Feathers of Snow

A Goose Girl Retelling (Kingdom of Birds and Beasts, Book 1)

By: Alice Ivinya

Narrated by: Lillian Rachel

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

In Brianna’s new world of ice and snow, the coldest things by far are the eyes of her betrothed...

Brianna bears a deadly secret: she’s not the princess she is pretending to be. If the prince finds out, her life will be forfeit and her country plunged into war.

But there is more to the icy prince than meets the eye, and Brianna slowly unravels the secrets of his dark past while surviving in a strange culture.

However her goodness and wit will only get her so far. Terrifying beasts stalk the border and a murderer is at work in the town. They know the truth of Brianna’s identity and will stop at nothing to destroy all she has fought for.

©2019, 2020, 2021 Alice Ivinya (P)2024 Alice Ivinya

Fantastic Re-Telling of The Fairy Tale

I enjoyed this story a lot. This story was a creative reimagining of the German fairy tale titled, "The Goose Girl" which was originally published in 1815 by the Brothers Grimm per Wikipedia. The author put her own spin on the fairy tale, and I found it very entertaining. In this story, the protagonist's name was Brianna, and her story didn't end with this first book, unlike the original fairy tale. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Lillian Rachel's narration was great, and her performance enhanced the story's entertainment. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Remarkable Fairy Tale Retelling

It's hard to tackle a fairy tale retelling when someone else has already done it well. In this case, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale has become a classic. However, Alice Ivinya gave it a new twist and knocked it out of the park. First off, she reversed the roles. Imagine if the servant was forced by the evil princess to switch costumes so that the princess could go off and have fun rather than submit to an undesirable marriage. The worldbuilding was also incredible. Different regions were represented by different spirit animals. This is the first time an author had made Falada, the princess's talking horse, a logical part of the story rather than this odd magical nonsensical being. And Brianna, the lady-in-waiting, suddenly turned princess is a delight. She has her immature moments, but overall, she's such a good person. The same can be said of the prince. This made the twist at the end such a nerve-wracking experience. The false princess is always discovered, but how and by whom and what happens to her afterward, let's just say Brianna doesn't deserve any of those things. I'm happy to be left on a cliffhanger. There are a lot of details that remain unresolved, but I was pleased with the overall story arc and cannot wait for the next book to come out.

I received a free ARC from the author and have reviewed it willingly.

**Update for audio edition** Darn it, Alice, you made me cry again. I read this book three years ago. It was my introduction to Alice Ivinya's writing, and I loved instantly. When I saw she had just released an audio version, I knew I needed to revisit the story. It was as beautiful as I'd remembered. Alice has a beautiful way of writing characters that you fall in love with, despite their faults and struggles. Actually, it may be because of those very faults and struggles. It's a different experience to listen to a story, knowing how it's going to end, but I still rooted for Jian and Brianna. Despite everything, they're couple goals. I loved Brianna's guards as well. They each had a unique personality and so much heart. And I cried through the entire last chapter. I think audio frees up even more tears. But it's okay, I keep telling myself. I know what happens next. Lillian Rachel did a beautiful job narrating the story, and as always, I appreciate the author for giving me an audio ARC.

Wonderful fairy tale retelling

This retelling of the classic was filled with delightful characters and world building. The author kept a steady pace allowing the perfect amount of detail, intrigue, and action. The narrator did a wonderful job providing unique accents to the characters while remaining clear and understandable. I hope the series will continue to be released in audio as I am eager to know what happens next and know other will be too.

great story!

This was such a great read! I don't think I've read Goose Girl or any retellings of it before, but I really enjoyed this story. So intriguing and wonderful!

an interesting twist of the Goose Girl story

The world building is strange and intriguing. I love the main character! Brianna is courageous and strong but also humble. The evil princess is very creepy and the prince is so broken. I can't wait to see where this story takes me.

Wow!

This was an amazing story! Clean, reminiscent of something by Robin McKinley, and an accurate retelling of the original Goose Girl tale by the Brothers Grimm, it doesn’t end in a happy ever after, but does have hope for a future with very distinct possibilities.

Riveting retelling of a classic

This book immediately drew me in and had me hooked! The world/ character building immediately draws you into the story and allows you to truly feel as if you know the characters. Narration is clear and easy to follow. Book length is decent and easily allows for the story to be told without dragging it out. I was so invested in the storyline that I finished the book the same day I downloaded it

Secrets, Betrayals, Swoons, Love

I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to start this book! Oh my goodness! It has all the elements of a fantasy book that I love: secrets, betrayal, sacrifice, wit, banter, angst, humor, love. And an intriguing storyline to draw the reader in and keep them invested to the very end. Can hardly wait to start book 2.

Wow! Such a delight

Wow! Such a delight
Please note - This is book one in the series and does not have an ending so you must read all three books.
But, in stating that I was so enthralled by this story from the beginning to the very last moment in book one, leaving me eager to find out what happens next.
With danger, cruelty, lies and betrayal being a part of Brianna’s everyday life can she navigate her new life that she has been thrust into and the growing feelings she has for Prince Jian, or will everything come crashing down before her?
A beautifully written re-telling of the fairytale Goose Girl that I adored.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, the narration by Lillian Rachel was amazing adding to the already superb storyline.

Great story and narrator!

I read Feathers of Snow quite a well ago and loved it. It is one of my favorite Goose Girl retellings. Lillian Rachel is a great narrator, I loved her narrating in Legendary Inge, so I was excited to see she was the narrator for this book! Definitely recommend! Content: clean, romance is clean slow burn, no swearing