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Stitching Snow

R.C. Lewis (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 7,897 ratings · 1,336 reviews

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fill ...more

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Hardcover, 328 pages

Published October 14th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Jan 29, 2014 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“The day I was born, my father was more interested in unusual weather for the season. He chose my name and had some genetic resequencing done. He wanted what he wanted. So I was made Princess Snow, eyes like the sky and hair as white as my name."

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there lived Snow White.

Heehee. No, I have not gone off my rockers! Ok, I have, but that's beside the point. Of course, everyone has their own interpretation of a book, but for me, this book is Star Wars mee

“The day I was born, my father was more interested in unusual weather for the season. He chose my name and had some genetic resequencing done. He wanted what he wanted. So I was made Princess Snow, eyes like the sky and hair as white as my name."

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there lived Snow White.

Heehee. No, I have not gone off my rockers! Ok, I have, but that's beside the point. Of course, everyone has their own interpretation of a book, but for me, this book is Star Wars meet Snow White.. It has a kick-ass heroine, a realistic romance (and not a hint of a love triangle to be found! Halle-fucking-lujah!). The oh-so-familiar elements of the classics are still there. The dwarves...with a twist. The Evil Queen.

My stepmother. Crying never got me anything but a slap across the cheek from her. She haunted the edges of my earliest childhood memories. She was inescapable…until I escaped.

The Huntsman.

“You were the one,” Dane whispered. “The one who helped her escape.”
A knife in Kip’s hand, both of us staring at it, staring at each other…The indecision in his eyes fading only when he hands it to me.

The poison apple.

I hardly glanced at Olivia’s gift—a ruby-studded pendant in the shape of an apple I remembered her wearing a few times.

But there are also spaceships, evil emperors, adorably clunky androids... named Dimwit and Cusser.

Dimwit chose that moment to spot-weld one of its feet to the deck.
As usual, I didn’t include that infuriating bucket of a malfunction in my tally of problems. After all, I could solve that one with a quick hour of dismantling work.
For some reason, though, I never did.

And not to mention, Jedi mind-control

My surroundings went fuzzy, blurring with motion as something inside of me was yanked somewhere else.
To someone else.

And Snow White herself...genetically engineered to look like her name.

The Summary:

"I didn’t want to go home,” I said simply. “I still don’t.”

Essie is a rough, tough girl with a secret. She has not had an easy life. One of the youngest miners on the planet, she is no stranger to hard labor. She is a brilliant programmer and engineer. She can fight, and does. Essie can watch her own back, and she will need to. She is all alone, and nobody will watch out for her.

Life is lonely, and hard. Essie only has two stupid bleeping droids to keep her company (no, really, they bleep and bloop and whirr quite loudly. One is named Cusser...for the words it makes her say). She is content to be left alone...until the day a foreign boy, Dane, crashes into her life. Literally.

The flats spread before me, and the shuttle lay dead center. Not as bad a crash as I’d feared—it was still in one right-side-up piece. The sparks and smoke, however, didn’t bode well.

Dane is pretty nice, he gains her trust, he even helps her fight off an attacker. He's just kind of a a little dumb, because hello, he's a treasure hunter. Right. But seriously, he's not a bad dude. That is, he was nice until he kidnaps her. Well, fuck.

Every alarm in my body went off.
Something cold and metallic touched my neck. The shuttle skewed out of focus. My legs weren’t under me anymore, but somehow I hadn’t hit the floor.
“I’m sorry, Essie.”

It turns out that Dane wasn't lying. He is a treasure hunter. He was just lying about the type of treasure he is seeking.

“I’m not one of the half-drunk miners you’re used to fighting…Princess.”
He knew.
I couldn’t breathe.
“I’m the ‘treasure’ you were looking for,” I whispered.
“The treasure I got, the way I see it.”

Essie is not Essie. Essie is the long-missing Princess Snow. Daughter of the despotic King Matthias and his magical, bewitching Queen Olivia. Dane is part of the Exiles, and he has pretty valid reasons for wanting to kidnap Essie. When she disappeared, his people were blamed. They were punished, reviled. But was it truly the princess' disappearance that made the king seek to destroy their people...or is it part of a much bigger plot?

Whatever it is, the Exile's miserable, darkened existence is partially her fault, however indirectly. Dane brings her to his people, who want to bring her back on the throne. The Exiles see her as a beacon of hope. She is the heir to the throne. She can overthrow her evil father. She can restore peace to the empire. She is their salvation. Or is she their pawn?

she’d put her trust in people who couldn’t protect her. People who maneuvered lives like strategically placed pawns.
Leaving only me, the last.

Snow has her own reasons for running away. Her life as a child in the palace was not as blissful as it seemed. Is she ready to confront her past? Is she willing to put her fears aside? Will she finally embrace her destiny and become the queen everyone knows she could be?

Shoulders straight, Essie. Chin level. Just like Mother.
The council sat around the large table, caught in the midst of an argument. Dane was the first to spot me, his lips parting in mute surprise. The older council members followed his gaze, and the room went silent.
“You wanted a queen,” I said solidly, pushing my Thandan accent aside. “You’ve got one.”

Essie:

Windsong needs you.…
My mother’s voice again. After the memory of the pond and the dragonflies, it was too much. I turned and ran back to the complex, ignoring Dane’s shouts.
One thing hadn’t changed since he took me from Thanda—I still would not let him see me cry.

I really, really hate her name. Essie = nail polish brand to me, so yeah, name = hate. The character, however, is just fine.

