Hilda - Snow White Revisited

Hilda the Wicked Witch #2

by Paul Kater

Hilda the witch is coming to the rescue of Snow White, as her wicked stepmother tries to get rid of the princess.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Witches, Fiction, Paranormal, Humor

132 pages, Nook

First published September 6, 2010

About the author

Paul Kater was born in the Netherlands in 1960. He quickly developed a feel for languages but did not pursue a career in those as his native language, Dutch, did not offer many options in that time.

After learning far too much about computers he started to make a living with them. During all that time he always wrote short stories, little things to entertain family and friends and also himself with.

Since 2003 he's been writing more seriously, first posting his scribblings on an amateur writer's mailing list, and then publishing shorter and longer stories on the internet. Due to the international character of the Internet, all Paul's stories so far are written in English. The best known books he wrote are the Hilda the Wicked Witch series.

Paul currently lives in Cuijk, in the Netherlands, with his books and the many characters he's developed in the past years, who claim he is a figment of their imagination.

Reviews

[Bcoghill Coghill]

A very enjoyable book. I recommend to folks who like to revisit our fairy tales told from a 21st century attitude.
Not to be confused with some of our very popular but heavy on the moralizing retelling which may have become major Broadway musicals. Not that any particular novel comes to mind.

[Christine Graves]

Fair warning---DO NOT READ THIS BOOK TO YOUR CHILDREN AND DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN READ THIS BOOK!!! This is NOT Disney's version of this book. This is the story we all knew growing up with adult themes ground into them.

Now, saying that I do have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I always wondered about a young woman living in a house with 7 horny little men. The humor behind this story was brilliant. However, if you don't have a sense of sarcasm, don't bother. There are a lot of puns thrown in this book that aren't easy to pick up on unless you happen to have a seriously twisted sense of humor.

The one thing that really bothered me about this book is that the author really should have edited his book a little better. There are a LOT of typos throughout the book, in some cases you've got to go back and re-read an entire section to understand what he's trying to say.

But even though there are a lot of mistakes, it's the story itself that made me give this book 4 stars. It's funny, it's naughty, and it answers a lot of questions I had as a child.

[Carol]

Hilda returns home and discovers she isn't the only one with a "Snow White" issue. The kid's stepmother, the queen, is determined to end Snow White's life ASAP, then her magic mirror - previously stolen from Hilda - will give the queen the answer she wants. Naturally Hilda decides to help the kid avoid dying if this will make the queen nutsy!

Hilda is quite busy - enchanting her new mirrors, helping the huntsman fool the queen, checking up on the seven dwarfs to be sure the kid remains safe, dealing with pesky broom salespeople, planning for the witches meeting in several days. Arguing with her house about a new paint job takes time, too. And the queen just won't give up!

I enjoyed this story. Following Hilda the wicked witch is so much fun. Ready for the next book.

[Nenette]

A very entertaining read. It would have been apt for older children who've known of the classic Snow White, but with the not too subtle sexual scenes, it's R18 at best.


It must really be the author's writing style, but I really find myself frowning at a lot of redundancies - example: "Snow White had eaten and drunk from the food and drink on the table..." Really, what else would one do with food and drink??? Another thing, and I might have probably missed it - did the queen get to realize that Snow White was the bride? Or is the answer in the third book in the series?

Oh well, as I mentioned, it was very entertaining, I really enjoyed it.

[Wulfwyn]

I love Hilda. She is my new hero. Hilda is the type of wicked witch who has her own agenda and follows it. She is not horribly wicked. I found her to be more "fun" wicked. It is an amusing book that answers the question, "why did 7 strangers let a woman they never met stay on in their house?" The answer, of course, is they were horny little men and Snow White wasn't so innocent. I know the editing wasn't always great but look past that. It really was an entertaining read.

[Louis Singley]

The most beloved wicked witch ever returns in another volume. The language problems that ran rampant in the first installment is still here, though it does seem less pronounced and in no way detracts from the great story being told. Fair warning this is not exactly a fairy tale for kids, instead it's gritty, unique, and at times a bit racy. Though there is nothing explicit, any actual sex is just mentioned in passing.

[Amanda]

The 2nd book in the Hilda the Wicked Witch series and it did not disappoint. Don’t let the adorable Disney derived cover sway you. This story is a far cry from sweet songs of innocence in the forest. Oh, you will still here sounds from the forest, but they will be screams caused by Hilda’s spells or maybe sounds coming the dwarves’ house - sounds never intended by Disney!

