The Shadow of the Bear (A Fairy Tale Retold #1)

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The Shadow of the Bear (A Fairy Tale Retold #1)

by Regina Doman (Goodreads Author)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 731 ratings · 100 reviews

Once upon a time... In New York City, a young, secretive street tough who calls himself, Bear, lands on the doorstep of two teenaged sisters. On the one hand Rose is delighted with his surprising knowledge of literature, poetry, and music; on the other hand Blanche is afraid of his apparent connections to drugs, murder, and a hidden treasure. Even as Blanche learns to trus...more

Paperback, 228 pages

Published October 6th 2008 by Regina Doman (first published August 28th 1997)

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Catholic, Reluctantly by Christian M. Frank

Catholic YA Fiction

12th out of 20 books — 16 voters

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Classic Fairytales Retold

161st out of 167 books — 52 voters

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Mar 13, 2008 Clare D' Lune rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-books

Loved it! There is a 2nd and a 3rd book also for this series. I haven't read the 3rd, but I plan to. Regina Doman's modern version of Snow White and Rose Red (NOT Disney's Snow White, by the way) is fascinating. I love how she wrote the 7 monks in her 2nd book (which IS based on Disney's Snow White, in a way)...

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Feb 17, 2009 booklady rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to booklady by: Miss Clark

Shelves: 2009, adventure, all-ages, books-on-books, classic, family, fantasy, fiction, worth-reading-over-and-over, youth

Thoroughly delightful, modern retelling of, Rose Red and Snow White A Grimm's Fairy Tale, which I am bound to read next. The Shadow Of The Bear is set in modern day New York City and "the Bear" wears dreadlocks. The two sisters, Blanche and Rose, recently displaced by their father's death are struggling to fit in at a new (to the girls) inner-city high school.

The best part of the book for me was the beginning because of all of the great quotes and intriguing ideas. It's been far too long since...more Thoroughly delightful, modern retelling of, Rose Red and Snow White A Grimm's Fairy Tale, which I am bound to read next. The Shadow Of The Bear is set in modern day New York City and "the Bear" wears dreadlocks. The two sisters, Blanche and Rose, recently displaced by their father's death are struggling to fit in at a new (to the girls) inner-city high school.

The best part of the book for me was the beginning because of all of the great quotes and intriguing ideas. It's been far too long since I've read any fairy tales and I'd forgotten the charm their gentle "spells' can weave in reminding us more is going on in Life than work, struggle and overcoming problems. The author often speaks through her fanciful character, Rose. Here she is speaking to her sister, Blanche and Bear, "Have you ever felt there was something going on in life not everyone was aware of?" Pressed to explain herself, Rose continues, "As though there's a story going on that everyone is a part of, but not everybody knows about? Maybe 'story' isn't the right word--a sort of drama, a battle between what's peripheral and what's really important. As though the people you meet aren't just their plain, prosaic selves, but are actually princes and princesses, gods and goddesses, fairies, shepherds, all sorts of fantastic creatures who've chosen to hide their real shape for some reason or other. Have you ever thought that?" (p. 56)

I'll let you read the book for yourself to see how her audience responded. I know, however, what I think. I think she is on to something.

Although predictable and simplistic, it was good to be reminded by this sweet fairy tale that Good can triumph and there can be happy endings. A definite 'Feel Good' experience. Read and enjoy!

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I started it today and I LOVE it! I usually don't read fiction with my highlighters but The Highlighter Queen here is 'decorating' this book quite a bit! There are so many cool 'quotes', sage sayings and sweet reflections that I am re-remembering why I fell in love with reading as well as developing a case for why one should never give up fiction no matter how much one thinks it's more valuable to only read "serious" books.

It's fun and it's very, very good! (less)

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Oct 19, 2009 Regina Doman rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: wrote

Full disclosure: I wrote this book. It was my first published book and will always have a special place in my heart. The first book in the "Snow White and Rose Red" trilogy. Enjoy!

