A retelling of Snow White like none other, this novel follows two female perspectives: that of Lynet’s, a 15-year-old princess in the lonely castle of Whitespring; and Mina, a magician’s 16-year-old daughter living in the southern kingdom, but 15 years prior. Mina, a 16-year-old girl who lives in the warmth of the south and is the daughter of a ferocious magician, is forced to move to the cold halls of Whitespring. She must endure the cold, the stares and the loneliness of being the fearful Gregory’s daughter. She also must endure the haunting fact that when she was young, her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one made of glass, meaning she will never be able to love anyone. She feels truly alone until one day, she meets the grieving king and forms a plan: make him fall in love with her, marry him and then become queen and a stepmother by default.

Lynet, the young princess made in the shadow of her mother’s legacy. Constantly being told she’s delicate, just like her late mother Emilia, has made Lynet the daring wolf cub she is. More inclined to climb, run, jump and walk in her stepmother Mina’s path than go to lessons or be admired for her mother’s beauty, Lynet feels she’s never been understood. However, when a mysterious young surgeon enters the castle and fills the loneliness in Lynet’s heart, she finally feels she can become who she is, not who she’s meant to be. But when the surgeon tells Lynet a secret — that she was made of snow and blood to be a replication of her late mother — her whole perception of herself changes forever. 

As their stories intertwine, they realize one will lose everything, and that only one can be queen.

When you push aside the kingdoms, Queens and magic, this book becomes a portrayal of love between a stepmother and daughter, as well as a portrayal of friendship. The relationships and dialogue throughout the story were easy to see where they were going, and sometimes were boring to read. However, the flow of the story and the switching of perspectives was very well done and helped make the book more enjoyable. I believe the author tried to make certain aspects of the story very “real life”, and in doing so took some of the magic away, for we read to escape our world and enter another one. 

I found this novel to be a very easy read, and it would be enjoyable to someone who liked a fairly slow-paced story that has few twists and turns until it picks up in the last hundred pages. Though this may be due to it being a retelling of Snow White, about 65% of the novel was easy to predict and that took away some of my enjoyment as a reader. 

However, the two characters were easy to find compassionate, and at times I wanted to give them a hug or wipe away their tears. It was also a very original take on Snow White, which I found did give the book some interest for me personally. 

If you enjoyed Girls made of Snow and Glass, I would suggest other fairytale retellings such as: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Winter), or A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Frost and Starlight).