When he doubled over, I kicked his legs from under him. He dropped and I followed, bracing my legs against his while my upper body pinned his shoulders. The shouts surrounding the cage crested as Thacker pushed against the threadbare mat. Before he could throw me off, I grabbed a fistful of his sweaty hair and slammed his head down.

I like the fact that Essie is strong. I like the fact that Essie is a fighter, a cage fighter for prize money, in fact. I like the fact that, in a YA world filled with girls who want to be artists, writers, singers, clothes designers, our Essie is a programmer and an engineer. I give high praise to authors who give their female characters a love for math and the sciences. It is entirely too lacking still, even in this day and age. Girls should be encouraged to pursue a love of math and science.

I like her fear. I like her past. I like the fact that she does not allow a dark moment to hold her back.

Knocked out, helpless in a room full of drunk men.
I splashed icy water on my face, forcing deep breaths to keep both the memory and the panic attack at bay. Nothing had happened. Not then, and not today.

I like the fact that she is hard, with a core of steel. She is not a crier, she holds things inside, but she is ever-so-vulnerable just the same. Nobody is perfect. I like that she holds herself back, while still being susceptible to ever-growing teenage hormones, while never letting it overwhelm her. She remains strong, but never so stubborn as to become the cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face type. THE FEELS, LET IT OUT, GIRL!

“Dimwit Essie queen Essie,” he said. “Essie mother proud.”
And the twitchy malfunction who’d never botched anything he didn’t mean to dipped himself into an unmistakable bow.
I didn’t fight the tear that slipped down my cheek.
I smiled, and I bowed back.

The Romance:

A siren blasted my ears, echoing off the smooth walls. Lockdown. If we got trapped in that chamber, it was over.
I turned, and my eyes found Dane’s. He was still with me. He looked right at me and took a breath.
“GO!”
And I did.

Priority, girlfriend. You haz them. And I love you for it. Yes, this book has romance. The love interest is a kidnapper, and I don't give a fuck. Dane is a good guy. Yeah, Essie has her silly girl moments. So what? You have them. I've had them (and still have them). The point is that the lovey-dovey is kept to a minimum, and I never found myself going...

I'm not excusing the fact that he kidnapped her, but you have to admit, as Essie admitted...his reasons, to free his people. To release them from blame and scorn...to rescue his father (I am your father. Sorry, couldn't help myself) are pretty fucking valid reasons.

Kidnapping me to trade for political prisoners made him a despicable smear of buzzard dung. Trading a girl he’d just met for the father he’d lost eight years ago…that made him something else.

And do I ship them? You fucking bet I (space)ship them. Dane and Essie bring out the best, the brightest, the bravest part of themselves when they fall in love.

“Please, Essie,” he said. “Let me take you home. Let me make it right.”

If I let him take me back to hide behind mine-drones and cage fights…it would never be the same. I couldn’t forget the price of my freedom.

There had to be another choice.

I had to create one.

Do what needs doing, even if it terrifies you.

Only one option remained. The one I’d never been willing to acknowledge, but now I had to.

“Right, then, I’ll go home.” Dane relaxed and smiled at my words, but I wasn’t done. “Home,” I went on, “is Windsong.”

...more

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Nov 09, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-all, own

Blog: Melissa Martin's Reading List

PRINCESS SNOW IS MISSING... WHERE COULD SHE BE....

Princess Snow (Essie) is on the planet Thanda where it's sub-zero weather, sounds like my kind of place. She's been here for 8 years.

She's a bad ass and I love it! She's in cage fights with the miners of all things!

She works with a really nice guy named Petey who tries to keep her out of trouble. Essie has made 7 drones to help in the mines. The drones and the humans mine for merinium, it's really important ar ...more

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May 01, 2014 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, netgalley, retelling, kindle, fairytale, read-in-2014, sci-fi

3.5 stars

Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines

Space, the final frontier...

The big question on everyone's mind seems to be whether or not Stitching Snow is a rip-off of The Lunar Chronicles.
Hmmm.
Well, retellings are, by the very nature of the genre, all rip-offs.
But that's not really what people are talking about, is it?
My personal opinion?
I'm leaning towards, no. No, I do not think this is a rip-off.
I mean, is no one ever going to be allowed to write another retelling in space, just because M ...more

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Jul 06, 2013 Faye, la Patata rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, space, adventure, science-fiction, disappointed, emo-done-right, politics, robots, retelling, conspiracies

Well, this is awkward... another review for a retelling from yours truly. I swear I am not seeking them out; they seem to find me, not I them. In any case, this one is extra special because it's a retelling in spaaaaaaaace. And anything set in space is automatically "cool beans" in my eyes. I mean, usually. You know. *fidgets*

Now the only problem is... where to bloody start.

You see, Stitching Snow and I have quite a complicated relationship. I liked it for the most part, but I found a lot of pro ...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Wendy Darling rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-publication, read-2014, retellings-and-inspirations, sci-fi-or-futuristic, hyperion, young-adult, mythic-and-fairy-tale-ish, own-dtb-tbr, october

2.5 stars I was pretty determined to not compare this book to Marissa Meyer's fairy tale scifi series as I read it, because a. it's hardly the first to do a mash-up of genres and b. books deserve to be judged on their own merits. But it's pretty impossible not to see the similarities in Stitching Snow's tone and a few other elements to Cinder, except with characters and relationships that aren't quite as compelling, and a story line and dialogue and romance that don't really spark. It's going to ...more

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Mar 19, 2014 Arielle Rae Aguilar marked it as to-read · review of another edition

EDIT: I was right. I completely forgot about this book.

