One dark epic fantasy that will give Snow White fans a sane space
While I haven’t yet seen the new Snow White movie, even leftist media outlets couldn’t cover up how badly things have gone.
Okay, confession time: I didn’t even know there was a new Snow White movie out there until this past Thursday. Yeah, leave it to me to fall behind current trends. But, I was dealing with a book launch for Cursed Mage while trying to figure out how to keep the momentum going post-launch. Oh, and a few of my favorite K-pop artists also had some awesome new material out there.
Some teen sensation named Gyubin had a new EP that made for great gym and running music. Yuqi unleashed a new single, Le Sserafim came out with a new EP, and Minnie collaborated with someone whose name is slipping mine and released some anime-esque song. Hey, alongside power and symphonic metal, it’s the best genre out there.
Anyway, I’m sure the second all of the above see the new Snow White movie, chances are, they’ll rave about it. Because what else would they say, right? While I currently have ‘no comment’ on the film because I’m not going to review something I haven’t seen (or read), I will say that all the negativity surrounding it inspired me to concoct this piece.
Why? Well, I know of a dark fantasy that might just give disappointed fans a good old sane space when they need one. And no, that epic fantasy ain’t Spirit and Fire - but once I relaunch the thing from Amazon’s doldrums, I’ll let you know about it. And by the way, the covers are looking good!
Instead, this book is a dark fantasy retelling of, you guessed it - Snow White. And with some Red Riding Hood vibes. But be warned: It ain’t for children. Oh yes, this one’s a dark read that’s gracing my bookshelf in my back office and one that I read a few years ago in e-book format. But I loved it so much, I bought it in paperback, too.
Welcome to a dark world that Fog & Mist brings
Here’s what really sold me on the book when I first crossed it at StoryOrigin of all places, and this is taken right from the Amazon page: “Inspired by the legends of Snow White and Red Riding Hood, Fog & Mist is a spellbinding tale of betrayal, resilience, and the fight for freedom. Perfect for fans of dark fairy tale retellings!”
Anyway, this one’s more than worth me re-reading because it can also be a comp title to Spirit and Fire, namely because Fog & Mist’s main character, Winterberry (Winter), is a crown princess and she’s about to take the throne. But, of course, her evil stepmother, Queen Blanche, has other ideas.
Winter is sold into slavery and she also ends up in enemy territory. Her only real ally here is an enemy prince. Yeah, sounds a lot like my own main character, Mali LaSalle, who is a member of the Untouchable caste forced into an alliance with whom she considers a natural enemy - Crown Prince Caer Cymraeg.
I don’t remember drawing inspiration from this novel, but maybe my subconsciousness was going to work when I first wrote Spirit and Fire. Anyway, I remember reading Fog & Mist, expecting a slower-paced read that you’re sure to find in epic fantasy. Instead, I blew through this one and was happy to find out it had a sequel, Fire & Frost.
It was disappointing to see that Kelsie Engen hadn’t written Book III yet, but it’s one of those series you just kind of peek back to its Amazon page, hoping to find it there, ready and waiting.
Fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping epic dark fantasy
Often, I like writing reviews and breakdowns of books that can give readers a libertarian takeaway. For this one, the theme is obviously power, given Queen Blanche’s desire to keep Winter out of the way.
And it reminded me of a recent article from Jon Miltimore, whose content played a role inspiring me to create The Libertarian Book Reviewer when I saw the way he broke down quite a few novels and added a pro-liberty tilt to them. Anyway, it was a quote from Frank Herbert in one of Miltimore’s latest pieces that jumped out at me. It read:
“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.”
It’s safe to say Blanche fits the mold here. I don’t know if Winter would be the ‘right person in power’ or not - a common thought process among those on the mainstream Left and Right in their never-ending quest to ‘elect the right people’ - but the point is, Blanche found herself drawn to that power. So much, she didn’t mind pushing Winter aside in the worst way.
You care about Winter early in Fog & Mist, and it’s why this seemingly long read won’t take too much of a time commitment to finish. But I just have one request to Kelsie Engen: Give us some more sequels when you get a chance.
