as I'd almost forgotten (in a positive way!) that I was reading an adaptation of it.

Snow, or rather, Gala, has been in hiding for years, scarred horribly so no one would recognise her as one of the two princesses who disappeared when the king was cruelly murdered. She is not just hiding her identity, however, but also her knowledge of what really happened and her magic abilities. When the Selection comes to her village, she gives herself up to it in the hopes to get closer to her aunt, the Witch-Queen Lyric, and do something about it all. Gala doesn't really have a plan, however, and much of it goes awry. She finds herself caught in illusions, making unlikely alliances, and learning the true meaning of loss and justice. I really liked the pace of this book and how quickly Buel managed to give us an idea of who Gala was. Much of it is expected, i.e., a female protagonist who has been hardened by her life but holds a core of hope within her, a female protagonist unsure about her looks and about love, etc. However, I liked what Buel did with it and how she riffs on the Snow White fairy tale! Some of the other characters aren't quite as worked out, but I didn't really mind as the story moved quickly and everything felt relatively coherent within the story.

I enjoyed a number of things about Buel's writing. I mentioned the pacing above, which I think is veyr praise-worthy. I've struggled through a number of fantasies, admittedly romantacies, which just felt endless. So much of the character development was stretched out to the point of nausea, but none of that is to be found in White as Witching. Buel allows for things to develop, but she doesn't drag it out. She also has a fun way of foreshadowing in the book, which felt fairy tale-esque, along the lines of "if only they had known that...". I thought that worked very well. Buel's descriptions of the various settings and fantasy/fairy tale figures along the way was fun. It reminded me a little of Dianna Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle in how it played with tropes and gave a little twist to it, although it is not quite as deep as the latter. I will say that I am no longer, and wouldn't have been in 2022 either, the target audience for this book. I'd say it solidly aimed at YA readers, in how things are described and what is left out. There is romance, but nothing too explicit, there is danger and violence, but presented in a way that's suitable for younger readers. This meant that I easily raced through this book in three or so hours. I also noticed this in how the moral of the story is presented. Towards the end it felt a little too obvious to me, somewhat overstated, but I imagine this might not be the case for teen readers. While that affects my rating slightly, it is not a criticism of the book. I think White as Witching is excellent for a teen audience and I'm going to check Buel's other books to see if she has something for an older audience, as I would love to give that a try!


It is a three for me, mainly because I am no longer quite the audience for it. White as Witching is aimed towards a YA audience and I have entered my thirties. Had I read this when I was a teen, it would have undoubtedly been a 4 rating. I'd definitely recommend this to teen readers and adult readers with a sweet tooth for YA Fantasy.

This delightful reimagining of Snow White captures a captivating dark whimsy that I found thoroughly enjoyable. The author expertly built a rich world and memorable characters. With its brisk pacing and a few unexpected twists, the story kept me engaged throughout. Ultimately, it’s a heartfelt and enchanting tale.

I liked the twist and the take on snow white and ruby red, but this felt like it suffered from the best focus, there was a lot of plot going on and not very much character devlopement, but still an ok read.

I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and the fact that this one does something that I hadn't seen before, incorporating Snow White and Rose Red into the Snow White fairy tale immediately hooked me.

When Snow White's aunt turned stepmother murders her father and her sister Rose Red, only the quick thinking of the captain of the guard saves her life. Living in a small town, disfigured to hide herself, Snow White's desire for revenge and justice spurs her to put herself forward for the Queen's Selection.

There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this book. The plot was fast paced and engaging. The insidious horror of the Queen's castle was intense and gripping. I feel that Buel is quite skilled at setting a scene, and I wanted a lot more exploration of the world. And the incorporation of both Snow White and Rose Red as well as a little Baba Yaga was really interesting.

However, every single character beyond Snow White felt flat. Too little time was spent developing the romantic relationship, the familial ones, and the adversarial ones. I didn't feel invested in any of Snow's connections to other characters. I also was disappointed in the ending of Snow White's magical cure. There was an interesting story to be told in "the fairest in the land" having facial scarring, and it looked like that's where the story was going, letting go of the anger and grief, but at the very end, Snow White is unable to confront the queen until she sacrifices her scars. That really left a sour taste in my mouth.

I'd be interested to read more of Buel's work as she develops her craft.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this arc.

This was a solid fairytale retelling and I enjoyed so many aspects of it but I feel like it fell short in some areas and rubbed me the wrong way in others.

I thought the take on Snow White and Rose Red was interesting and enjoyed the romantic elements in the book as well. I would have liked to see more development with the Rose Red storyline but I can't fault the book for keeping to the more familiar Snow White story. I did think that the romantic relationship was the only one that felt like it had any real development and the familial ones fell short for me, I would have liked to have seem more exploration of those.

I liked the writing of this, though parts read weaker than others, there was a definitely attempt at a solid atmospheric writing style which I enjoyed. However, from a plot perspective, this book did something I did not appreciate in terms of its treatment of disfigurement and the characters relationship to their body. If this had not been included this would have been a 4* book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing an advanced copy of the ebook.

I find that sometimes it’s hard to know what to expect with YA fantasy, but I was pleasantly surprised that White as Witching absolutely delivered. I’m a sucker for a good witch tale, and a bit of deception, and this had me hook line and sinker the whole way through.

