{Review+Design Vlog} SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin

Love fairy tales and mythology?

Fans of mermaids, dragons, unicorns, and other mythical creatures?

Enjoy when a beloved classic tale is retold?

A Twist in the Tail Thursdays features all this and more!

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

  ONCE, THERE WERE TWO SISTERS. 
  Rose had hair like threads of black silk and cheeks like two red petals and a voice that was gentle and sometimes hard to hear. 
  Snow had hair like white swan down and eyes the color of hte winter sky, with a laugh that was sudden and wild.
  They lived in a cottage in the woods, but it hadn't always been so.

(Page 1, US hardcover edition)

    "The more days that passed, the more a final, terrible truth settled in the air.

...Rose fell asleep wishing the truth to be something else. But every time she woke up, the truth was still there. 

But Snow didn't cry, not even then. She didn't cry because the truth everyone else felt was not her truth.

She wouldn't believe her father was gone. And no matter how much time passed, she insisted he would come back.

Rose couldn't say to Snow, to insist to her, that sometimes you lose someone in a way that means he will never read to you, or say good night, or swing his arms around you again."

~SNOW & ROSE, Emily Winfield Martin

I'm really excited to take part in today's blog tour stop for Random House's new middle-grade release SNOW & ROSE! I teased you with the book back in September during Magic, Myth, and Mischief. Now that I'm holding the finished copy in my hands, it's all I dreamed of...and more.

There is a full-color illustration in each chapter of the book, and a sketchbook of tidbits from Emily Winfield Martin at the end as a special treat for readers. When you slip off the jacket, you see a gorgeous texture on the spine that is replicated on the inside endpapers. This book feels luxe and has an air of already being a classic--it will fit in perfectly next to older fairy tale tomes on your shelf. While I had an ARC of this book, I'm really glad I decided to wait to read it with finished artwork because it's such a gorgeous, worthy experience.

SNOW & ROSE is very much on point in following the traditional fairy tale of the same name, about two sisters named Snow White  and Rose Red (No, one is NOT the same Snow White who met seven dwarves and had an evil stepmother...). Snow and Rose have just lost their father. One day, he never comes home from hunting, and the family is forced into poverty and must move out of their posh house and into a much smaller one where they must fend after themselves. The eldest sister, Rose, knows her dad won't be returning, but Snow still believes he'll come home to her. The sisters live on the outskirts of an enchanted forest, and wind up being caught up into various adventures that lead to a run-in with the evil Menace of the Woods that will ignite a prophecy and change their destinies.

I really like the way this read like a fairy tale. The author also has a beautiful way with words, from saying that one sister is a "tidy bow" while the other is "a wild tangle" to gorgeous visuals such as "The sun fell in glittering bars as the leaves rustled overhead" and "They stained their hands and piled their pockets full [with blackberries]." The imagery she is able to invoke brings the world to life and makes it feel real in the imagination.

I love how true SNOW & ROSE is to the original tale, while still giving readers new surprises to love as they read. But the true highlight is the gorgeous artwork. There's so much whimsy, and the images fit in so well with the story. I love how we can see Winfield Martin's vision sprung to life from the words on the page, and looked forward to each new image. I also loved the "outtakes" at the end that gave us a sneak peek into her conceptualization as she worked on bringing the final images to life. All in all, this is a gorgeous book that will appeal to readers of all ages, not just the targeted middle-grade readers. It's also not too scary and can be read as a bedtime story to younger children, so the whole family can enjoy this one!

YouTube Link

During Magic, Myth, and Mischief, I did a design analysis vlog of the ARC!
See how it all changed--including line art for what are now full-color drawings...
And this was COMPLETELY unintentional, but the video screenshot is the same in both videos!
Look up, and then down...and just here, you can already see that so much changed! The shape of the chairs, the fur coat, and more!!!

Here's a closer look:

YouTube Link

 ~*~

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: --

Language: --

Violence: G (.Non-violent battle at the end; the sisters outrun bandits at one point that want to capture them; the sisters save an ungrateful gnome )

Other:  

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

Just a taste of the delightful artwork hiding inside the pages of this book! It has an instant feel of a traditional classic, and the title alone would make me pick it up wondering if it was a fairy tale!

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: SNOW & ROSE
Author: Emily Winfield Martin

Release Date: Oct. 10, 2017

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Received: ARC For Review;
Hardcover Purchased

SUMMARY:

A New York Times bestselling author-illustrator brings readers into the woods to meet two young sisters and a strange bit of magic in this reimagining of the classic but little-known fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red." 

Snow and Rose didn't know they were in a fairy tale. People never do.... 

Once, they lived in a big house with spectacular gardens and an army of servants. Once, they had a father and mother who loved them more than the sun and moon. 

But that was before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow. 

This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells. 

Bestselling author-illustrator Emily Winfield Martin has created a world that sits on the border of enchantment, with characters who are grounded in real emotions that readers will recognize in themselves.