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Dec 09, 2012 Vigulf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't often write reviews for books due to the insanity of college life, but for this book and its sequels I will make an exception. This is the first book of what is now one of my favorite series of books, along with Tolkien's ring trilogy, Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian romances (minus one...), Michael D. O'Brien's works, and Kristin Lavransdatter. I read all five of Regina Doman's fairytale novels over the space of a week, while studying for finals, writing two essays, attending a school dan...more I don't often write reviews for books due to the insanity of college life, but for this book and its sequels I will make an exception. This is the first book of what is now one of my favorite series of books, along with Tolkien's ring trilogy, Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian romances (minus one...), Michael D. O'Brien's works, and Kristin Lavransdatter. I read all five of Regina Doman's fairytale novels over the space of a week, while studying for finals, writing two essays, attending a school dance, and generally keeping up with school and my social life. I couldn't put them down. This book I finished the night I got it. I immediately emailed my mother back home and suggested she buy all of them. I intend to read them aloud with my two sisters when I get home for Christmas.

I've read many attempts to weave fairy tales and fantasy into a modern setting. Rarely do they succeed in making a good story without in some way ruining the original feel of the story or injecting into it some modernistic junk. This book (and series in general) goes beyond mere success.
The sense of magic and expectation inherent in the fairytale genre is preserved, somehow, without making the story in any way unbelievable or compromising the spirit of the original fairytale.
The characters manage to be realistic and believable while carrying their roles as 'princes', 'princesses', 'dwarves', and whatever else they may be.
Despite the simplicity, on some levels, and accessibility of these books, depths of beauty and truth are conveyed that are, in my experience, rarely to be found outside significantly lengthier and more philosophically inclined works.
It is incredible entertaining, as I've mentioned above, and truly gripping--it simply does not put its reader down. More importantly, however, it is good. The morals and themes are good. The characters, despite their fallen nature (which is fairly realistically portrayed), are good. The story, in its heart of hearts, is simply and unaffectedly good. We need more books like this.
My only complaint about these books is that they are on the shorter side. This, however, has its advantages insofar as it makes them more accessible to audiences less inclined to embark on lengthy literary venture and increases readability (and re-readability, as I think I'll soon find). Also, I should qualify my complaint: they achieve excellence in the length in which they are written. They should not be made any longer or shorter than they are, for to do so would go beyond the needs of their respective stories. They are whole and perfect as they are; I just wish I could spend more time with them.
Thank you, Regina Doman, for writing these books.

I'll write reviews for the rest of the books individually as I read through them with my sisters. I can't wait to go home.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Alexandra Ray rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone - in need of faith and hope

I absolutely love this book. I can't give it enough praise. The characters, the story, everything about this book is lovely and memorable.

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Oct 08, 2010 Miss Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 29, 2012 Tim Baldwin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading more in this modern-day fairy tale series by Regina Doman. As a teacher of English Language Arts it is refreshing to read a story with an intricate plot and complex characters that is a pleasure to read because the characters face very real situations while seeing the world beyond its physical realities. The characters, Blanche, Rose, Bear, and Fish, capture the heart of the reader, causing the reader to feel sympathy for the characters an...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Emily Byrd Starr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my favorite fairy tale retellings, partly because the fairy tale itself is not commonly known, but also because it sets up the mood for this book as well as the other two in the Snow White and Rose Red Trilogy, that of seeing adventure, wonder, and heroism as things belonging not just to fairy tales but to our everyday world. Doman also does a great job in portraying the message that she believes that the authors of the tale were seeking to show their audience. The characters are...more

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Sep 05, 2007 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very cute and well written adaption of the fairy tale "Rose Red and Snow White". The only problem I had with it, was all the Catholicism. It was throughout the entire book, and I did not care for it at all...but if you can ignore the praying to Mary, etc. and love a good, modern fairy story, then I recommend this. Sweet, and set in modern times, it makes a good story.

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Sep 24, 2011 Dot Hutchison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once upon a time in New York City, there lived a widow and her two daughters. One cold winter night, a Bear came to their door.
And they let him in.

I love fairy tales. I’ve said that before and I’m sure I’ll say it many times again, but I absolutely love fairy tales, and more specifically I love retellings of them. I find it fascinating how many different ways there are to tell the same stories, all the different aspects that go into staying faithful to the original tales and yet still becoming u...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Christina Weigand rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book had a slow start and I almost put it down after the first few chapters. Fortunately I kept up with it and once the action started things really picked up. I wish Ms. Doman could have found a way to introduce the action a little earlier.
Once into the story I enjoyed the plot although at times Ms. Doman was a little to vague. Of course this could be the fault of this inattentive reader, but I felt as if she could have been a little more obvious in some of the premises. I was often left w...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I enjoyed this book. I've never read the Grimm fairy tale that it was based on so I found myself constantly excited to find out what would happen next. Was Bear good or bad? I didn't know and read feverishly to find out!

I appreciated the author's desire to portray young, modest, Catholic heroines though at times the girls seemed a little overly naive and the modesty a little forced. The fashion descriptions dated the book and some of the dialogue seemed rather old-fashioned for such young girls....more

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Jan 07, 2013 S.K. Valenzuela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First of all, of course I love the idea of reimagined fairy tales and legends. (My own book Silesia: The Outworlder is a reimagining of the St. George and the Dragon legend, after all!) I thought Doman's version of Snow White and Rose Red was engaging. I wanted a little more depth from the characters, though; they seemed to fall too easily into stereotypes (i.e., red-head=hot-head). The material was appropriate for the audience, but I don't know that the characters would be sympathetic to a broa...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I realized just be looking at the cover that it was published by a Christian publishing company. This can be a good and a bad thing - you get squeaky clean literature, but sometimes get distracted from the plot by sermons. This time around it was just clean - SO clean, in fact, that some teens might say it was unrealistic. I hope very much there are still teenagers like the ones portrayed in this book out there, that it isn't unrealistic - Christian or no.
At any rate, it was a cute story with a...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was recommended by a friend, at true to her own review, it was a nice, innocent retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. The book is starting to sound a bit dated, but the character building stays strong. Sometimes their innocence got a bit on my nerves, but the pace was good and it really picked up towards the end! This is a great recommendation for teens with strict, religious parents, who want their teen to read something less violent than "Those Hunger Games". There is definite Christian r...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: catholic-fiction, ya

The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold, is a beautiful modernization of an old Grimm classic. Refreshingly, the novel remains faithful to the original fairy tale and is absent of any post modern existential drivel. In this version, the main characters are Catholic and exhibit strong morals, practice modesty, and have rather weighty discussions of Truth and Beauty (yes, with capitals). It is, in the strictest sense, true to form. Between the covers you will find good and evil, Truth and Beau...more

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May 28, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales, fantasy, fiction, of-the-girly-persuasion, favorites

Loved it! Bear is totally mine. Just sayin.

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Jun 30, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Religious teens

Shelves: young-adults-books

I read this while writing an essay on Margo Lanagan's Tender Morsels. As a retelling of the Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale, both kept closely to the original story, and yet both were so very different. While Lanagan's story is far more adult than Doman’s involving incest, rape and their ongoing psychological trauma, Doman's falls within the traditional definition of YA fiction. Instead of sex, her characters are religiously Catholic and have decided to await marriage before a sexual relation...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Bernadette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, for-teachers, young-adult

An excellent read! I have always enjoyed fractured and modern retellings of fairy tales and this one does not disappoint. It did help that my sister included a copy of the original Grimm´s tale when she passed this book on to me. If you´re not familiar with the original, be sure to find a copy.

