“Rachel Huffmire is an exciting new voice who takes familiar ideas about fantasy and time travel and SHATTERS those expectations!! ‘Shattered Snow’ is a beautiful reimagining filled with engaging new characters and fresh new ideas. Literary escapism achieved!” -Brian Crosby, Creative Director of Themed Entertainment
In 2069, time-travel is restricted to observation and research. But Keltson … Keltson Grammar doesn’t mind breaking a few laws. Known only as “The Mirror”, Keltson runs an underground empire that rescues unfortunate souls throughout history. However, a single misstep could send an entire agency to reinstate his clients to their original dismal fates.
Lilia Vaschenko is a Russian mechanic surrounded by cinderblock towers, ladders she cannot climb, and a glass ceiling that holds her down like a casket. She’ll do anything to escape— even work for the world’s most wanted renegade.
Margaretha is a young countess, destined to be poisoned at twenty-one. But when she discovers a mysterious mirror in the woods that transforms the world into shadows and ice, her future shatters. Chased from her familiar home, will she ever find where she truly belongs?
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Time travel!?! Yes please! This book is a great adventure! So fun. At first this story was a little hard to follow with the new characters and the time travel. But it soon became apparent who was who and how they all related to each other.
Huffmire creates a world with colorful characters. My favorites being Bianka, Ammond and Baigh! Fun names with different attitudes, personalities and beliefs. I really loved the slight twist on a certain fairy tale, super cute.
This story is definitely worth a chance. I look forward to reading the next in the series especially since there was such a great and questioning ending!
I know I’ve said it before, but I am a sucker for retellings of classic fairytales. This is my first book from this author, and it was wonderful. I can’t say Snow White was my favorite until this retelling. So so good. I’m ready for another one.
This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her. I enjoyed this book as it is full of fantasy and time travel. This is a well written story that has details that make the story come to life. I had no issues connecting with the characters as they kept me turning pages to the end. This is an engaging, fast paced story that pulled me in right from the first chapter. Keltson uses his looking glass to rescue people who he feels needs happier endings. When he sees Margaretha bite into a poisonous apple he decides to play with fate and give her a choice. This is where the story takes on a fantasy much like a childhood tale. Will Keltson lose all the work he has done to change people’s fate? What will happen with history and fate? I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens to Margaretha, Keltson and his assistant. They made great, believable characters that took me through various emotions about them. They made the story engaging and easy to read. This was a great afternoon story that I am glad I picked up.
Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles Book 1)
By Rachel Huffmire
5 out of 5 stars
I loved reading the book Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles Book 1) by Rachel Huffmire. It is a story that pulled me in from the beginning and didn’t let me go until the final page. I loved the idea of time travel, the storyline, and the characters. Keltson Grammar is someone who wants to help those who have unhappy endings to their lives. What will happen when his latest assistant decides that she wants to take another path? Read this book to find out. This is a story that had me turning pages wondering what was going to happen next. Each character that is introduced has a part to play in the book. Some have good motives and others who are only looking out for themselves. It is interesting to read about how easy it is to alter a timeline. The characters at times feel conflicted as well as driven by their emotions to take action. The author does a wonderful job of making both the story and the characters come to life. Don’t miss out on an exciting and entertaining book. I highly recommend reading it.
This was an interesting story. Set well into the future it combines time travel with a man in a mirror trying to correct events in time that will have a negative impact on certain individuals. Margaretha is doomed when Lilia enters her life. A stepmother who hates her and keeps trying to kill her. She has to keep changing things to escape her evil intentions. The Mirror knows that you have to be very careful when dealing with time. The author did a great job with the characters. Lilia was truly evil. A great story.
“Shattered Snow” begins in 2069 when time travel is possible, but limited to only those performing research. Use of time travel is restricted and monitored, but Keltson Grammar has found a way around all of that. This story combines this premise with the tale of Snow White.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. There is just something magical about a fairy tale modern retelling, especially when it is different and well done. The star of this book was absolutely the subsequent evolutions of Lilia and Margaretha. Their circumstances and motivations literally mold them into people completely different from where their paths begin. Find the full review at heatherlbarksdale.com
(I ended up checking out this book on mixed platforms: written and audiobook. Rachel White does such a great job as the narrator! I absolutely loved the accents!)