Okay, so I saw this on the Recommendations page and read the synopsis

I thought Oh, this looks really interesting! I want to read it right away!

And I looked at the publication date

October

OCTOBER

Are you kidding me?? That's around 7 months away! By then, I bet I would've forgotten that I added this to my tbr list

Note to self: Check publication date BEFORE reading the synopsis ...more

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Mar 28, 2014 Shannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Cinder

Shelves: retellings, stand-alone, young-adult, science-fiction, cover-love, ebook, color-white, robots, made-me-cry, favorite-books

It's definitely going to be difficult to not compare this to Cinder; it's got robots, a misplaced princess, space travel, and a fairy tale backbone, but honestly this was just different enough for me to stop the comparisons there. The story didn't really get its hooks into me until around 19%, and it's interesting that I see a lot of people that didn't finish this stopped before that point. Honestly, that's where the whole book did a 180 for me and I was glued to the page. I'd say, if you get to It's definitely going to be difficult to not compare this to Cinder; it's got robots, a misplaced princess, space travel, and a fairy tale backbone, but honestly this was just different enough for me to stop the comparisons there. The story didn't really get its hooks into me until around 19%, and it's interesting that I see a lot of people that didn't finish this stopped before that point. Honestly, that's where the whole book did a 180 for me and I was glued to the page. I'd say, if you get to chapter 7 and you're STILL bored, then this is probably not for you.

I love retellings. I eat them up and ask for seconds. Snow White isn't my favorite story, but the way Lewis incorporated some of the fairy tale's well-known bits into her novel were pretty smart. I didn't think it would be easy to translate some of the things from the original story into this futuristic retelling, but I enjoyed seeing little bits and pieces of it stitched in to fit perfectly.

While I really liked Essie, I thought the standout character was definitely her bumbling drone, Dimwit. That dumb robot actually made me tear up near the end. Her other drone, Cusser, gets an honorable mention, and I think if the drones hadn't been a part of this novel I wouldn't have liked the story nearly as much.

Another thing I appreciated was the fact that this is not a series. I know I said this in one of my last reviews for The Darkest Part of the Forest, but it is actually rare for a young adult novel to stand alone. Don't get me wrong, I love series too, but sometimes you don't need 3+ books to tell a story. A lot of times I feel like authors are just spreading things out because they can, or because it's too difficult to tell a full story in one book, but sometimes I just want to read a book and not worry about cliffhangers or how many months I have to wait to find out what's going to happen next.

I think it's possible to love this book and also love Cinder. There's no reason why both books can't exist with the amount of other fairy tale rellings. Sure, there are similarities, and you might feel like Cinder did them better (or worse) but it's not like you can't enjoy them both. Or course there's the flipside to this coin as well; if you hated Cinder you might love this one instead! If you're in the mood for a science fiction retelling of Snow White with robots and fighting and a pronounced darker side of this fairy tale, then give this one a chance. ...more

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Nov 19, 2015 Asghar Abbas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Snow White and her seven Drones get revamped in this sleek looking space opera. I didn't know retelling fairy tales set in space was a thing. Clever enough idea. I hope this horse doesn't get beaten to death with the inevitable rehashes.

[Wouldn’t want to botch the pretty girl’s face, right? Idiot.]

A few moments into this I came across this gold nugget and I almost closed the book altogether. Um, no, no, no, no, just no. It felt so self-referential. But in the past, I have been guilty of far grea ...more

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May 20, 2015 Lainey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Are you looking for a science fiction fairy tale retelling? I recommend Stitching Snow which is a Snow White retelling set against a space adventure. Me? I was sold. I would say it was a cross between The Lunar Chronicles and These Broken Stars.

The plot itself is a tad hard to explain. Even the synopsis is extremely vague. Basically, eight years ago Princess Snow disappeared prompting a war across planets. We follow Essie who has been on planet Tandra minding her own business. One day, a spacecr Are you looking for a science fiction fairy tale retelling? I recommend Stitching Snow which is a Snow White retelling set against a space adventure. Me? I was sold. I would say it was a cross between The Lunar Chronicles and These Broken Stars.

The plot itself is a tad hard to explain. Even the synopsis is extremely vague. Basically, eight years ago Princess Snow disappeared prompting a war across planets. We follow Essie who has been on planet Tandra minding her own business. One day, a spacecraft carrying this boy Dane crashes near her house and she helps him and it inadvertently thrown into the center of this war she didn't want to be a part of.

First off, I wasn't sure about this book when I started it. I wasn't completely sold at the beginning and I didn't like how Dane and Essie's interactions were going or why Essie cared about helping him. Then, I reached sixty pages in and everything changed and I was completely hooked and I was all for this crazy space adventure ride I was put on. It had everything I liked in a ya scifi. There was different planets, spaceships, royalty, balls, underground fighting, the whole bit.

I LOVED Essie. She was such a spunky heroine. She took zero fucks. You're introduced to Essie as she is partaking in a fighting match. Essie was fun, sassy, intelligent and extremely independent. I loved her. Even though Dane is obviously her love interest, she was the first to say she could do things on her own and that was the thing - she could. She had the goods to back at up and wouldn't be annoying and get into bigger trouble trying to do it on her own. I think so many heroines in ya just rely on the guy. Essie does not. As much as I loved Essie, I did feel she was a little unreliable at times. There's this one bit towards the end between her and another character that is revealed and it didn't shock me, but it confused me because she was interacting with this character during the book and didn't mention it. And guys, it's monumental to the point where it would have been on her mind interacting with this character. maybe the author did this for shock value or a "big reveal" but it ended up just making me not believe or trust Essie a little. But still, she was a great character.

