It's love at first sight for Sophie and Prince Phillip, but Prince Phillip is already promised to the English princess. When rumors of their garden interlude get out, Sophie's father wants Sophie married off to protect her reputation. But Sophie doesn't want anyone but Phillip. Someone doesn't want them to be together, though, someone who's willing to kill to keep it from happening.

This was a sweet fairytale retelling. All of the characters from Snow White are present, but their role in the story and motivations are very different, keeping the readers guessing what will happen next. Sophie must navigate a new stepmother, the quiet Claudia, who's accused of consorting with a witch; a string of suitors who fail to touch her heart; and mysterious visitors to the palace. My favorite part of the story was the subplot about Sophie pushing for better conditions for the villagers and the seven coal=mining boys who win her heart.

An enjoyable, straight-forward read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

First sentence: The day had finally come. It was still very early when the sun crested over the Bavarian mountains, its light climbing up the walls of Duke Maximilian's palace to slip through its arched windows. But Sophie had been awake for hours.

Premise/plot: This retelling of Snow White is set in Bavaria circa 1621. Lady Sophie is coming out in society--making her debut--after her father's marriage ceremony. (Duke Maximilian, her father, is marrying Claudia. On this fateful evening, she falls in love (practically) with one of her dance partners, Prince Philip of Spain. He's technically/officially engaged to a princess of England. (Though it is an arranged marriage and Prince Philip has no say, no knowledge. In fact, when he meets Lady Sophie, I'm not sure he knows that his engagement has been announced or is soon to be announced by his father.) He is equally smitten with her. He has intentions to ask for her hand in marriage. But things get a little out of hand....hence the word POISON in the title.

But who is trying to poison Lady Sophie (aka "Snow White")???

My thoughts: If you are expecting a young adult adaption of the original Disney animated classic, then you may be disappointed. If you are expecting more of an "Ever After" treatment, then you'll probably be delighted. (Yes, I know Ever After is a retelling of Cinderella, but same guiding principles). The characters are all fleshed out. The world has a super-hazy touching upon of history. (Very fuzzy, hazy, but who cares if it barely ties into the real world.) I enjoyed the relationships. I loved the relationship between Sophie and Claudia. It was SO well done. I loved the relationship between Sophie and Philip. Disney animated films are often SO lacking in actual character development--especially of Princes.

How does it compare to Once Upon A Time's treatment of Snow and Charming? Well. That would be super tough. I really LOVE many of the character arcs of Once Upon a Time. I loved all the flashback scenes. It too differs from classic Disney. Will the intended audience have Once Upon A Time in mind when reading???? I'm not sure they will. They'd have been toddling around when the show started and barely tweens when it ended. (And that last season is pretty much a disastrous mess.) ( )

A must-read for any fairytale enthusiast!

Loosely based on the "true" stories that were believed to have inspired the fairytale, Snow & Poison is a fantastic read for anyone that loves the tale of Snow White.

Being familiar with many retellings of the Snow White fairytale, Snow & Poison didn't really surprise me, but I did find myself easily enjoying the story. It's well-executed, quickly-paced, and easy to get lost in for a day or two.
I was really hoping for just one moment that made me go, "Wow! What a special retelling!", but nothing really stood out to me. The characters are all built as expected to fit that well-know childhood fairytale and you get a good sense of the world throughout.

An overall great YA fairytale retelling...there's just nothing that really holds onto you after you finish it.

Thank you PenguinTeen for the advanced copy to read and honestly review. ( )