The Snow Song – Blog Tour

     

GoodReads:

Women imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt.

Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all.

Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her.

As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.

My Review

I thought this was a dark, whimsical, and utterly atmospheric read. It took turns I did not expect and Gardner made me fall in love with her characters.

This was my first Sally Gardner book though I do have her book ‘Tinder Child’ and after reading this one, I’m excited to get to it. The writing in The Snow Song is just the epitome of atmospheric, you were there in this small and secluded town, you could feel the air changing into the crisp wintry feel right before the first snowfall. My words cannot express how much I adored that. And the violin music, being a violinist always makes me biased lol.

Gardner adds in a tale of feminism into this almost traditional fairytale, bringing together some of the best parts of different stories. We have the girl who is quiet and strong, and the village she grows up is filled with such different characters. Each serves a purpose as well and adds to the story even if not necessarily to the ‘main’ plot.

There are so many threads and Gardner weaves it all together quite seamlessly. It’s a tale of love in its many forms, of grief, of moving on, of courage and finding and even loving yourself. Like I said, love in many forms.

Edith is so complex, she has a strength that is unfathomable but also is not afraid to show her grief and tenderness, which to me made her all the stronger. She’s aided and held back by many in her village, and it’s only by staying true to herself can she truly figure out what’s right for her and only her.

Again everything is within such a perfect bleak wintry setting. I look forward to rereading this again and again. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Rest of the Tour