The book is yet another re-telling of Snow White, with some name changing. sadly i had issues trying to keep up with the story maybe this was me or the book who knows. the style of writing is lovely please do not get me wrong and hence why i think it was more me then the book. a quick read and one i might revisit one day

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students.

An curiously take on Snow White that blends it with components from Snow White & Rose Ruddy and German legends. White as Witching is an barometrical enchant, with melancholic notes and expressive composing. It is appalling and it is self-contradicting. It stands up to your connections with individuals you knew and cherished after you were more youthful and how you fit in with each other presently, more seasoned with unused encounters, unused injuries and modern universes sees.

This is a tough book to review. There is massive potential to it. Katherine Buel gives us a great twist on the classic Snow White story, with Ruby Red (her sister) included. I really wanted to know the characters better and have more world building more. Unfortunately White as Witching focuses mainly on plot, and includes some internal turmoil that Snow White encounters with herself. But overall it's just not enough.

I really can confidently say this; as I'm currently reading The Bone Shard Daughter which is rich in plot, world building, magical descriptions, characterizations, and so much more! It's top notch writing; and thus really brings into stark contrast what is lacking by Buel as I read them one after the other. The good thing about that is that I think Buel has real potential. The plot is interesting, the attempt to get to know Snow White and her feelings is there; and the world building seems to have a basis that will work.

Buel needs to really focus in on what motivates her characters, give them more dimension, better dialogue (which is commonly a struggle for authors in fantasy it seems), and just bring the overall writing up a notch. It might not ever be at the high fantasy level; and that's okay if it stays in the romantic new adult or teen zones. However just because it's a book that doesn't necessarily go into the fantasy section (and stays more romantic) doesn't mean it can't be written at the level that will give more detail and satisfaction to the reader.

If I had to currently describe White as Witching I'd say the whole story is flat, pedantic, formulated, and (honestly) boring. BUT I give this three stars because I can see the potential in Kathrine Buel's story telling. I truly hope she keeps working on her writing and brings us future stories. The talent is there, it just needs some more time and work to get it to a four or even five star review level. /

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

“I’m not sure what choice we have.”
“There is always a choice,” I said quietly.
“And consequences to go with it.”

Snow White escaped with her life but watching her stepmother destroy her kingdom, continuing acts of war and kidnapping young ladies on the pretence of raising them in society spurs Snow to seek revenge. Older and scarred, (so obviously no one can recognise her now) Snow hides amongst the latest girls to be taken and enters the castle to stop the evil queen once and for all.

Firstly, I want to apologise because this was originally an ARC but considering the book was relatively short it has taken me months to finish. It was so hard to get into.

Buel creates some beautiful settings, enchanted forests and derelict castles, but we’re whisked away before we actually get to explore and delve into the scene. Especially the castle. There was some real Gallant, twisted fairy tale vibes occurring, and I would have happily spent a whole book set in Buel’s imagining of the Lyric’s impact on Snow’s home. As soon as we left it, however, I lost track of time passing and all the relationships and new characters felt rushed all over the place.

There was almost too much focus on retelling the whole traditional Snow White tale but with consistently dark twists, then actually allowing the story to develop naturally away from the original plot into something that can stand on its own. Considering the dark content and young adult label, this book carried some serious middle-grade vibes. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and simple plot devices. I wasn’t sure if it was the retelling aspect, but the morality it almost ‘lesson of the story’ aspect that came across at the end reminded me of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and its biblical roots.

There is also no romance. As in absolutely no chemistry with the love interest and he basically exists in blank hunky plot purpose. Apparently, Snow loves him, but I just read the whole book and I don’t know him. For a MMC that is for all intents and purposes (without giving anything away) meant to stand in line next to Rhysand and Carden, he left zero impression on me.

There was some interesting exploration of family, love (firmly non-romantic in my opinion), and female rage but it wasn’t quite done justice. I think it shows the beginnings of an author that could write some amazing things but is not quite there yet for me.

Book is currently archived. Unable to review at this time. Will try to review at a later date. Thank you for the opportunity.

White as Witching is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out White as Witching today.

As in most fairytale retellings this book contained the structure of Snow White. We had Snow, the hunter, the evil queen and the dwarves. We also had the bonus of Rose Red who is left out of many Snow White retellings. There were some original twists to this retelling, like fairies, and fae..and fae kings.

The world building was gradual, the characters dynamic and I enjoyed watching them grow as they faced the queen. Be ready for the love conquers all feel...it is a fairytale after all. Generally I have to be in the mood for that kind of thing, which kept my rating from a five to a four. Overall I felt this was a good and original retelling of Snow White.

4.5 stars

I’ve read my fair share of fantasy books with fairytale inspirations, but most are fairly different from the original. However, this one still reads as a fairytale, which I found quite charming. It’s well written and very atmospheric. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this author has up her sleeve.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was good, intriguing and interesting. Loved how they twisted the retailing but kept the foundations. The characters were amazing, even the evil queen! Was a cute read, really enjoyed it!

This book was really interesting, I enjoyed the writing so much and felt really fresh, a really fun read

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I feel like we see a whole lot of Beauty and The Beast Retellings, but I don't recall ever reading a Snow White retelling. This book was enchanting and I really liked some of the side characters - probably more so than the leads. While the writing style wasn't one that I typically enjoy, I was still captured by this dark retelling and enjoyed the overall pacing .and that the tale honoured the original Grimm version with little touches.