Once upon a time there was a fairytale that wasn’t really about magic. It was about… science?!
Author Tracy Lynn combines traditional faery fare with the tale of a mad scientist, and produces … kind of a madwoman in the attic, only she’s in the lab. Snow escapes her evil stepmother’s designs for her, with the help of the boy who holds the mirror for her and tells her she’s beautiful. Really, all her stepmother ever wanted was a son and heir, and to be beautiful. The way she schemes to get these things is both surprising, and disturbing. quirky, unexpected tale, Snow discards conventional conclusions — after all, the Duchess does not marry the Duke — and the novel ends with a beginning — the long sought “Happily Ever After” that makes every tale complete seems like it might just have a chance of happening for real.
Though I might have wished for more depth to the scientific portion, and more discussion of the impact of a woman scientist in a patriarchial kingdom, I realize this is a fairytale, after all. A quick, light, fun read.
