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A review by momwithareadingproblem
The Hunt For Snow by S.E. Babin
Did not finish book.
I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Hunt For Snow by S.E. Babin is a reimagining of the classic fairytale Snow White. Snow escaped from the Enchanted Forest ten years ago and has made a life for herself in Mystic Falls on Earth. She's a professor in cryptozoology and a private investigator on the side, living with her two friends Belle and Cyndi. Everything is fine or at least she thinks it is until she gets an invitation to attend a conference from the Enchanted Forest. Suddenly she finds herself back where she was ten years ago, trying to survive the wrath of her step mother the evil queen Naomi and her Huntsman Max. Can Snow beat the queen and take back her kingdom?
Alright I'm going to be brutally honest for a few minutes. There were parts of this book I really disliked and parts that I loved. I hate that!! It makes it so hard to write the review. So let's take a minute to break down what I liked and disliked...
What I Liked
I really enjoyed the concept and plot behind the story. Snow escaped Max (because he let her) ten years prior and has lived a quiet life on Earth ever since. While there she's trained herself in battle, studied the mythical beings of earth, and basically prepared herself for if she ever had to face the huntsman again. The conference that brings her back to her old life is interesting in concept and brought a few plot twists as Snow comes face to face with the people she left at the hands of her stepmother.
The book is an interesting play on urban fantasy as it brings the fairytale characters to our world and in our setting, trying to understand technology and TV. In fact, I love the author's use of pop culture references, such as one instance with the slap bet from HIMYM and a Doctor Who reference.
Max....enough said ;)
What I Disliked
Unfortunately for me, there were more things I disliked than liked in this book. First the characters. Snow could have been a really strong heroine, however some of her characteristics with that of her friends Cyndi and Belle gave me the impression of a love-scorned teen instead of a woman who is a college professor. I found not just Snow, but all of the characters a little immature. Maybe it's just me, but if I had an evil stepmother trying to kill me and a kingdom to save having the hots for some guy would not be on my mind.
Then there was Naomi, the evil queen/stepmother. Basically she didn't seem that evil to me. She wasn't scary in the slightest. In fact I felt like she was the mean girl in high school who no matter how much she wanted to be the popular one she couldn't so she made Snow's life hell. I mean yeah she was trying to kill Snow, but really she was just a jealous woman acting like a teenager.
The pop culture references...while I enjoyed these I also found them off-putting. Here are these characters who haven't lived on earth for very long making references that in reality they wouldn't know. Also using our religion to curse...would the character even know what they were saying and wouldn't it make more sense to use what is used in the Enchanted Forest? I don't know I just found it distracting.
Max and Snow....I didn't understand this relationship. Max was under a compulsion by the Queen to kill Snow. Somehow he breaks the compulsion to allow Snow to escape the first time. But there is no indication that they knew each other. Yet somehow he breaks this really powerful spell to save a girl because of a pretty face. Then there's their first night together and basically every encounter they have that is very lust-filled. I just didn't buy it.
My Conclusion
Overall the book was just okay for me. In fact if I'm staying honest with you, I had a hard time reading it. The characters' immaturity, the lack of actual romance, and the various pop culture references were distracting and a little on the annoying side. Also for an urban fantasy, there was an amazing lack of fantasy until a good half way through the book. Now in saying all of this, the author did a good job of laying the foundation for the series as a whole. I expect that there will be more fantasy and more from all the characters as the series progresses. If you enjoy contemporary, new adult fiction with an urban fantasy flare, then I believe you will enjoy the book. Just keep in mind that it is a very loose interpretation of the classic Snow White story.
The Hunt For Snow by S.E. Babin is a reimagining of the classic fairytale Snow White. Snow escaped from the Enchanted Forest ten years ago and has made a life for herself in Mystic Falls on Earth. She's a professor in cryptozoology and a private investigator on the side, living with her two friends Belle and Cyndi. Everything is fine or at least she thinks it is until she gets an invitation to attend a conference from the Enchanted Forest. Suddenly she finds herself back where she was ten years ago, trying to survive the wrath of her step mother the evil queen Naomi and her Huntsman Max. Can Snow beat the queen and take back her kingdom?
Alright I'm going to be brutally honest for a few minutes. There were parts of this book I really disliked and parts that I loved. I hate that!! It makes it so hard to write the review. So let's take a minute to break down what I liked and disliked...
What I Liked
I really enjoyed the concept and plot behind the story. Snow escaped Max (because he let her) ten years prior and has lived a quiet life on Earth ever since. While there she's trained herself in battle, studied the mythical beings of earth, and basically prepared herself for if she ever had to face the huntsman again. The conference that brings her back to her old life is interesting in concept and brought a few plot twists as Snow comes face to face with the people she left at the hands of her stepmother.
The book is an interesting play on urban fantasy as it brings the fairytale characters to our world and in our setting, trying to understand technology and TV. In fact, I love the author's use of pop culture references, such as one instance with the slap bet from HIMYM and a Doctor Who reference.
Max....enough said ;)
What I Disliked
Unfortunately for me, there were more things I disliked than liked in this book. First the characters. Snow could have been a really strong heroine, however some of her characteristics with that of her friends Cyndi and Belle gave me the impression of a love-scorned teen instead of a woman who is a college professor. I found not just Snow, but all of the characters a little immature. Maybe it's just me, but if I had an evil stepmother trying to kill me and a kingdom to save having the hots for some guy would not be on my mind.
Then there was Naomi, the evil queen/stepmother. Basically she didn't seem that evil to me. She wasn't scary in the slightest. In fact I felt like she was the mean girl in high school who no matter how much she wanted to be the popular one she couldn't so she made Snow's life hell. I mean yeah she was trying to kill Snow, but really she was just a jealous woman acting like a teenager.
The pop culture references...while I enjoyed these I also found them off-putting. Here are these characters who haven't lived on earth for very long making references that in reality they wouldn't know. Also using our religion to curse...would the character even know what they were saying and wouldn't it make more sense to use what is used in the Enchanted Forest? I don't know I just found it distracting.
Max and Snow....I didn't understand this relationship. Max was under a compulsion by the Queen to kill Snow. Somehow he breaks the compulsion to allow Snow to escape the first time. But there is no indication that they knew each other. Yet somehow he breaks this really powerful spell to save a girl because of a pretty face. Then there's their first night together and basically every encounter they have that is very lust-filled. I just didn't buy it.
My Conclusion
Overall the book was just okay for me. In fact if I'm staying honest with you, I had a hard time reading it. The characters' immaturity, the lack of actual romance, and the various pop culture references were distracting and a little on the annoying side. Also for an urban fantasy, there was an amazing lack of fantasy until a good half way through the book. Now in saying all of this, the author did a good job of laying the foundation for the series as a whole. I expect that there will be more fantasy and more from all the characters as the series progresses. If you enjoy contemporary, new adult fiction with an urban fantasy flare, then I believe you will enjoy the book. Just keep in mind that it is a very loose interpretation of the classic Snow White story.