Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Publication Date: October 14, 2014
Page Count: 336
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

Somehow, when I started reading this book, I didn't realize it was a Fairytale retelling. All I knew was that I was excited to read it, and I was not disappointed.

First off, let me say that I had Star Wars in my head for the entire book. That's a good thing, because I have always loved Star Wars. (And I'm of a certain {ahem} age, that when I say Star Wars, I mean the actual Star Wars movie. None of that 'Episode' crap.) Straight up Star Wars images in my head, from Thanda to Windsong, and from cargo transports to hovercrafts. And I thought Dane made a perfect Han Solo!!! Just sayin'!

The drones (7 of them!!!! NOW I get it) had so much personality and were so enjoyable. The only images I could conjure up were of R2-D2 and C-3PO. But shouldn't they have been called something other than drones? A drone is a pilotless aircraft. Unfortunately, I believe that George Lucas holds a trademark on the term "droid", so the author couldn't use that word. Another word (like maybe robot?) would have worked so much better. Yes, this may be nit-picky of me, but it was a huge sticking point for me throughout the book.

I loved how strong, intelligent, and kick ass Essie was. When we first meet her she is very standoffish and keeps mostly to herself. We soon learn that her feistiness and attitude was just her way of protecting herself. She was incredibly resourceful and great at computer coding, or 'stitching.' She used her knowledge to program 7 'drones' that help in the mines on Thanda, the cold and lonely planet that she lives on. Even though she is the only woman on the planet, she's more than capable of taking care of herself.

It was a little difficult for me to start liking Dane. My feelings for him ran hot and cold because I couldn't tell what his motives were. I had a hard time deciding whether or not he was a good guy. But as the story progressed, and we find out more about Dane and his background, I found myself liking him more and more.

The world building was fantastic, and the sci-fi, fantasy, and futuristic elements were very believable. The plot provided ample amounts of drama and fairytale romance. There was also plenty of action and suspense, as well as many twists and turns and secrets revealed. It had everything you could want in a fairytale retelling!

Even though it took me a little while to start really getting into the story, I thought this was a very entertaining book with enough mystery and action to hold my interest.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars