With aspirations of being an animator, sixteen-year-old Nivi Nash thought she knew all about fairy tales. Take one beautiful damsel in distress, add a charming hero, and don’t forget a cackling villain. Throw in some pretty colors, a few songs, and mix well. But caught in a real one, she learns the hero—though still hot—isn’t always charming, the story far from pretty, and the villain absolute evil. On the run for her life in a stolen SUV, she isn’t worried about her beauty, but happily ever after? Yes, she wants that the most. It means she’ll live. The kiss always at the end of these tales?Most of the time, okay maybe half of the time, the thought of that lip lock is far, far away where these stories are supposed to be. But tied to a stake on the side of a snowy mountain, the thought of her not-so-charming hero’s kiss burns away the reality of the knife hovering above her skin. Appropriate for grade nine and up.
When Jean Haus isn't writing, she's usually reading. Anything from young adult to historical fiction as long as there’s at least a bit of romance, she'll load it on her Kindle. She also loves to cook. And someday she will create the world’s best potsticker.
This book needs another cover! Seriously. This is prime bestselling material! This needs an appealing cover asap! It deserves one!
What did i just read? o_O A dark contemporary retelling of Snow White, which managed to escape the basics stereotypes, normally attached to this tale! I'm flabbergasted....
I loved reading this story! More than a retelling, this reads more like a thriller packed with non stop action scenes, with a little bit of romance thrown in it!
It was great! Who needs horses when the "prince" has a bike, and the "princess" knows how to drive like a professional car racer?
Original to the fairy tale, we have a girl who lost her mother, and now lives with her father.
Unlike the original, Nivi lost her mother to a car accident six months ago, and her relationship with her father is less than perfect since they're basically strangers.
When her father decides to marry a wealthy, successful woman named Mali, Nivi's world starts falling apart. All of a sudden this stranger, is trying to take over her mother's place, and trying to transform her into a mini-Mali. Things don't look promising, and that's before the attacks on her life start. As if that isn't enough, no one believes her....besides the most unlikely candidate.
The writing of this story is perfect. And the way the story is told, even more so!
There's no wasting time repeating over and over, things we already know. I never got the feeling that i sometimes get when reading a story, that the author is dragging things, you know? Perfectly timed, every page presented something different and new to the story! It never became boring. Picking this up, was never a chore.
Then in a time when most all main characters are occidentalized according to the most trending movie stars and various things of the sort, Jean Haus gives us a boy with dark velvet slanted eyes.
A boy who works for a living. A complex character, Jai, as the male leading character was a pleasure to read. A boy who isn't defined by a shining armour.
For a second I see hurt in his dark eyes then they turn hard. He crosses his arms. “I do what’s needed to survive.”
Nivea, on the other hand, although i liked her...for someone who wasn't used to her father's way of living (yes, she maintains her dressing code, and her quirky t-shirts), as someone who supposedly was raised in a more down to earth manner, had some traits, and little quirks (really small things) that didn't combine with her seventeen year mature self.
The constant "yeahs", the eye rolling moments, the way she takes advantage of the two kids, that she constantly calls "Buttheads" (yes, Jai, was the first one mentioning it, BUT...), gave her a more immature image.
But this was something that could have easily been corrected. However for the most part, she behaved as a level headed girl, not prone to fall into some mistakes that normally fill the ya romances:
So what if I find Jai attractive? Who wouldn’t? Finding someone amazingly attractive is completely different than pursuing them. And I’m not pursuing Jai. (...). I’m so not a candidate for Stockholm Syndrome.
The hat causes his hair to frame his features. The wisps soften the harsh lines of his face and accent his eyes. He looks boyishly cute. Geez, not this again. I shake the hormones out of my head.
“Sure you’re good looking and you’ve got an awesome body.” Am I out to make a complete moron of myself? “Ah…I’m not denying any of that. I just don’t fall for guys just because they’re hot.” Now his brow lifts. “(..) And besides, I’ve got more on my mind than crushing. Someone has put a ton of money on my head. And I’m not totally sure you won’t turn me in.” His brow rises even more, but I continue, “So yeah, your muscles caught me unawares out there. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea. We’re just acquaintances, not really even friends, just…whatever.”
As you can read, the girl is head over heels over the boy, but, this never gets in the way of the story! Because things more important than that, are happening...like people constantly trying to kill her!
So the romance is placed where it belongs: simmering in the back.
Bottom Line: This story isn't for the faint of heart. There's kidnapping attempts, murders, fights, and this sense of danger that permeates the tale, that kept me always on the edge of my seat...
You know when the bad guy is supposedly dead in a movie picture _for instance_, but still, everything is too quiet, your nerves are still completely on the edge, and any moment now you expect to jump out of your skin? Yes, this is one of those stories, so, go read it! Of course, this means that now i have more books to buy.... o_O...since, the author's other titles also seem interesting...
I first discovered the writing of Jean Haus when I downloaded her free short story Sleeping Handsome, and was immediately in love with her writing style. I quickly added the rest of her books to my Goodreads TBR list. How incredibly lucky was I, when the author contacted me and asked me if I would like to add those books to my review list!! Unfortunately it's only now that I have managed to get to Snow, Blood, and Envy!! And all I can say is WOW!!!
This is a retelling of Snow White with lots of modern twists and turns. There are no castles, but a high rise apartment building. There are no seven dwarves, but we do have the butthead brothers. Our Prince charming Jai, doesn't ride along on horseback, but he does ride in from Chinatown on his motorbike!!
Nivi moves in with her dad and her new stepmother Mali following the death of her mum. It isn't long before Nivi realises that someone is after her. Enter Jai. And the action begins!!
This is a book that every time I was forced to put it down I seriously couldn't wait for the time when I could get back to it!! It was so full of action that I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I couldn't read it fast enough!! We have betrayal, love, action, murder and suspense. Throw in some kick ass fighting scenes and even an Asian gang!! The characters are all awesome, whether they are the one's you love or the ones you hate. The writing is fantastic and everything is incredibly well paced.
So would I recommend Snow, Blood, and Envy? You betcha!! This is one fantastic read!!!
I've always loved Snow White... since then I haven't seen or read any modern tale about Snow White of course not to mention this up coming film of Snow White and the Huntsman in theater... so nope not yet... just like Sleeping Handsome it's a story not only about fairytales but how we cope with our lost and on what trials in life we have to face. it's another sweet story fast pace that you'll loved... Nivea, well she's our Snow White, in this novel yes she have a Prince that will kiss her but there's no apple nope... but lots of mirrors.... and definitely no dwarfs but there is the butthead brothers! all in all i very much enjoyed reading this just like i did when reading Sleeping Handsome... i wonder if Ms. Jean Haus will write about others princesses modern story hihihi ^_^
This was quite an amazing book. I finished it several days ago, and cannot stop thinking about it. The suspenseful ride just didn't stop, continuing on from the moment Mali enters the story until the spine tingling conclusion.
Very well written, entirely engaging. It had my heart racing almost the entire book! When I found out about what the bracelet truly was, I was horrified! I had figured out that the bracelet was the culprit, not the GPS. But what the bracelet was actually made out of was very creepy and surprised me significantly!
I was taken by surprise with this story, as my introduction to the author was through the story "Sleeping Handsome." I knew from the title this would be a little darker, but I really did not expect the book to be so dark, scary, and suspenseful! I generally stay away from this genre, but I really did enjoy reading this.
Oh Sweet Lord!!!!!!! I completely adore this book!!! I mean WOOOOOOOOW! Snow, Blood and Envy just blew me away.. I really loved the book! Honestly, I was fascinated by the idea of how the tale of Snow White is repeated with some really cool and new stuff! I mean, isn't it awesome to have read the old story with a new spice to it?
Jai, I love him - his role is really like a prince who saves snow white. I mean, is it really necessary for a prince to be rich always? NO! He seems evil in the beginning, but sweet really soon, I mean it's sort of a mystery - you don't realize it soon enough! That is the point that makes you just keep on going. Moreover, their love was kind of sweet, I mean neither too much, nor too less. I like it that way ;)
Soo.. I'm in love with this book <3 I'd read it again soooooon <3
I read this after having read Sleeping Handsome, also by Jean Haus.
The main character, Nivi, has recently lost her mother, had to move in with her father, who suddenly wants to marry young, beautiful Mari. Mari wants to make over Nivi, and her reasons for that are the key to the Snow-White like story.
While there were a few minor spelling and punctuation issues, and some of the action was a bit over-the-top (can a 17-year-old really drive at 160 mph without crashing?), the story was wild, sweet, intense and scary, sometimes at different times and sometimes all at the same time. The characters are three dimensional and I was very drawn to Nivi and Jai.
Storytelling has been around forever, whether verbal, print, ebook, whatever. Jean Haus is great at storytelling!
I absolutely loved this book!! This was the first book by Jean Haus that I've read and I was entertained the whole time! It kept me guessing and there was a little bit of everything in it. Love, action, mystery, suspense, it's an awesome story! I love Nivi, she is a typical teen just trying to find herself. I love her attitude, her style, her perspectives on life! I found myself connecting to her very early into the story and I grew to love her more. Highly, highly recommend this book!!
Pretty much everything. I really like this author's writing. I first happened upon her novella “Sleeping Handsome” which is the retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I liked it so much I gave it five stars. This book is a full length novel and retelling of “Snow White” (except there aren’t any dwarves).
The character Nivi: She’s a thoroughly modern teen. The author does a really good job getting her motivation and thoughts down on the page so you understand and root for Nivi.
The pacing: Never slow, never dull. It kept me reading all the way through til the end.
The world: Unexpected! You wouldn’t think you could set a modern-day Snow White tale in NY but the author manages to do that. And you wouldn’t think Prince Charming would be found in Chinatown but he is.
The Love Interest: You don’t know if he’s good or evil. If he loves Nivi or hates her. Good job keeping us guessing.
The epilogue: The book not only had an ending, it had an epilogue, and I thought the epilogue tied things up in an unexpected but fitting manner.
What I didn’t like:
The parents: The stepmom seemed cartoonishly villainess and the dad seemed too clueless.
Rating: Another five out of five. I liked it a lot and recommend it.
First, I want to thank Jean Haus for giving me this book. I am sometimes apprehensive about remakes of classics. Sometimes the authors get it right and sometimes they just screw it all up! However, Jean Haus did this retelling of Snow White ...... RIGHT!! WOW!! This book was so so good!!
Best part of the book: Nivi and Jai (aka Snow White and Prince Charming)! Jean definitely knows how to write 2 amazing characters. The chemistry between these two characters is amazing, Even though, I was unsure at first because this is set in modern time ... Jean hit the nail on the head!
I also love that, at first, you are not sure if Jai is good or bad. I also like that I love Nivi right off page 1! I think that she is an amazing character!
Not so great about book: I did not like that Nivi's father was a dork throughout the book. I understand the reasoning behind it, but every time he was on the page (talking or whatnot) I just wanted to reach through my Kindle and slap him! *eye roll* He is such a dork!!
Other than Nivi's father, I think this is a great book and a wonderful retelling of Snow White! I would recommend to others to read!!
It was an awesome book that look the classic fairytale of snow white and made it into a realistic modern tale. I loved that although it was based of the fairytale the author didn't restrict all the entire book to all the particular details. I mean there were no seven dwarves! the entire spin off was modern, realistic. I was literally at the edge of my bed when I reading it. I could definitely feel paranoia radiating from Nivi. The part I loved the most was how the main character grew, at the end she wasn't the pushover, weak minded, spoiled brat I thought she seemed to be.
I read this quite by accident, I thought I downloaded Sleeping Handsome by the same author onto my nook, but when I opened it up it was this book. Since I got it for free I decided to read it.
The story definately caught my attention, but it after reading it a while, I realized this was a modern day version of "Snow White" with out the 7 dwarfs.
The writing was very good and it had some different twist, but I think this is a story young teens would enjoy.
This is a very dark retelling of Snow White. Being the sucker that I am for fairy tales I still really liked it. The "princess" is not just a bystander waiting to be saved either which I really liked. Definitely worth the read but only gave it 3 stars because it is not one that I would read again & again.
It's a whole new twist to how fairy tales are told. This is the modern day retelling of Snow White. The beginning of the story was a little hard to follow but once I got the sense of it all, the action came together and slowly captured my attention leaving me wanting to know what's going to happen next.
This book is soooo good! If Jean would just change the cover and make the price of te book higher, she would get so many more people reading/buying her books.
Nivi is getting a new mom- unfortunately she is much older than she looks. Soon Nivi finds she is drawn into a world where her new mom covets her and is trying to kill her, yet no one will believe her. Nivi is on the run with a handsome and caring prince charming, but he might not be enough to stop everything even if he does believe her.
This was a fun modern setting- the author does a great job integrating everything into a very modern day NY without making it seem excessively fantasy to do so. This was more an urban fantasy retelling of the story- which was a nice sping. Unfortunantly because most already know the story of snow white, you can guess this will be a happily ever after.
It wasn’t a bad book, but it was predictable. If you can live with knowing it is a fairy tale with a happily ever after, then I can recommend this to you.
Loosely based on the traditional story of Snow White - very loosely - this modern fantasy screams along and has not a dull moment in it. I literally could hardly put it down.
The only thing that marred the book for me was Ms Haus' awful habit of dangling modifiers, which are sprinkled throughout the book like daisies in the grass. This problem really needs to be addressed as it detracts from her work, coming between the writer and reader in work that otherwise would have made the printed page virtually transparent.
This being said, I believe this writer has the potential to reach the level of Tanith Lee and Robin McKinley, and I have already bought everything else by her that I could lay hands on.
I like faerie tales. So a modern rendition of Snow White? I was game. And it had a few very interesting and fresh ideas. A bracelet of bone that let Step-witchy know where Snow is at all times. Snow White is 'Nivea' in Latin - so Nivea is our heroine. An Asian assassin from Chinatown turned Prince Charming. But for all that, there was just too much kung-fu, high-speed chase, hiking seven miles with a nicked femoral artery, "so the chauffer is dead... it doesn't mean anything, daughter" crap. And Nivea was a Gen Y brainless loser with emo chick baggage the WHOLE book. Still... I like faerie tales. So that added a star and a half.
In this book, Snow White the fairy tale becomes urban fantasy. While still following the original storyline, Snow White is set in modern day, with murders, ghettos, high school and so on, while retaining the evil witch, magic mirrors, and poisonous fruit. For being a rather generic, overdone plot, this is a surprisingly intriguing story.
Interesting twist on the Snow White story. Some cussing. Quick, easy read. I liked the characters. Nivea's mother dies, and her father marries a bad woman. When Nivea realizes someone is trying to kill her, she runs to Jai for help. He lives underground, and is a criminal.
I liked this. An interesting twist on the Snow White fairytale. Nivea was a strong, independent and quirky character, and I liked her a lot. I also very much liked Jai. Nicely paced, interesting characters, great story.
This is one of the most poorly written and boring books I have ever read. I thought at first that this book will be a retelling of snow white. But alas I was sooo disappointed I almost cry.It starts quite good but later on oh my God!!