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
4.5 Stars
Snow White retelling mixed with time travel? Yes, please! What a fun, unique twist! It kept me on my toes for sure.
This has multiple POV. You get quite a bit of back story about young Bianka (Snow) Also her step mother’s origin story. Her POV chapters get a little dark. You do feel for her-in the beginning
Keltson is a such cool character. I enjoyed his POVs a lot.
Rousha* is so sweet. I was really moved by how kind she was to Bianka when she first arrived.
The narrator was fantastic! She nailed all the different accents. Everyone had a clear and distinct voice.
Definitely recommend if you like fairy tale retellings, Sci-Fi and/or time travel, fantasy or clean reads.
Some Quotes
I know magic gets a bad rap nowa days, but everything can be used for good, Missy.
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Our tasks become easier the more we focus.
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“Bianca, these men are hard workers. We women must make an equal effort to dispel their troubles from the clothing.” She leaned forward resting her palms on her knees as she stared gently at Bianka. “Clean clothes are a gift. We wash away the memory of their toil against the dark earth, soften it in the wind, and brighten it in the sun. We lift their weary souls with our offering.”
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Freedom makes the work worth while.
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“Don’t disappoint me,” he said.
She straightened. She wasn’t a helpless orphan anymore. She would show him just how strong she could be. “I don’t plan to.”
Wow! I am honestly quite impressed with this book. I imagine any retelling comes with a certain set of difficulties to manage, but to write an entire fairytale retelling with a sci-fi/time traveling mashup has to have provided a whole different set of challenges. And I’m honestly impressed.
I am not typically a fan of sci-fi. I think usually it’s not a problem with the authors or books, they just aren’t for me. However, I find time travel a fascinating a subject about which to ruminate. And since I had a friend who highly recommended this book, I decided to give it a go. Well worth it!
I really loved the way Rachel weaved this tale. This book is a retelling of the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, told with time travel, traveling between the 1550s and 2069.
There were several different elements I was curious how the author was going to make them work and then she would work in a specific character or detail of time travel and things would made sense. A few things I didn’t even realize how crucial to the overall story arc they would be and I was pleasantly surprised to see how things ultimately came together. The initial world building at the beginning felt a bit slow and it took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I did, I was completely hooked and couldn’t wait to find out the ending.
Lilia makes the perfect “wicked step mother.” You won’t believe me about that at first but oooh. She plays her role perfectly. Bianca (Margareta) ends up being the perfect Snow White. I really liked her kindness and thoughtfulness, even if it did make her naive and foolish sometimes.
Kelton is super awesome. His moral compass, the drive behind his entire operation, was admirable and I appreciated how it led him to certain choices that ultimately became important to the story.
When some characters were introduced, like Jarul and Bay and Amond, I was confused why they were there but then they each became so important for the story later. Jarul particularly surprised me because he seemed so inconsequential but then he ended up being a key figure several times!
I was really so pleased with this book and the way the author tied up all the loose ends, creating this complete story. I can’t even think of any holes anywhere. Everything just worked! Great work, Rachel! I am looking forward to reading the next book.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Read by Rachel V. White—I was impressed with this reader. Emotions were raw and evident in her voice and you could really feel what the characters must have been feeling. She did pretty good giving each character a distinctive voice. Her accents were also fantastic. Since there were Irish, German, Russian, English, and American characters, it could have been easy to get confused or do subpar, but the accents were amazing every time.
Rating:
Shattered Snow is a very clever fairytale retelling! I love fairytale retellings and have read many of them, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a time travel one! This version of Snow White is unique, well-written, and truly fascinating.
I enjoy reading time travel books, but sometimes I get confused if they have too many technological details or convoluted plots. I think Rachel Huffmire did a great job in explaining the technology of this book without overwhelming the reader (specifically me, haha ).
