Review: Snow Bound

Snow Bound by CJ Brightley is the latest ARC I've read from the multi-author All That Glitters series of fairy tale retellings. It retells the story of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," which can be challenging to adapt. The author does a great job of avoiding the pitfalls of the original fairy tale while remaining true to its essence. All the main plot points are present, including the polar bear that turns human at night, the peasant girl who must break the curse, and the wicked goblin queen. The story eliminates the elements of forced marriage and broken promises, which makes the romance more acceptable. Aside from a few gratuitous violent scenes, it's a pleasant retelling of the original fairy tale.

Gytha's family is starving and may not survive the winter if not for the help of a magical polar bear named Alexander. Since Gytha is the only one who can understand Alexander, she must convince her family that he does not wish them harm. Inspired by her courage and kindness, Alexander makes a proposition to Gytha for her to sleep next to a mysterious man in a dark room whom she cannot look at. Upon agreeing to this task, Gytha meets a wicked queen and the many servants she has enslaved. The queen tries to convince Gytha to break her promise by looking at the man who sleeps next to her, but she has a strong hunch that the man is really Alexander. She remains steadfast in her loyalty to him and learns a terrible secret that puts it to the ultimate test.

The original version of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" has several problematic elements. Yet, I've found many retellings of it enjoyable because they successfully remove or explain away these elements. This book does so by omission. Instead of being forced to marry the polar bear, Gytha must simply live with him for a set period while he sleeps next to her in human form. Instead of betraying his trust, which is a wicked act for a fairy tale protagonist to do, the wicked queen does so instead. There is also a lot of strong worldbuilding with the goblins and their broken kingdom that other adaptations tend to overlook. The book establishes that not all goblins are evil and gives them a rich culture and history.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this novel, I found parts of it unnecessarily violent for a clean fairy tale romance. There was an unnecessarily descriptive scene about preparing an elk for dinner that the polar bear killed for Gytha's family that would send most vegetarians running. A couple of other surprisingly violent scenes are peppered throughout the otherwise calm narrative for emphasis on the villain's wickedness and the goblins' culture. Despite this, it is a pleasant story overall. None of the main characters suffer many hardships, which makes it a light and easy read after acknowledging the trigger warnings. The romance is established early on and remains strong throughout the book.

Snow Bound is a pleasing retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" that thoughtfully adapts the original tale to create a sweet and engaging romance. By omitting problematic elements and adding depth to the goblin world, CJ Brightley has crafted a story that is both faithful to the source material and fresh in its approach. While the inclusion of gratuitous violence may not be to every reader's taste, the book's lighthearted tone and strong romance make it an enjoyable read overall. Fans of fairy tale retellings and romance will find Snow Bound to be a delightful addition to the All That Glitters series.