Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick | 2016 | Roaring Book Press | Hardcover $17.99
Russia wakes from a long sleep and marches to St Petersburg to claim her birthright. Her awakening will mark the end for the Romanovs, and the dawn of a new era that changed the world. Arthur Ransome, a journalist and writer, was part of it all. He left his family in England and fell in love with Russia and a Russian woman. This is his story.
Disclosure statement: I received a digital ARC of this title from the publisher.
First, let’s make something super clear: this is NOT any kind of fairy tale retelling, nor is it another popular YA fantasy adventure or paranormal romance. It’s actually a reprinting of a slightly fairy tale-themed historical fiction from nearly a decade ago. The redesigned cover is a little misleading, in my opinion.
Even though the marketing might be a little bit misleading, the actual story is totally worth reading. It’s based on the life of a real children’s book author, Arthur Ransome, with a focus on his fascination with Russian culture and his somewhat unwitting involvement in the Russian revolutions of the early 20th century. I’m in no way a Russian history “enthusiast” or whatever, but I did find this story incredibly fascinating.
I actually jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of the reprint because I read Midwinterblood by Sedgwick… oh a year or two ago and ABSOLUTELY LOVED it.
Blood Red Snow White isn’t quite at the level of Midwinterblood, but it’s still pretty good and definitely worth reading if you’re into Russian culture and history, WWI-era Europe, or the classic children’s stories of Arthur Ransome.
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Publication information: Sedgwick, Marcus. Blood Red Snow White. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2016. EPUB.
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
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