I really liked seeing the different elements of Snow White in this book! It was fun to see how the Mirror, the evil stepmother, the apple, and more were incorporated into the story. One of the things I love about fairytale retellings is that I know what elements to expect, but I don’t know how they will be there or when. It’s fun to see what spin the author will put on a familiar tale, and that suspense keeps me coming back for more retellings. I am looking forward to reading the Sleeping Beauty retelling that is next in this series soon!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4/5 stars!
Wow! Caught me completely off guard. I wasn’t expecting a fairy tale retelling in all the time travel. It surprised me in the best way possible. Fantastic!
I listened to this book on Audible. Rachel Huffmire did an amazing job creating a unique and intriguing story. Kept me wondering how the story would end! Enjoyed this version of Snow White. Would highly recommend.
Rachel V. White did an incredible job narrating! Her accents were incredible and helped bring the story to life!
This book from the get go grabbed my attention. It brought together two of my loves in life – time travel and fairy tales. While yes, the story of snow white has been done again and again, the author does a fantastic job of breathing new life into this classic tale, and even bringing in historical references that I found interesting enough to delve into further. The book succeeded in keeping my attention from the first page to the last. As advertised , it was certainly age appropriate, but also quite a trip for adults as well. I quite enjoyed this read, and I look forward to much more from this author.
4 Star
Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles Book 1) by Rachel Huffmire is a retelling of the classic Snow White. I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. I found myself lost in the pages. This authors style of writing will hook you from the beginning and doesn’t let go till the end. Her characters are fun and easily relate. This is a fantasy/ time travel. In this version we have Keltson aka the mirror. He uses his looking glass to save people he thinks needs happier endings. But what will happen when he sees Margaretha biting into a poisonous apple? What sill happen with history ? Can he change people’s fate? Find out what happens next in this must read. I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Shattered Snow by Rachel Huffmire is the first book in the Mirror Chronicles series and it was an incredible read! This was a very interesting take on the classic fairy tale of Snow White, with an added historical time travel twist that made for a very intriguing novel. Once I started reading I didn’t want to put this book down, it was that good! The characters are amazing, and super complex. The storyline was great, but can also get a little confusing due to the time travel involved throughout the story. I completely fell in love with this book and I can’t wait to read the second installment! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I hope to read more in the future. I highly recommend this one!
This story takes the traditional fairytale and turns it into a new and fresh remix. The time travel and the spin on an old classic makes everything fun again. Lilia, living a hard life in Russia, finds a way to travel back in time to make a difference in a girl’s life. It is a risky thing to travel back but Lilia knows this is her only chance to change her life and also make a difference in a young girl’s life.
I’m glad I picked up this book and took the time to read it. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll be looking for future books. I enjoyed her writing and how she approached this story. As a mother of a preteen, I really appreciated that this was written for the younger age group and for all readers to enjoy.
5/5 Stars
Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles #1) by Rachel Huffmire
The first book I’ve read by Huffmire and the first book in The Mirror Chronicles. It’s a wonderful book and I can’t wait for the next one. I absolutely loved it.
Lilia, someone who wants a new life, goes through a mirror with the help of someone else. She is expecting a lot, but will she get it. The quote I chose for Lilia is: “Yes. A traveler and a student of cultures.”
Keltson can go back in time. Something not a lot of people can do. The quote I chose for Keltson is: “I don’t like any of that information.”
I highly recommend this for historical sci-fi readers.
This story begins with Keltson Grammer, he is preparing for another day at work and getting his music playlist ready to play through his earphones, he is heading to walk past the fuel pumps on his way home via a to jump to the Palais Garnier in Paris where he collects some items he will be needing to give to one of his clients.
When he gets back home, he has the surprise of finding his brother Baigh waiting for him with a case of Vibe energy drinks, he finds that he is off his tag and although still on parole, he hasn’t got his license back, but that isn’t the worst thing in the world. He is sad that he can’t spend more time with Baigh, but he has work in 15 minutes and can’t talk, so Baigh says he will see him tomorrow and collect the case of Vibe then, so Keltson headed down to his workshop in the cellar.