One thing I found weak was the world building. It is a standalone and building a scifi world in one book is difficult. There were rules in this book that weren't really explained or delved into. There is this group of people in the book called the Exiles and in fact, they can bodyhop into other characters. It's never really explained how they have these abilities or why or if they're human or alien. It wouldn't bother me as much if it weren't for the fact that it's implied that (maybe) the planet of Windsong (where Snow is from) is/was planet Earth. And if that's so, it changes everything with the solar system that was introduced to me because nine (I STILL COUNT PLUTO) planets weren't mentioned, just three. I don't know. I wished it was just a little more developed.

Since it is a fairy tale retelling, I was really impressed with how Lewis blended aspects of Snow White everyone knows and updates it to a science fiction setting. Listen. Guys. Essie built seven drones that are so loyal to her and all have their own personality. I was so in love with these damn robots. I want one. There are also nods to apples, poison, stepmothers, mirrors, and slumbers. It was such a fun adventure. i know the next book is a companion, so we won't follow any of the characters in the book, but I hope it's set in the same world. I want to know more about it. ...more

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Feb 21, 2016 Maggie ☘ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-sci-fi, kick-ass-heroines, fairy-tale-and-other-retellings

*2,8/5 stars*

“You are a girl,” he pointed out.
I braved his eyes long enough to shoot him a glare, and there was no doubt he felt the heat of it as his step stuttered. “I am, and I may be the only one living in Forty-Two. But I’m no one’s wife and no one’s good time, and I’ve no intention of letting that change anytime soon.”

I'm quite conflicted when it comes to this book. While I pretty much disliked the first half of it, the second half was much better. It's not perfect and in no way my fa ...more

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Sep 29, 2014 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016

This is definitely a lot of fun, but it's hard to look past the many parallels to the 'Lunar Chronicles' by Marissa Meyer.

Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 1. A book you meant to read in 2015 but didn't ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 Rebekah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Original review at: www.awesomebooknuts.blogspot.com

I'm just gonna come out and say it. This is a MUST OWN! Whoot! that good! For fans of Marissa Meyer's Cinder series will LOVE this book. And, get this, IT'S A STAND ALONE! Oh my heck do those even exist anymore?! sheesh!

So this is a Snow White story but R.C. Lewis has completely made it her own which is perfect and the heroine isn't a simpering maiden but an awesome protagonist that is independent, flawed, resourceful, courageous, witty, and st ...more

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Jul 02, 2013 Melissa Landers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2k14

Awe. Some. If you like sci-fi, kick-ass heroines, plot twists, action, romance...basically all the things that make fiction worth reading...then add this to your to-read list, pronto. This is such a clever spin on the Snow White fairy tale. Loved it!

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Dec 12, 2014 Ronyell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales-folktales, read-in-2014, strong-hero, strong-heroine, fantasy, my-blog-reviews, science-fiction-futuristic-romance, sexy-bad-boy-hero, young-adult-teen-books, steampunk

“Princess Snow is missing!”

Yes, you heard that right folks! Princess Snow has suddenly disappeared from her home planet…or has she? “Stitching Snow” is a futuristic retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” that is written by R.C. Lewis. The difference with this story and the original fairy tale is that Snow is not accompanied by seven dwarfs, but rather a awesome yet complicated hero in Dane!

The book starts off with a young woman named Essie working in “Princess Snow is missing!”

Yes, you heard that right folks! Princess Snow has suddenly disappeared from her home planet…or has she? “Stitching Snow” is a futuristic retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” that is written by R.C. Lewis. The difference with this story and the original fairy tale is that Snow is not accompanied by seven dwarfs, but rather a awesome yet complicated hero in Dane!

The book starts off with a young woman named Essie working in the mines on the planet Thanda and life there was peaceful if not a bit chaotic with her battles with the other miners and bonding with her seven faithful drones. One day however, Essie’s life changes forever when a young man named Dane crash lands on the planet Thanda and decides to kidnap her and take her to the planet Windsong. It turns out that Essie is the missing Princess Snow from the planet Windsong and Windsong has turned into a war zone due to her father King Matthias and her step mother Olivia waging war against the Exiles, since they believed that Essie was kidnapped by them. Now, Essie along with the help from Dane must travel to the planet Windsong and stop the war against the Exiles before it is too late!

Being R.C. Lewis’ debut book, I must say that I was quite impressed with the results of this book! After reading Marissa Meyer’s book “Cinder,” I was quite excited to read another novel that is a modern retelling of a classic fairy tale and I was quite impressed with R.C. Lewis’ futuristic version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!” I loved the way that R.C. Lewis started the story out with the mystery of Essie’s character as we do not know much about her past or why she is on the planet Thanda in the first place and as the story unfolds throughout the book, we start to learn more about Essie’s tragic past and how confronting the people in her past would change the future for the people of Windsong. I also loved the fact that Essie is a tough and intelligent character as it was interesting seeing her “stitch” machines together and I like the fact that she is extremely independent about her own identity when it came to whether or not she wanted to reclaim the throne of Windsong. I also liked her relationship with Dane, as you can see that she is both confused and frustrated with Dane (well, how would she feel if the guy just kidnapped her out of the blue) and she often has trouble conveying her feelings for Dane as she never fell in love with anyone before. I found Dane to be a pretty interesting character (even though the whole idea about him kidnapping Essie still rings a bit uncomfortably in my ears) as it is clear that he does care about Essie and is willing to help Essie reclaim her throne at all costs. R.C. Lewis did a fantastic job at creating a futuristic world that is enshrouded in war and you can see the misery that the people of all the planets feel about Windsong waging war against any nation that opposes them.

