As the dark-skinned princess from the Southern Colonies—formerly the kingdom of Marula—Ebony is no stranger to hardship and ridicule.Forced into royal servitude after the death of her father, Ebony resolved to keep her head held high despite her sorrow—no matter how much vitriol she endured from her stepmother, Varyes, Queen of Pommier. And when the Queen’s son, Prince Rion, helps to piece her … helps to piece her broken heart back together with his love and kindness, Ebony begins to hope she will one day find a new home for herself.
But when Queen Varyes loses the Southern Colonies to its warring neighbors, she strikes out for vengeance—and Ebony is her first target.
Can Ebony survive the wrath and cunning of her wicked stepmother—even if her survival means giving up her claim on Prince Rion’s heart?
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Northern Lights, Southern Stars is a unique take on the story of Snow White. Deeper than the original fairy tale, it looked at international politics, the slave trade, racism, and the power of kindness and hope and love. Instead of white, Princess Ebony is dark-skinned, as is her entire nation. The prince she loves is white. They would not be the first mixed-race marriage, yet there were many who refused to accept the mixed relationships and the children that came from these marriages. That was difficult to read. There was also a contrast between those who believed in God and those who practiced evil magic. Ebony was mistreated and had her life threatened on many occasions. However, she never gave up faith or allowed her trials to make her bitter. She was a lovely, compelling hero who made faith and hope and love seem attainable to any of us.
The story was told in three perspectives, the princess, the prince, and the evil queen. Each of these was clearly marked and easy to follow. However, they also meant the reader is stuck in the head of each of these three people a bit more than necessary. I struggled with that – a bit too much of the omniscient perspective. This lessened as the book progressed and by the end, I had almost forgotten my annoyance at the beginning. Additionally, much of the story was written in present tense, which made it more difficult to read. Overall, I recommend the book and look forward to reading more books by C.S. Johnson. The imaginative take on the overtold story of Snow White was delightful and refreshing.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and have reviewed it willingly.
A Fantastic read this Author has brought ab amazing read to fruition. I love the workd buildinf and how well the characters are brought out. This is definitely a read I recommend.
Shauna Joesten
Such an interesting interpretation of a familiar fairy tale with the MC growing through adversity into the strong, faith-filled person she becomes. Although there is sadness and suffering, joy does indeed flourish in the end. It was my pleasure to receive this free book from the author and give my honest review.
I absolutely loved this retelling of Snow White. Ebony is so sweet, so real, so just right. The relationship with Prince Rion is better than Prince Charming. There are lots of magical “creatures” with strange names I can’t remember. Then there is Queen Varyes who is worse than the Snow White step mother. I couldn’t put this one down till I finished it. Ms. Johnson has such a supurb mind & writing skill.
A wonderful retelling of Cinderella. I enjoyed it thoroughly, there was great characters, wonderful storyline and it was one of those, “can’t put it down” books. Good job, C. S. Johnson.
I really enjoyed Norther Lights Southern Stars. I liked having a more well-rounded version of the prince and how he’s grown up with Ebony and loved her for years, instead of magic, insta-love. Prince Rion’s mother has done demeaning things to Ebony while he’s been gone for the past four years and I love how, as soon as he returns home, Rion fights for Ebony to be his bride, not only because he loves her, but to reestablish her as a true princess as she deserves. Ebony and Rion’s love for each other is so sweet, and the evil queen is so evil. Not only do we get backstory on the prince but also on the evil queen. She’s just as evil as before—if not more so—but she thinks her actions are justified in her head. This romance is 100% clean: no swearing and no sex. Another great addition to C.S Johnson’s work!