Next we meet Lilia Vaschenko, a Russian mechanic who works at a local scrapyard who after finishing her shift, comes home to shower off the grease, grime and scent of the junkyard, only to find a stark white envelope waiting for her on her home work surface, which contrasted completely with the wires, components and scrap metal which she was used to working with. In the envelope she finds a time, a phone number and an instruction to be ready for immediate departure, she realises that the application she put in for has been accepted.
This is where Lilia meets The Mirror who is going to change her life, she is about to embark on a journey into the past to save a child named Margareta Von Waldeck from her fate and hopefully not change the present and the future too much in the process, but will this all work out, or will a huntsman be sent to scupper their plans?
This retelling of snow white is done in a fantastic way with twists and turns all the way through, which leave you wanting to know what happens next and see what happens to the characters next.
Shattered Snow (The Mirror Chronicles Book 1) by Rachel Huffmire
4 of 5 Stars
I was hooked from page one by Rachel Huffmire’s Young Adult novel ‘Shattered Snow’, it is a retelling of the fairy story Snow White but it has a science fiction twist to it. The author has based her novel on the real life story of Margaretha von Waldeck, a sixteenth-century countess who is thought to have inspired the Grimm brothers’ original fairy tale. “Time travel may be illegal, but The Mirror doesn’t mind breaking a few laws”. In 1537 a young countess, Margaretha is destined to be poisoned when she reaches twenty-one but when she discovers a mysterious mirror in the woods her future shatters and her world is turned into ice and shadows. In the future, 2069, time-travel is restricted to observation and research only however, Keltson Grammar runs an “underground empire that rescues unfortunate souls throughout history”, Known only as “The Mirror”. Keltson knows that a single mistake could send an “entire agency to reinstate his clients to their original dismal fates”. Meanwhile Russian mechanic, Lilia Vaschenko will do anything to escape the cinderblock towers, unclimbable ladders and the glass ceiling that surrounds her, even work for the world’s most wanted renegade. ‘Shattered Snow’ is an engaging and enjoyable read with a original and unique storyline and it is a completely different version of the well known ‘Snow White’ fairytale. The authors wonderful narrative and world building really brings both the time periods, the setting and the well defined characters to life with her detailed descriptions. I loved the time travelling elements to this story and I liked the main characters who were realistic and relatable and who each added to the story in their own ways. I found it was a fast paced storyline which flowed well and the plot was unpredictable and kept me gripped throughout. The story and the characters stayed with me long after I had finished reading and I look forward to the second book in ‘The Mirror Chronicles’ series.
Shattered Snow by Rachel Huffmire is the first book in The Mirror Chronicles series. I always enjoy reading an author’s new take on a classic story but this was far above what I expected. This is a new imagining of Snow White which includes the poisoned apple, huntsman, and other known characters but stirs it up with time travel with historical references. I really enjoyed the characters and how this was a well-blended mix of different genres. I can see all ages from teen to adult enjoying this book. Also, it tones down the romance to allow other elements of the story to come forward. What a wonderful start to a series. I look forward to reading more from this author soon.
This is the first book in The Mirror Chronicles. It is a great captivating read that keeps you hooked. Time travel is a big part of the story but it doesn’t become confusing when the characters move between times. I love the fact that it is a retelling of a classic fairy tale. It was a great read and I love the characters. The author is very good at describing scenes and creating the world for you.
Lilia is bored of her life so she reaches out to find the man who can help her time travel. The catch is that she has to save someone in the past. However it can’t be anyone famous or well known as that would draw attention to being able to time travel.
Lilia chooses to go back and save Margaretha, who gets send away by her evil stepmother. Being sent away leads to her untimely death. Can Lilia go back and change the course of events and save Margaretha? Or will there be a twist that no one sees coming that could change her path?