Funny - Smart - Twisted in all the right ways.

[Rose]

All of this series gets the same review, because they are equally very fun reads, like cotton candy or a fluff blanket. A few niggles concern the translation: one issue is the use of "snip" for the snapping of fingers. However, even this quirk is endearing. Hilda is an absolutely marvelous character. I would love to be part of her circle!! Both William and the house are excellent supporting characters. Gotta love a sentient house. Loved this series so completely; I own 13 of them. The stories pull from fairy tales in completely innovative and unique ways. I highly recommend.

[Sophie Kernstock Kernstock]

When you look beyond the formatting issues that slowed down my reading speed, you'll find a humorous fairytale re-telling with wonderful characters and malicious magic. The jokes (even naughty ones) hit the nerve of anyone who has their funnybone intact.

These books are becoming my favorite chapter by chapter. (:

[Tori]

Dnf

[DOUGLAS J BERRY]

Magical shenanigans.

Author freebie. Suitable for teens and adults. A brief retelling of the snow white legend. With more witches and some ribaldry.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith]

I absolutely loved this book. It's charming, funny and suitable for both children and adults. The witch, Hilda, with her quirky ways and bad temper, is a riot, but still very, very relatable, and I just howled with laughter when halfway through the book I encountered Magrat Garlick and her witchy colleagues from Pratchett's series. I was chuckling away, thinking that the only thing wanting to make it absolutely perfect was the hedgehog song. Next minute, voila! There was the hedgehog song.

Full marks for a vastly entertaining read and for overturning many stereotypes. I would have liked to see the book more thoroughly edited, but really it was so funny I was inclined to turn a blind eye to things that would usually annoy me.

[Magda]

Second story in Hilda series. This time Hilda decides to help Snow White and save her from her step mother. A little bit because she doesn't want this poor girl to be killed, bit more because queen really pissed her off by stealing Hilda's magic mirror.

This story has humor and wickedness entangled into fairy tale story. Yet again we see what Hilda can do and this time - she's in the world she feels comfortable of doing anything - her world.

And yet again there are some editing issues, but less then in first book. It's a really interesting read. I had lots of fun with it.

[Marilyn]

When I read the first book I was not particularly happy with it. It was just strange. As this one started out, I still wasnt real happy with it. But as I got into it I really enjoyed it. Puts a different take on Snow White.

[Tatum C. Rose]

I highly recommend this kindle freebie! It can be a tad wordy from time to time, with descriptions that seem a little redundant. Other than a few hold-ups and distracting moments, this was a very enjoyable book.

[Carol]

Fun. Light read. Good story line, and quite original. Too short but that is the genre. It's a fairy tale, not a novel. But a great fairy tale from a 57 degree view. Especially in this day of overuse and overwrought Snow Whites.

[Mel]

This is a fun, entertaining book. The grammar could be cleaned up a little, which would make it a much smoother read.

[Belinda]

Amusing story. Interesting take on a story that I grew up knowing.

[Crissy]

better than the first one but still seems like a YA novel with adult content

[Beata]

This story wss amusing and the characters were funny; however, the editing in this book was horrible. What a strange twist on a story we grew up with. Would not recommend this book.

[Michele]

Not the most well written story, but okay filler while I await my next best seller.

[Trish Bodine]

I love Kater's wit in these books. He very artfully twists old Grimm's tales and the Disneyfied versions into something new and interesting. I highly recommend. :)

[Angela]

Unusual interpretation of the Snow White story.

[Crystal Peterson]

This book was so funny and so cute, yet in an adultish way... There was lots of humor and I loved that.At times it got tiring, but all in all , I loved it.

[Starla B]

I liked this...much more than the original Hilda story. This went farther in depth to the characters, and I found it very amusing.

[Karri]

very different book, but entertaining enough to read the first 2. I may read others not sure yet. It is a radical and VERY ADULT twist to Snow White and the wicked witch story.

[Tom]

Not as good as the first book, but I enjoyed it. Does need a good editor, but has a lot of potential.

[SheLove2Read]

Mildly amusing but not something I would have read unless it had been free. Can't say I'd recommended it.

[Denielle]

very cute....

[Rachel]

I would rather read/correct 8th grade essays, although the descriptions of "crap", "and stuff" are pretty standard for both.