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because I felt that the beginning of this book was moving at a slow pace and I almost gave up on this book due to the how the beginning was played out. Luckily, once Essie’s true identity is revealed and her determination to return to Windsong came into play, the story did get much more interesting. I also would have liked it better if the book actually explained more about the characters’ backgrounds so that way I could actually sympathize with half of the actions they take in this book.

Overall, “Stitching Snow” is a great read for anyone who wants to look for a modern day retelling of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and also enjoy a good futuristic and dystopian story!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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Mar 11, 2013 Mel (Daily Prophecy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairytales-retellings, owned-books, incoming-2014, read-2015, favorites

http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...

I think all the comparisons to The Lunar Chronicles are doing this clever story an injustice. Fairytale retellings and books are bound to have similarities. Sure, the sci-fi setting and certain elements could be connected with Marissa Meyer’s series, but Stitching Snow is a story on it’s own and it’s a damn good one.

Essie has build a life on Thanda, a cold, unfriendly planet where she takes care of the drones and fights against the male miners to earn some http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...

I think all the comparisons to The Lunar Chronicles are doing this clever story an injustice. Fairytale retellings and books are bound to have similarities. Sure, the sci-fi setting and certain elements could be connected with Marissa Meyer’s series, but Stitching Snow is a story on it’s own and it’s a damn good one.

Essie has build a life on Thanda, a cold, unfriendly planet where she takes care of the drones and fights against the male miners to earn some extra money. Her life isn’t perfect and with Dane crashing into her life, things are bound to change. Dane portrays to be from Geramite, looking for a treasure - and when Essie finds herself bound in a ship she finally figures it out: she is the treasure. Essie isn’t just a regular, smart girl and Dane has found out about her secret.

“Feelings can’t be wasted. Knowing they’re real for however long they last makes them worth having.”

Let me get started with feisty and spunky Essie. This girl doesn’t take crap from anyone and she has managed to survive all on her own. Her loneliness is bearable with the help of her seven drones, with Dimwit as the precious, silly one. He has a couple of loose stitches, but his loyalty to Essie is heart-warming. Her skills with electronics is admirable and I love how she turns every situation into something she can handle. There is no time to whine for her. Dane stole my heart. He did kidnap Essie, but I felt he had all the right reasons to justify his actions and he does feel sorry for it in the end. Their dynamic is fun and his support is unfailing. It has also been a while since I’ve seen such a healthy relationship in a YA retelling. The way he cares about Essie and thinks about her feelings is the best. The romance made me swoon and it was perfectly handled. Just enough time to make it plausible and it was never the focus of the story.

”I think I am in love with you, Essie. But I also think you are not ready. I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that, so I decided to take it at your speed.”

I was surprised by the depth and complexity that were woven into the plot. We get to see Essie’s escape and why Queen Octavia wants to have her killed. It took the original story line to another level. It was heavy material and I admired the authors bravery to use it; and it worked.

The story was fast-paced, I liked the writing-style and the sci-fi setting with small details about the world-building. I honestly don’t get all the negative things I have heard about this book and I will cherish it. I can’t wait for Spinning Starlight. ...more

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Feb 04, 2016 TL rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: impulse buy in the bookstore

Shelves: favorites

" I never wasted time with words midfight. When Moray opened his mouth to continue taunting me, I punched him in the trachea. Not hard enough--only a glancing blow. He tried to counterattack, but I twisted him around into an armlock. A little more pressure and something cracked or popped. I danced with him as he tried to maneuver his free arm to grab me and kicked the side of his knee. "

“Brave is being scared and doing what needs to be done anyway”

“The day I was born, my father was more interes ...more

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Sep 28, 2016 Kristen Kooistra rated it it was ok · review of another edition

DNF 66%

I don't think I have a DNF review here yet, so this will be new. Let me start by dropping a spoiler bomb on everyone since I wish someone had posted it for me to read(instead of digging through reviews to finally find a comment after it was too late).

I read YA for a reason, and it's to avoid things like child rape. Snow's father raped her from what we're to understand on a frequent basis as a child. If you feel as I do about that, then this isn't the book for you.

I was really psyched abou ...more

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Aug 31, 2014 Tanja (Tanychy) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galleys, fantasy, retelling

Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?

This is where things get a bit tricky. I truly want to believe that every books has its story to tell and that not two people can write the same, regardless of how similar they are and it's true they cannot. I do also believe that every book is its own entity but despite my efforts not to compare this one with The Lunar Chronicles it's really hard not to do so.

Once again I was faced with a fairy tale retelling set in the future which makes this book a nice c Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?

This is where things get a bit tricky. I truly want to believe that every books has its story to tell and that not two people can write the same, regardless of how similar they are and it's true they cannot. I do also believe that every book is its own entity but despite my efforts not to compare this one with The Lunar Chronicles it's really hard not to do so.

