Scan barcode
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
This was an interesting concept - a kind of retelling of Sleeping Beauty with Snow White elements - but it ultimately fell mostly flat for me due to the lack of depth.
I went into it aware that it was more of a short story, but I thought it would still be a fully realized complete one as well. It just wasn't developed enough. I didn't mind the ambiguous writing style because it added to the uneasiness threaded throughout the book. However, mostly felt like it was more about the general atmosphere instead of creating actual substance.
The ending had a cool twist. Unfortunately, that was undermined by how anti-climactic it all ended up being.
You need to go into this with very open eyes and/or a specific set of expectations or you will be disappointed.
I went into it aware that it was more of a short story, but I thought it would still be a fully realized complete one as well. It just wasn't developed enough. I didn't mind the ambiguous writing style because it added to the uneasiness threaded throughout the book. However, mostly felt like it was more about the general atmosphere instead of creating actual substance.
The ending had a cool twist. Unfortunately, that was undermined by how anti-climactic it all ended up being.
You need to go into this with very open eyes and/or a specific set of expectations or you will be disappointed.
jlcolumbe's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
calhale1989's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. A really beautiful book and a quick read. The art is beautiful and the story has that classic Gaiman whimsy. This isn't a sequel to Snow Glass Apples but lives in a similar place, even though the stories have nothing to do with each other.
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I think the ending was much stronger than the beginning.
I think the ending was much stronger than the beginning.
marinafaedda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ec_newman's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars for the illustrations and fours stars for the twisted fairytale. Lovely and different. I feel like I need to know what happened to the old woman.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
Neil Gaiman + Chris Riddell = a dream combination! And it indeed is. We have the wonderful imaginary tale written by Neil Gaiman and get gorgeous illustrations by Chris Riddell.
I truly enjoyed this book. We have a woman who is probably Snow White (hints everywhere, dwarfs + stepmother + sleeping in a coffin) and we have Sleeping Beauty.
I adored Snow White, she is way more kick-ass than I normally know her, so I was cheering for her when she picked up her horse, said bye bye to her prince and then went with the dwarfs to fix the sleep problem that was plaguing her kingdom. My, oh my, she looked really awesome in that outfit of hers. Though I do wonder, why all the skulls? It just didn't fit her that much, and at times the skulls were placed at an awkward angle that it seemed like censoring.
The story itself is really pretty and at times gave me goosebumps. Because, seriously, sleeping people should stay asleep, not walk around like slo-mo-zombies!!! Add to that the fact we get pictures of said zombies and voilà even more goosebumps.
And something I rarely have seen outside of Japanese manga, we get a kiss between 2 woman. Ok, ok, sure it was to wake up a certain somebody, but still it was a lovely kiss and I was cheering to see this in an English book.
The illustrations, oh my I was just drooling over it. Chris Riddell's art is just gorgeous, I just kept looking and kept finding little details. The illustrations are black and white with a few hints of bronze/gold. I really liked it. Simplistic yet beautiful.
All in all I would truly recommend this book to everyone. Might not be for the truly little ones (due to some scenes), but I am sure older children and adults will love this one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Neil Gaiman + Chris Riddell = a dream combination! And it indeed is. We have the wonderful imaginary tale written by Neil Gaiman and get gorgeous illustrations by Chris Riddell.
I truly enjoyed this book. We have a woman who is probably Snow White (hints everywhere, dwarfs + stepmother + sleeping in a coffin) and we have Sleeping Beauty.
I adored Snow White, she is way more kick-ass than I normally know her, so I was cheering for her when she picked up her horse, said bye bye to her prince and then went with the dwarfs to fix the sleep problem that was plaguing her kingdom. My, oh my, she looked really awesome in that outfit of hers. Though I do wonder, why all the skulls? It just didn't fit her that much, and at times the skulls were placed at an awkward angle that it seemed like censoring.
The story itself is really pretty and at times gave me goosebumps. Because, seriously, sleeping people should stay asleep, not walk around like slo-mo-zombies!!! Add to that the fact we get pictures of said zombies and voilà even more goosebumps.
And something I rarely have seen outside of Japanese manga, we get a kiss between 2 woman. Ok, ok, sure it was to wake up a certain somebody, but still it was a lovely kiss and I was cheering to see this in an English book.
The illustrations, oh my I was just drooling over it. Chris Riddell's art is just gorgeous, I just kept looking and kept finding little details. The illustrations are black and white with a few hints of bronze/gold. I really liked it. Simplistic yet beautiful.
All in all I would truly recommend this book to everyone. Might not be for the truly little ones (due to some scenes), but I am sure older children and adults will love this one.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
li13eo's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool! Beautiful art as usual by Chris Riddell, and a chilling yet inspiring retelling of a classic tale by the man himself, Neil Gaiman. Both are amazing.
dana_yamaguchi's review against another edition
4.0
“If you make it through the roses, she’ll be waiting for you.
She’s old as the hills, evil as a snake, all malevolence and magic and death.”
-Neil Gaiman, The Sleeper and the Spindle