Reviewing "Snow & Rose" by Emily Winfield Martin

I’m not sure exactly what “flavor” of fantasy Snow & Rose evokes. All I know is that if you can judge a book by its cover, Snow & Rose’s writing style fits the cover art (and illustrations) perfectly. It’s simplistic, sweet, folksy, sentimental, and tinged by a little bit of Grimm-esque creepiness. It’s a “modern” retelling of the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red (no, not that Snow White), about two sisters and their adventures with a cranky little man (no, not one of the seven dwarfs) and a benevolent bear (no, children, do not try this at home).

I put “modern” in quotation marks because while it is not set in 18^th century Europe, it isn’t quite set in the modern world, either. It’s sort of in a weird retro world that reminds me of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands or the TV show Pushing Daisies. This is not a bad thing—I like this world…I just can’t quite put my finger on what to call it. Similar book worlds that come to mind are Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Author Emily Winfield Martin doesn’t retell Snow White and Rose Red straight. She adds characters, motives, mystery, and surprising emotional poignancy to what otherwise might have proved a rather flat fable. Her illustrations complement the text, together creating this world that is strange yet familiar, easy to enter but difficult to describe.