Once again I was faced with a fairy tale retelling set in the future which makes this book a nice combo of genres and which is something I highly enjoy. Essie as our main character here is a girl that fights her own battles. She is strong and capable and really smart and good with technology (familiar?). She must take care of herself and seven! droids in order to survive, as she escaped from what she truly is. She hoped that things will stay that way, but universe and Dane had other plans for her.

When I started reading Stitching Snow I really though I'd give up at the start as it was really slow and it took me some time to get into the story and for the pacing to pick up. It did and now I'm glad that I continued. Despite my familiarity with the whole concept I still was surprised with some moments in this book. Also I really liked the chemistry and how it all developed between Dane and Essie. It was sweet and slow burning which is how I like my romance in books.

But the problem here is that Essie dominated the whole time that other characters couldn't get any spotlight and another thing is that villains here weren't as dominant as you expect them to be. They felt like those villains you get in fairy tales, they are mean just because someone has to be. Also there was that relationship between Essie and her father which seemed more complicated than I though, but sadly we didn't get to see the full background of it.

I truly believe that all people who haven't read Lunar series will be blow away with Stitching Snow, but to us who are slightly familiar with this all some things weren't as interesting, but at the same time this story brings some fresh air and some new concept to dystopian fairy tale retellings. ...more

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Jan 25, 2014 Giselle rated it really liked it

Shelves: requested-for-review, from-publishers, 4-star, age-young-adult, genre-fairytale, genre-fantasy, 2014, arc-physical, genre-science-fiction, retelling

An Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. Quotes pulled from the ARC may be incorrect and may be subject to change.

Essie lives in insulation on a mining planet called Tandra and she loves her simple life. With the help of her seven drones, she has a peaceful life. When a shuttle crash lands near her home, she finds an injured Dane. Gaining her trust, he convinces her that he needs her help and she willingly gives it up him. What she decides sets her on a journey that she An Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. Quotes pulled from the ARC may be incorrect and may be subject to change.

Essie lives in insulation on a mining planet called Tandra and she loves her simple life. With the help of her seven drones, she has a peaceful life. When a shuttle crash lands near her home, she finds an injured Dane. Gaining her trust, he convinces her that he needs her help and she willingly gives it up him. What she decides sets her on a journey that she can't get back from.

I'm pretty sure people will lower their rating with this because it has a similar feel to Marissa Meyer's Cinder.. But I feel like it stands on its own. An exciting science fiction space adventure with a Snow White twist! That pretty much sums up this book. I enjoyed it immensely.

The beginning did drag on a bit, but I liked that it added a slow attraction between her and Dane. I never really trusted him in the first place and pretty much wanted to shout at Essie to not trust him, but alas that fell on deaf ears. I didn't really understand her attraction to him because we don't get to see much of his personality. It felt rather bland so I didn't end up caring about the romance. Luckily there were other things that kept me interested. For one the story-line that kept me reading and invested. I wanted to know if I was right. I wanted to know if my predictions came true. There were some twists and some roadblocks set up for our characters and I rather enjoyed reading about it. Especially the profound world that Lewis had build. We see many different cultures and planets and it was interesting to see the differences. I liked Essie a lot. She was strong, smart and didn't care about being royalty. Essie wasn't one to let a man do anything for her and I loved her independence and feistiness.

A highly creative world set in the future, with cute Dimwit drones and a strong heroine to match, Stitching Snow will make you read to the very last page. Definitely for fans who are looking for a Snow White retelling with a hint of a space adventure to match! ...more

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Jan 31, 2014 Debby rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites-scifi, covergasm, stand-alone, own-read, debby-books, reviewed, 2014-reads, debut, for-review, bea-2014

4.5 stars

I'll admit that I started Stitching Snow with some trepidation - most of my friends that had read it had given it 3 stars max. But lo and behold, in a strange twist of fate, I'm a positive black sheep, because I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK. It was creative, fun, sci-fi-tastic, and a well-executed stand alone debut novel.

The first thing that got me on the "this-book-is-awesome" bus was our main character, Essie. I hadn't read the book's premise in a while, so the exact nature of her identit ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 NoNameLoves2Read rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was so surprised by this book! What a cute little story! I picked this up because I had overheard rumors that it was a, "Cinder ripoff", which it was not. I had been looking for a similar books to Cinder for quite awhile and this seemed to fit the bill. This book had the (view spoiler) and lots of droids, but that's about as far as I can compare it to Cinder. The droids had cute little personalities but they were nowhere near as human as the ones in Cinder.

Th ...more

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Apr 11, 2014 Bipasha marked it as underdogs · review of another edition

Shelves: coverfit

"Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero..."

chill {adj.} (also: chilly, cold, frigid)
ठण्डा [thanda] {adj. m}

Co-incidence? I simply like to think not. Meet fate. HA-HA. ...more

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May 09, 2014 Brigid ✩ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dystopia, romance, fairytale-retellings, sci-fi

Hmm sounds kind of like the Lunar Chronicles? I'm intrigued ... looks cool. :) ...more

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Jul 03, 2013 Danielle (Love at First Page) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-young-adult, arc, cover-love, fantasy-scifi-paranormal, read-in-2014, i-love-fairy-tales, favorites-young-adult, own-kindle-book

3.5-4 stars

Note: I received an ARC of this book at BEA. However, this did not influence my review in any way.