The Shadow of the Bear would make a fantastic addition to a secondary English teacher´s arsenal of contemporary literature for young adults. Using the book either as part of a literature study on tradition...more

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Jan 30, 2010 Jess rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was incredibly disappointed with "Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale." For starters, the main characters are young women in modern New York City, yet they speak, act, and think like young women from another time period. While Rose, the younger sister, is impulsive and sharp, Blanche is afraid of her own shadow - she's the ultimate damsel in distress. Not quite what I was thinking when I saw "Modern Fairy Tale." Though Doman does try to reconcile this in the inevitable and predictable...more I was incredibly disappointed with "Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale." For starters, the main characters are young women in modern New York City, yet they speak, act, and think like young women from another time period. While Rose, the younger sister, is impulsive and sharp, Blanche is afraid of her own shadow - she's the ultimate damsel in distress. Not quite what I was thinking when I saw "Modern Fairy Tale." Though Doman does try to reconcile this in the inevitable and predictable conclusion of the book, she ultimately fails.

Additionally, Doman's voice was visible all throughout. The main characters are supposed to be teenagers - but instead, they're waxing philosophic and contemplating metaphysical relationships. Their voices never seem wholly honest and accurate - I felt as though I had a very strong sense of Doman's authorial hand and how she perceived the fairy tale characters rather than the characters of Rose and Blanche. Similarly, I expected the story to be a modern day fairy tale as advertised in the title. What I really got of my reading was two girls who wanted to be in a fairy tale, and an author who wanted to put them in a fairy tale, but didn't quite know how to do that, least of all in a contemporary setting. The interactions between the primary characters were more appropriate for a century before, and the New York city setting seemed artificial and dishonest to what New York is really like today. Throughout my reading, I kept getting confused by what the time of the book was supposed to be, since the girls dress out of another era, the city has clothes from another era, but also has drug dealers and modern day policemen - indications that Doman had significant trouble collaborating the fairy tale elements with the modern day elements.

However, my biggest frustration was the regular theme of Catholicism. It wouldn't bother me so much if it had been incorporated into the text naturally. Instead, it seemed as though Doman was searching for ways to add principles and beliefs into her text. Her thoughts might as well have been tacked on at the end of the sentence for how poorly incorporated it was into the overall story. I tend to stay away from books that are heavy on religion, and I wish I had known that before I even picked this up. To me, it felt as though Doman couldn't decide if she wanted this to be a religious metaphor or a fairy tale, so she tried to do both.

I'm disappointed to have such a negative reaction to a book I was so looking forward to reading, but there was nothing about the characters that interested me, and the plot and themes did nothing to engage me further. (less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, fairy-tales

What an odd little fairy tale.

This is a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. No, NOT that Snow White. It's the fairy tale of two sisters who befriend a talking bear and have to deal with a covetous and ungrateful dwarf. The bear, of course, turns out to be a prince who in true old-school fairy tale style reverts back only after he kills that stupid dwarf (!). Ah, fairy tales.

The retelling was quite clever. It takes place in modern day NYC (okay, well, clearly the dirtier, more crime ridden N...more

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Sep 30, 2007 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hm. . .this is one where I honestly have to admit that it probably wasn't "my kind" of book, and it's hard to give it a star rating.

I enjoyed it a lot, though. Actually read most of it in a 210 page reading marathon, which for me is a rarity, because I really cared about the characters and wanted to see how their struggles turned out. Bear was cool, but Blanche and Rose are also sympathetic, well-painted characters. The romantic element was nicely subtle and well-done--I particularly liked the s...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Leslie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chez-mama

Another request from my 12 yr old for preview. Final decision: not yet. The story line is interested and somewhat compelling but that were too much of a reflection of the author and not of the character (sorry, Regina!)Many years ago, I read the McFarlane books and I had the same impression. I have a thing for being annoyed when clothing descriptions are too detailed. It really dates the book and makes me not like it if the clothing described is unappealing. I know that this is shallow on my par...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I absolutely fell in love with this book! It was funny, faith filled, action packed and an over all good read. I could relate to the character, Blanche, so well. The book was well written. It was so easy to relate to the characters. I read all of Regina's books and none of them can compare to this one. I recommend it to anyone who wants a Catholic, good, fiction book. Great for teens!

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Nov 14, 2012 Karla Kelsch rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked that this book was so clean and that is set forth good morals and values. The story was just okay. The characters had a lot of potential but I just never quite felt like they were fully developed.....too many unknowns that were not resolved. It will be a good story for younger teenagers to read.

