Shattered Snow

By: Rachel Huffmire

Narrated by: Rachel V. White

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2069, time-travel is restricted to observation and research. But 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 21. 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?

©2019 Rachel Huffmire (P)2019 Immortal Works

Fantastic mix of sci-fi and fantasy

It took me a little while to get into this book, but that’s the norm for me. Once I got into the characters and started recognising the Snow White elements in it, I was hooked. Such a creative and enthralling take on the fairytale! Like a cross between Timeline and Artemis Fowl. Great book! I want to read the next one and I want a physical copy of this one. Also, the narrator. The NARRATOR!!! I am so picky about narrators and this one hit it out of the park!! The different accents were spot on and she somehow made a German accent sound sweet and gentle. I’d love to hire her for my own audiobooks!

Excellent Book!

I was a little hesitant when I discovered the premise, but I was very happy when I got into it. The concept of time travel is usually a sticky subject, but the author did a fantastic job with the world building. The world that developed as a result of time travel being available was very well done and made the book very interesting and fun. I loved the main villain in the book and the narration was very well done. Good job on mastering so many accents!

Simply Brilliant!

Few people know how to capture the imaginations of all whose eyes wander upon the pages of their writing. Some people do this rather well but show formulaic patterns hidden in their work. For Rachel Huffmire this all comes as natural as breathing with none of her formula visible to the reader. Brilliantly written with classical prose that lend credibility to her writing as well as deep characters that keep you invested in their personal journeys, this novel will not disappoint. Whether youre a teen or adult, boy or girl, donkey or horse, you will love this book! It is Amazing!

Brilliantly Crafted Tale

This book was amazing. It was not your typical fairytale retelling. The way everything was brought about was completely new and intriguing. As someone who is usually able to guess the plot and most twists in a book, I loved that it kept me guessing throughout and I was wrong almost every time. Hands down the most unique version of a fairytale I’ve ever read.

Wished it wouldn't end

Such a fun way to spin fairy tales and time! I wish I could write a review as good as this book. Sadly I cannot right nearly well enough to explain how much I enjoyed it. The story line kept me wishing I had more time to listen every day. The narrator had great voices and spoke in a way to keep me actively listening. I can't wait to see where this story line leads and find my imagination coming with so many different scenarios that probably won't even measure up to the next book ( specifically because I was constantly and pleasantly surprised by the direction the book kept taking). Thank you for taking my mind on this great adventure!

Great Listen

I loved this story the first time I read it. I loved it more listening to it. The author's characters really come to live by the narrator. She switches effortlessly from accent to accent. Definently a must read/listen.

excellent story, amazing audio narration!

The story was interesting, entertaining and intelligently written. The vocal narration was amazing (So many accents! ) and very engaging! I usually don't go for "rewritten fairytales", but this one actually makes the original story make more sense. Young teens to adults will enjoy this. Well done!

History with a modern timey wimey twist!

Shattered Snow is a delight and Rachel White’s performance brought it to life. I was surprised and very pleased by her use of accents. I never questioned who was speaking. The story itself is unique and fun to follow. It has a depth that intrigues you but not so much that you’re distracted by the science or overwhelmed by details. Definitely recommend!

Incredible retelling in every way!

Because this is an Audible review, I should start with this: I'm VERY picky about audiobook narrators. But from the get-go, I loved the narrator for this story, and NOT ONCE did I think "Oh, I don't like that." Which...I don't think has ever happened to me before. This is a great listen.

As for the story itself, it blew me away. Rachel Huffmire is a true craftsman. To think, you can know a story your entire life and yet someone can take that story and recreate it in a way that is so delightfully true to the original, yet you can't see what's coming next! And the ending was just so much more satisfying than I ever dreamed it could be. I feel like this story did everything right.
A word here about time travel. Everyone knows time travel is risky because 'plot holes galore' in just about every popular time-travel story--but this one was an absolute triumph. Rachel pulled together all the mechanics and rules of her world, covering the bases in plot, and explaining enough to keep me believing. It never felt like a crutch OR a cliche. It was masterful.
Couldn't recommend this book enough. I am on the edge of my seat for the next one!

An amazing debut!

I had no idea this was this author's first published novel -- and that's a good thing. Time travel stories can get murky, and Huffmire also takes time to carefully weave in lore which had to make it even trickier. Towards the end there was so much jumping that I started ignoring the dates and following the story, but in this case it still worked.

Even though I enjoyed trying to match bits and pieces to well-known fairy tales, I also enjoyed the story itself for what it was.

This is my first time hearing Rachel White narrate and she knocked it out of the park IMO.

There are signs of a sequel or two by the end, and while this story stands extremely well on its own, I'd be down to continue the journey.

I took a shot and requested a free review copy of this audiobook from the publisher, and I'm very glad they allowed me the opportunity. I sincerely recommend this listen!

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.
.
Our tasks become easier the more we focus.
.
"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."
.
Freedom makes the work worth while.
.
"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."

Freshest Fairytale retelling I've read so far!

[I received a Free audio copy from the author to review]

Audio version narrated by: Rachel V. White
The narration was absolutely incredible and if you're considering getting yourself a copy of this book, I can highly recommend getting the audio version. Rachel does different voices and accents and switches between them expertly. Very, very professional! This was my fastest audio read so far, which says more about the quality of the book than it does about me; I loved it, and couldn't stop.

Shattered Snow is a clean, YA, retelling of Snow White that features time travel, fun winks to the Brothers Grimm and other related stories, a villain origin plot, and a small sideplot of sweet enemies-to-lovers romance towards the end.
This was easily the most creative, refreshing fairytale retelling I've read so far. Wow! What a surprising journey.

My Favourites:
- MC's: especially Kelton and Lilia were my favourites to follow, even without the charming scottish accent that the narrator pulled off for Kelton. These characters had tons of depth and inner conflict and I loved following their character arcs.
- Villain-origin: this was a TOTAL surprise, and without revealing any spoilers: I really loved finding out who the actual real villain in the story turned out to be and how the author wove it into the original fairytale story of Snow White. So creative!
- Complexity: this was something I both loved, as well as the only thing I struggled with a little bit. But I did love the complexity of the story. Time travel is a difficult one to pull off in any case, I think, but just the way Huffmire has woven this story, and the crazy amount of threads in it, was truly impressive. What a plot!

What I missed:
- Confusion: just here and there in the story I got a little lost for short moments. In the beginning I was a little disoriented with the different characters and the time travel and I couldn't see how this was a fairytale retelling for a little bit. And towards the ending I sometimes became a little confused with the whole time travel thing. I think this might have been less if I'd read the book on paper instead of listened to it, because listening to it I sometimes forgot what time-travel rules had been discussed before, or in what time period we now were.
However, this was the only thing I could possibly complain about and it really was only a minor issue here and there. I've read time travel issues done a LOT worse, for sure!

Sexual content: none
Coarse language: none
Violence and gore: mild violence, no gore
This book is a clean read in every sense of the word and I would feel completely comfortable recommending it to younger YA readers as well.

Conclusion
If you like creative fairytale retellings that are focused more on character development and the cool plot than on the romance (which is in here, but only minor), if you like your books clean and you'd enjoy a well done time travel story, then Shattered Snow should be on your TBR (or listened to!) list.

Great listen :)

I love time travel novels and this was a refreshing take! The fairytale elements are woven in beautifully and Rachel Huffmire creates a really interesting world. The narrator was easy to listen to and did a great job. 5*

(I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.)