Reading Tanith Lee is a little different than reading other modern-day authors. Her stories are replete with psychological undertones, more Jungian than Freudian, although they also rely heavily on the sensuous side. There is a dark and obscure tone to her stories that reveals the feminine mystique that is in all of us.

I have really enjoyed Lee's other books like The Secret Books of Venus, and I noticed that White as Snow has a similar theme, where misfits come together and fall in love, despite the seeming odds against them. In essence, this is a true fairy tale with a happy ending, despite it all.

"Once Upon a Time, in winter, there was a mirror." And this mirror was a gift to 14-year-old Arpazia, the King's daughter. But when the brutal Draco conquered all the land, Arpazia and the mirror were both taken over. But instead of killing her like most of the King's people, he took her with him. When she became pregnant after he brutally raped her, Draco decides that he must marry her and make Arpazia Queen of the new land. When a daughter was born, Arpazia wanted nothing to do with the child. She could barely bring herself to acknowledge the girl, named Candacis (or Coira).

First off, I have to say, I wanted to like this story. I like the idea that a simple tale is taken and made into a darker story. The Book of Lost Things used that very same idea and I loved it. But White as Snow was just lacking something. Or maybe it wasn't that is was lacking, but that it contained TOO much. Not only was Tanith Lee retelling the Snow White tale, but she was trying to compare it to classic Greek Myth of Demetra and Persephone, where Persephone as the daughter was a younger "self" of Demetra. She also tries to parallel the story of Persephone being taken into the underworld by Hades. Then there is also the storyline of Arpazia joining in the pagan ceremonies with the wood's people. Oh....and finally she tries to equate the Seven Drawfs with the Seven Deadly Sins. What comes out of all these metaphors and parallels is just one big jumbled mess.

And even if the storyline was a little more clear cut, the characters are such lifeless creatures that I just wanted to scream. Arpazia starts out being a victim. She is totally justified in her hate of the King and even her reasons for not wanting to be around her daughter. But once you start feeling a little sympathy for her, Lee just turns her into a complete loon. And Coira is such a boring character. She is completely without emotion. When her own mother pays someone to kill her, does she get angry or resentful? No. Life sucks. That's it. Nothing you can do to change your destiny. Coira was little like a goth in that fashion. "The whole world was against me, and I guess I just have to suffer for it." The guard took the pouch, examined it, and let them into Hell's mansion. This was like life, too. You must even pay to be abused, as you were punished for being hurt. Sheesh. It really got on my nerves.

Normally I would love a retelling of a known fairy tale that turns a dwarf named Stormy into the romantic lead, and the handsome prince into the king of Hell, who just happens to be a crazed, sex-obsessed, narcissistic necrophiliac. (Yep, Lee really does go there!) But this book just left me cold. I think part of the problem is that a lot of Lee's writing in this book is stream of consciousness. Something that I'm not fond of to begin with. Top that with characters that I just plain hated and you've got a book that did less than nothing for me. And I so wanted to like it, but White as Snow was such a struggle for me to read. Better luck next time, I guess! I would still like to try another in this series. Let's hope that it's just Snow White that gives me to the Blues!

Tanith Lee is an inspiration to authors and fairy tale fans alike. She's pioneered the dark fairy tale genre. As an author, I found her own version of an archetypal fairy tale nightmarishily delicious. Lee rocks.
Amber LaShea Holmes
Snow White on Acid: Nine Fantastical Nightmares

Certainly the writing is extraordinary, the way Lee handles language is rare and beautiful, and the story was certainly compelling if disturbing. I came out of the book feeling depressed about humanity. Everyone in the book is on survival mode and this does not bring out the best in them. You see the darkest side of humankind, which, as we all know, can be horrendous, something that I don't need to see more of in this day and age. This is not a world I would ever want to be part of but her psycholgical insight into the people is dead on and probably what one would find with people in their situations. It took me a few days to recuperate from the sadness I felt after reading the book (granted, I have depression issues anyway, so probably not a good choice for me)

To say the least, I am very skeptical in trusting the ratings on Amazon. SImply, everyone's opinion varies greatly- your all-time favorite book will get a 2, or a book you hate will get a 5. Now, I jot down the titles I'm interested in, go to the nearest Borders and review a few pages. It's better than buying a book and being disappointed. I leave 5 stars, because this fantasy is one of the most lush, eloquently and uniquely written book I have seen in a long time. It is also one of the most dark, intense and slightly macabre books I've read...if not perhaps, THE most fantastically macabre book ever. This is not for the fainthearted. (Spoiler) There is one rape scene- I hate reading and watching anything to do with it. Ever watch the movie, General's Daughter? I almost stopped watching it, but without that extremely prolonged scene (it seemed to me) it would not have been the movie it was. The same goes for this book. To quote Tim Curry in Legend, "What is light without darkness?" If you are familiar with the REAL Brothers Grimm fairy tales (meant for adults) and appreciate their value, then you may be interested in this book. Stunning and marvelous.