Stitching Snow will no doubt draw comparisons to that other fairy tale retelling, with its futuristic, sci-fi setting and its inter-planetary space travelling. Even the two main characters, though one is representative of Snow White and the other Cinderalla, share a lot of similarities: tomboy, computer geek, relatively friendless outside of a robot/drone sidekick, the whole "missing prin ...more

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May 31, 2013 Alyssa rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: October 14, 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back-but that's assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Jacob Proffitt rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, romance, audiobook, sci-fi

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Essie (hate that name) was a lot of fun to be with and I really liked her personality. It's not that she isn't typical (she isn't), but that her atypical aspects fit together into an integrated whole that works and makes sense and even drives the story.

So backing up a bit. This wasn't a retelling of Snow White so much as it was a very light homage. And that works way better than an actual retelling would have, I think. The translation to a far-future sci-fi settin I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Essie (hate that name) was a lot of fun to be with and I really liked her personality. It's not that she isn't typical (she isn't), but that her atypical aspects fit together into an integrated whole that works and makes sense and even drives the story.

So backing up a bit. This wasn't a retelling of Snow White so much as it was a very light homage. And that works way better than an actual retelling would have, I think. The translation to a far-future sci-fi setting gives enough of a break that you know the echoes will be light ones and that sets expectations exactly right. Indeed, looking for strong Snow White parallels may set you up for disappointment. Since I have no special love for fairy tales in general and less for Snow White in particular, this was a feature rather than drawback for me; I was able to appreciate the echoes without it intruding every time anything happened.

And I have to say that I connected to Essie almost immediately—probably because she's one of my people (a tech nerd introvert always looking for a puzzle or a problem to solve). She's one of the best nerd-girl heroines I've encountered and Lewis gets her focus and internal emotional landscape exactly right. The bitter edge that pushes her into cage fighting for extra cash was an intriguing additional layer and I was glad to see Lewis back into a completely satisfying exploration of that quirk in an otherwise pretty peaceful personality.

Dane was more problematic. I liked him, mostly. What's not to like in a tough, smart guy with a devotion to justice and a fundamentally kind heart? A hero who can keep up with and even challenge a strong heroine is essential to a romantic subplot and Dane is that. Unfortunately, Lewis constructs him a little too perfect for it to fully work for me. When I have a strong heroine, I want her to be able to do things better than anybody else. Dane surpassed Essie in every one of her core competencies and that bugged the crap out of me. I prefer relationships that are at least nominally equal and having him dominate (even if he never actual dominates) gives me qualms.

With a great plot, a dark twist, and fantastic pacing, this book very nearly sailed into a solid five stars. Dane as the perfect man chained only by his love for Essie spoiled it enough to drop one, though. Don't get me wrong, it's a light-enough touch that most readers probably don't even notice it. It only comes out briefly and early on at that. I suspect most readers won't even notice. But then, that's part of what bothers me... ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Adele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, reviewed, stand-alone, fantasy, romance, retellings

I dont usually like to read sci-fi because when I read them I end up not liking them. At all. So when I decided to pick up Stitching Snow, I was pleasantly surprised. The way that R. C. Lewis wrote Stitching Snow was very compelling. There wasn't ever a dull moment. There was action when there needed to be, and nothing in the story felt forced. So I was thoroughly entertained while reading the book.

I love this book. Stitching Snow is one of my favourite books. I love the story, the retelling. Th ...more

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Nov 25, 2014 TheBookSmugglers rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Essie has a secret.

Staying alive on backwater mining planet Thanda is no small feat – least of all a teenage girl completely on her own. Alone or not, Essie manages to hobble together a living by her winnings in cage fights and her smarts with her droids and stitched-together tech. For the most part, she’s happy. Or she’s too tired to be happy; call it what you will.

But she’s still got a secret that could, one day, tear the galaxy apart.

That day comes when a strange ship crashes on Thanda, beari Essie has a secret.

Staying alive on backwater mining planet Thanda is no small feat – least of all a teenage girl completely on her own. Alone or not, Essie manages to hobble together a living by her winnings in cage fights and her smarts with her droids and stitched-together tech. For the most part, she’s happy. Or she’s too tired to be happy; call it what you will.

But she’s still got a secret that could, one day, tear the galaxy apart.

That day comes when a strange ship crashes on Thanda, bearing a single pilot – an off-worlder named Dane, with an agenda of his own. Essie reluctantly agrees to help Dane with his ship repairs for the novelty and challenge of the experience, but quickly discovers that Dane is not at all who he appears. With her hidden past and true identity – the long lost heir to the empire, crown princess Snow of Windsong – exposed, Essie must make a choice. To escape her captors and resume her life of anonymity amongst the distant stars, or live up to her late mother’s legacy and do the right thing for her people and the galaxy.

I’m of two minds when it comes to Stitching Snow. The debut novel from R.C. Lewis, this reimagining of the Snow White is fairly fast and loose, but maintains the basic suite of tropes – e.g. there is an heir princess, a power-hungry stepmother, a poisoning of sorts, and a handsome prince. Unlike the Disney version of the tale, however, Stitching Snow places the focus squarely on Snow (that is, Essie in this version): a more active approach on the displaced princess’s perspective and experience. Unlike other traditional iterations of the fable which tend to portray a more passive Snow White, this science fictional version is an engineer and a tinkerer as well as a cage-fighter; she’s also worked hard to keep her identity secret, to stave off the more aggressive men of the mining colony, and maintain her independence. Essie’s characterization is brilliant throughout the book, managing to be tough without being abrasive, and vulnerable without being a pushover. It’s nice to read a levelheaded heroine (especially in YA SFF), who takes calculated risks but understands the importance of pragmatism. I’ve always felt that there’s an element of fear to Snow White – Snow’s terror at being murdered by the huntsman and caught by her stepmother – and in Stitching Snow, Essie’s fear of discovery or of being in a position where she cannot control the situation is a defining, palpable characteristic.

