The Labyrinth: Seven Magic Mirrors, Review: Blood in the Snow

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Her destiny is decided — but betrayal breaks even the best-laid plans. Baili, the princess of the Kingdom of Seven Rivers, has always known what her future holds. Declared the fairest of all by the fabled Dragonglass, she is destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy and unite her homeland with its long-time enemy, the Kingdom of Three Peaks. And in doing so, she may save her country from death and ruin. In order to fulfill her destiny, Baili must travel to the Kingdom of Three Peaks and marry its prince, Liu Xiang. But all Baili's plans and expectations are turned upside-down when her servants and soldiers, acting on her stepmother's orders, turn against her on the road. Baili narrowly escapes with her life, but she's left alone and adrift among strangers. Fortunately, Baili finds refuge in the home of seven animal keepers: servants and slaves to the emperor of Three Peaks. Yet time is running out. Her servants' rebellion was only a small part of a much larger plot. Within weeks, her stepmother plans to unite the two kingdoms, not by contract, but by conquest. Baili must reclaim her rightful place and unite not just two kingdoms but many peoples in order to stop the plan. And if she fails, two kingdoms will be plunged into ruin. Sure to delight lovers of fantasy and fairy tales, this rich and magical Asian-inspired adventure combines Snow White and The Goose Girl in a way you've never seen before.

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Author Bio:

Sarah Pennington has been writing stories since before she actually knew how to write, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She is perpetually in the middle of writing at least one or two novels, most of which are in the fantasy and fairy tale retelling genres. Sarah's first published work, Blood in the Snow, received a perfect score and Special Unicorn status in Rooglewood Press's Five Poisoned Apples contest. When she isn't writing, she enjoys knitting, photography, and trying to conquer her massive to-be-read list.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Second Blog || Goodreads || Amazon

My review:

This was beautiful, and everything I didn't know I needed out of a Snow White retelling. 💗
Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a way to review this without spoilers. So, fair warning: spoilers ahead!
Can there really be such a thing as a spoiler for retellings, though? Since the plots are kind of similar? I digress...

Baili's fortitude is shown early on, and a little piece of it reflects in all of her actions. She faces traitors. She faces liars. She faces an entire castle set against her. With the help of the friends she makes along the way, she topples these obstacles. Note the word choice: she makes friends, she doesn't find them. Most of her companions begin as reluctant acquaintances, and even outright hostile. She finds ways to make friends out of all of them.

Chouko is a nice blend of spicy determination, biting criticism, a steady heart...basically everything one could want out of a mentor character. There is also Ganbaatar; the loud, brawny, quietly mysterious, and utterly lovable (from the reader's perspective, at least) one of the group. The others don't play nearly so large a part as these two, though they each add their own flavors. Ailin, an insightful female servant. Azuma, the quiet loner. The enthusiastic siblings, Renshu and Jialin.

The romance was slow and sweet. Oddly enough, Chouko is the one to initiate things. In her style, she "nearly kills" Baili by tripping her and sending her headlong into the water--right as Prince Xiang passes by. 😆
The prince is strong, and cares for his people. He's also quiet, willing to listen...essentially an excellent leader and perfect companion to Baili.

The names and use of protocol helped give the world its Asiatic flavor. The magic--oh, the magic. "Three drops of blood in the sky or river could summon breeze or current enough to propel a ship; three drops in the snow could wish a child into existence." The system is balanced, and wonderfully executed.

Highly recommended for lovers of fairy tale retellings!

Still not sure if this book is your style? Read the first chapter here!

Made up your mind? Buy it here!

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