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Apr 18, 2011 Bridget rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Doman when she spoke at our church. I bought the book and really enjoyed it. Look forward to reading the rest of the series. I did pull out and read "Snow White and Rose Red" prior to reading The Shadow of the Bear as I was not familiar with the original Grimm fairy tale.

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Mar 03, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, retellings, favorite-fiction

~~3.5 stars.~~ I'm bumping this up to 4 since a week later I am still thinking about the characters.

This was a good book. My only complaints have to do with writing style, pacing, etc... I thought the POV changes were hard to follow sometimes.

I like the characters and how the story was adapted to modern day. I could easily see this being made into a movie. I also thought it was nice how God and Church were woven into the story. It didn't feel forced. There is no doubt that the main characters in th...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales

This is a really good book! Every Catholic teen girl should put this on her reading list! It's a modern version of Grimm's Fairytale Snow White and Rose Red, and Regina Doman did a great job with it. There is one more "mature scene so age recommendation is later teens+

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Dec 29, 2009 Kelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was really good! It drew me in like other books that I've read recently haven't, and had good writing style and plot development to boot! It was also really cool how everything was told assuming you knew a lot about being Catholic! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tales!

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May 06, 2009 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I LOVED this book! It is a modern day retelling of The Brothers Grimm classic "Snow White and Rose Red" which takes place in New York City. I could hardly put it down! I started it on Monday and finished it Tuesday afternoon while my little ones were napping. I must admit I stayed up way too late Monday night, but it was worth it! I am really looking forward to the remaining books in the series.

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About Regina Doman

Regina Doman was born in 1970 in Havertown, Pennsylvania. After attending several different Catholic, public, and private schools, she graduated from Koinonia Academy of Warren, New Jersey in 1988. Having a strong interest in scriptwriting, she attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio from 1988-1992, and graduated with a BA in Communications, concentrating on Television Production,...more Regina Doman was born in 1970 in Havertown, Pennsylvania. After attending several different Catholic, public, and private schools, she graduated from Koinonia Academy of Warren, New Jersey in 1988. Having a strong interest in scriptwriting, she attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio from 1988-1992, and graduated with a BA in Communications, concentrating on Television Production, with a minor in Theatre Arts. She lived in New York City and worked as assistant editor of Lay Witness magazine from 1992-1994, and wrote columns and articles for various publications, including a comic strip for YOU! magazine. In 1994 she married her husband, Andrew. She published her first novel for teenagers in 1997: Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale, republished in paperback in 2002 under the title The Shadow of the Bear. The sequel, Black as Night, was published in 2004.

Her first picture book, Angel in the Waters, has sold over 100,000 copies.

As an independent contractor she created and is overseeing the development of the John Paul 2 High series, whose first title, Catholic, Reluctantly was released in March 2008.

She and her husband co-own Chesterton Productions, which released their first full-length audio drama, The Shadow of the Bear in August 2005. They also worked on the half-hour drama Perpetua's Choice, which was released in September 2005.

In July 2006, their family was grieved by the loss of their son Joshua in a tragic car accident. They created a memorial website for him at www.joshua-michael.org, and Regina took a sabbatical from public speaking and writing to be with her family. In August 2007 she resumed public work with the publication of her third book, Waking Rose, and spoke about their family's loss at the Midwest Catholic Family Conference. A tape of the talk is available.

On June 1, 2008, Regina released her fourth book in her series of contemporary Fairy Tale Novels for Teens, The Midnight Dancers.

She and her husband make their home near Front Royal, Virginia, with their six children.(less)

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Books by Regina Doman

The Midnight Dancers (A Fairy Tale Retold #4)

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“Every once in a while you just have to decide to do something very crazy and very right--just to dare yourself to live. I don't mean doing something stupid and destructive--just something fun and good and beautiful.” — 76 people liked it

“The boys at school are so degenerate that it makes one feel pessimistic about the future of the male gender in general.” — 27 people liked it

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