Fairest of All is the first in a series of books authored in partnership with Disney.   The idea is to retell or expand on the villains in each of the hallmark Disney stories and tell how they came to be the horrible people/creatures that they are, or tell the story from a different perspective then is commonly told.  The first book, published in 2012, was done so amid many authors taking new and varying looks at classic fairytales in an attempt to modernize or spin an old story into a new culture.

This novel dives into the world of Snow White and how the evil queen got to be exactly who she is.  I’ll admit, it was an interesting take on the tale making the evil queen Snow’s one-time stepmother.  Not a completely novel idea, as evil stepmothers are a staple in this genre, but the concept was definitely one to ponder.  The cast of characters stays slim throughout the book, which helps to complement the concentration of the story on the Queen and her inner workings and internal struggle.

The book is simply written with straightforward language and is a moderately easy read.  The chapters are short, and the timeline is straightforward and easy to follow.  There are a handful of chapters toward the end of the book where I had to do a double-take to determine if the action was happening or whether it was the Queen’s dream state, but once you get beyond that small blip, the story continues to flow well. 

Overall, an interesting book.  Doesn’t have a ton of surprises but does provide a novel perspective on how the villain of Snow White may not have been as villainous as we all think.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Battle with explosion and fighting, but no detail; dream of being cut by shards of glass with depiction of blood; two jokes about cutting a girl up; mirror smashed; three verbal threats; man is killed with a lance with minimal detail; bottles thrown across room; young lady falls into well and knocked unconscious; depiction of bloody heart and trail of blood in dream; man stabbed in gut; woman is attacked by birds with minor injuries.

Sex/Nudity:  6 instances of kissing; 1 hand hold; 1 hug.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, abandonment, verbal abuse, witchcraft.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None