In the vein of pragmatism and tropes, at the onset of Sttching Snow (and indeed for most of the novel), R.C. Lewis does a fantastic job of taking certain key YA paranormal/SFF staples and ever-so-slightly twisting them. There’s the tough-as-nails heroine, for example, who happens to be a (beautiful) escaped princess who is making her way on a rough planet thanks to her mad science skills. She, of course, runs into a questing stranger who is obviously gorgeous, dangerous, and on a secret mission. The two are inevitably involved, romantically, as these things go in the trope-laden world that is softball YA SFF… Except that in Stitching Snow, key things are a little bit different. Essie is NOT head over heels in love with Dane after first setting eyes on him – she does not crave his touch immediately, nor does she romanticize the fact that he abducts her against her will. She’s pissed, she tries to escape, and there aren’t countless pages dedicated to Essie’s fluttering heartbeat every time Dane brushes by her. I appreciate that very much, jaded reader of YA SFF that I am. I liked that it takes time to develop these romantic inclinations between the two characters, and that cheese is (for the most part) kept to a minimum. It’s actually a fascinating exercise – are the tropes ok even if you’ve read them a million times before, or is it the telling that matters? If you change a few key details – the heroine doesn’t instantly fall in love with the hero – does that make the tropes bearable?

In the case of Stitching Snow…yes and no. While I enjoyed the slower building relationships between characters, ultimately these small twists to a very tried and tired trope-laden story still leaves you with a tried and tired trope-laden story. No matter how you cut it, this is still the story of an exceptional, beautiful princess who saves her kingdom with her exceptional, beautiful prince. On the subject of Dane, by the way, it’s incredibly irritating that he’s so much better at Essie at combat and that he gets to teach her how to improve her rough cage-fighting skills (did this bother anyone else?!), which are fine for someone self taught but never an obstacle for him. He’s also a tad too-good-to-be true, and despite the slow-building romance, Dane comes off as a stock, two-dimensional character who is there for requisite plot development points.

And then there are the other important factors in the novel: the overarching conflict, the worldbuilding, the villains and their motivations, and the science fictional aspects of the book with Essie’s tech. See, Essie ran away from home because her mother died, her father is a despotic tyrant king, aided by his new queen – the evil stepmother – who pretends to be a witch, but who really is an accomplished poisoner and at the forefront of technological age-reversal advancement. There’s a larger thread of conflict here throughout the galaxy as the Windsong royals are apparently poisoning parts of the populace, seeding pockets of unrest and chaos to continue a bogus war and maintain power. The theory is interesting, but as it’s never really explored in any depth or with any convincing rationale, I had trouble buying into the premise. Further, the villains in this piece come across as one-note sketches – there’s glimpses of a conflicted relationship between Essie and her father, but it goes nowhere (sadly). Similarly, the pacing of the book is remarkably lopsided, with the first two thirds of the novel solidly restrained, but the last third of the book frantically rushed.

And finally, the science fiction. Essie is an engineer and a tinkerer – she likes taking things apart and putting them back together in better, more creative ways. R.C. Lewis does a good job of building Essie’s character and establishing her competence and smarts, but sadly does the handwavey “this is science stuff, guys” thing by referring to all of Essie’s tinkering as “stitching” (like sewing, with “patches” and loose stitches holding technology together). I can’t help but wish there was something a little more tactile here, instead of a weak analogy to sewing.

Ultimately, Stitching Snow is an OK novel. It’s not the best YA Science Fiction book I’ve ever read, but it’s certainly not the worst. A middle-of-the-pack, moderately entertaining but ultimately forgettable book. ...more

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Jun 19, 2015 Maya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-hangover, amazing-secondary-characters, brilliant-main-characters, recommendations, book-boyfriends, novels, relationship-goals, 2016-favourites

“The day I was born, my father was more interested in unusual weather for the season. He chose my name and had some genetic re-sequencing done. He wanted what he wanted. So I was made Princess Snow, eyes like the sky and hair as white as my name."

Stitching Snow was everything I was looking for and more! It has a strong-willed heroine, a roguish prince, and a realistic romance. At first I didn’t particularly feel like Stitching Snow was going to interest me, especially as the first fifty page ...more

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May 04, 2018 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-books

I’m honestly surprised at how much I enjoy fairytale retellings. I thought I’d just find them corny and predictable but this was such a great read. And the fact that it’s a standalone makes it so much better - fantasy series can often get a little boring as the books go on, so this was seriously refreshing. So glad I’ve finally read this! It reminded me a lot of Cinder (Marissa Meyer) with hints of The Selection (Kiera Cass), which is the perfect combination! I loved the chemistry between Essie ...more

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About R.C. Lewis

R.C. Lewis

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When I'm not writing novels, I'm teaching math. Or when I'm not teaching math, I'm writing novels. It gets a little confusing in here sometimes. ...more

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“Brave is being scared and doing what needs to be done anyway” — 24 likes

“Not that complicated. I think I'm in love with you, Essie. But I also think you're not ready. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that, so I decided to take it at your speed.” — 23 likes

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