Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles Book 1) by Rachel Huffmire – Review by Jennifer Gordon

Shattered Snow by Rachel Huffmire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hooked from page one by Rachel Huffmire’s Young Adult novel ‘Shattered Snow’, it is a retelling of the fairy story Snow White but it has a science fiction twist to it. The author has based her novel on the real life story of Margaretha von Waldeck, a sixteenth-century countess who is thought to have inspired the Grimm brothers’ original fairy tale. “Time travel may be illegal, but The Mirror doesn’t mind breaking a few laws”. In 1537 a young countess, Margaretha is destined to be poisoned when she reaches twenty-one but when she discovers a mysterious mirror in the woods her future shatters and her world is turned into ice and shadows. In the future, 2069, time-travel is restricted to observation and research only however, Keltson Grammar runs an “underground empire that rescues unfortunate souls throughout history”, Known only as “The Mirror”. Keltson knows that a single mistake could send an “entire agency to reinstate his clients to their original dismal fates”. Meanwhile Russian mechanic, Lilia Vaschenko will do anything to escape the cinderblock towers, unclimbable ladders and the glass ceiling that surrounds her, even work for the world’s most wanted renegade.
‘Shattered Snow’ is an engaging and enjoyable read with a original and unique storyline and it is a completely different version of the well known ‘Snow White’ fairytale. The authors wonderful narrative and world building really brings both the time periods, the setting and the well defined characters to life with her detailed descriptions. I loved the time travelling elements to this story and I liked the main characters who were realistic and relatable and who each added to the story in their own ways. I found it was a fast paced storyline which flowed well and the plot was unpredictable and kept me gripped throughout. The story and the characters stayed with me long after I had finished reading and I look forward to the second book in ‘The Mirror Chronicles’ series.

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