2016 Most Anticipated - The Shadow Queen

This next selection is a story that takes one of my favourite fairytales and twists it. This Snow White retelling not only has a STUNNING cover, but it's premise will immediately make you want to pick it up!

This Goodreads synopsis makes it clear that this is not the Show White you remember....

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose. 

I love the fantasy spin this put on it. This is also rumoured to be the start of a series that retells various fairytales with this fantasy spin which has me VERY excited. I hope she does Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast as I think they would lend themselves to this style wonderfully.

CJ was kind enough to take the time and  answered a few questions about her book, designed a delicious sounding drink and teased DRAGONS!!

1 Describe The Shadow Queen using only three words.

Magic, Dragons, Battle

2 If someone were to make a signature drink in honour of your book, what might be included?

Melted snow, drops of crimson liquor, and black cherries all warmed with dragon's fire

3 Let us in on one secret about one of your characters, or the world they inhabit.

Lorelai, the fugitive princess who is the heroine of the book, knows how to do parkour, and frequently uses her skills to get away from the queen's men.

4 This is the beginning of series that is going to be retelling various fairytales. What about the Snow White fairytale inspired you to write this novel?

Actually, the Snow White version of both Grimms and Disney didn't do much for me because Snow White herself was basically useless. She needed rescuing time and again and was only valued for her beauty and her ability to clean house. When I saw the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, I was excited because it seemed like they'd tapped into what the story could truly be ... but I was disappointed when I saw the movie. I ranted all the way home about Snow White's lack of agency/goals/true choices that impacted the plot. There was nothing that made her special, but every character acted like she was. I wanted the story to be a showdown between two females of equal power. THAT was interesting to me. My hubby finally looked at me and said, "If you think you can do it better, write it." So I did.

5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?

Ooh! My brain just exploded with the possibilities. The future? An alternate universe? A parallel world? All interesting! But if I have to stick to our known timeline, then I want to see a Shakespearean play and experience that era in London for myself. I will, however, be fully vaccinated and will bring along a supply of soap because really.

6 What 2016 release are you most anticipating?

There are two that are tied for "books I HAVE to own RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE." One is MIRROR KING by Jodi Meadows, which completes the ORPHAN QUEEN duology. If you haven't read that yet, you are missing out on an incredible fantasy world! The other is M.G. Buehrlen's THE UNTIMELY DEATHS OF ALEX WAYFARE (sequel to THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE) which is so lovely and fascinating. Time travel, gorgeous historical scenes, a conspiracy that spans the ages, and a heroine who is honestly different from any I've ever read. Loved it!

7. If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of The Shadow Queen

Nothing had been right in the castle since her mother’s death. 

Love that Snow is getting some agency of her own, and HECK YES to it being a showdown of two women of equal power. This already has me needing to read it immediately.

The Shadow Queen releases February 23, 2016 and can be pre-ordered right now from any retailer.

Chapters // Amazon // Barnes and Noble

You can also follow CJ Redwine on Twitter, visit her official website, and find out more about her books on the publisher website.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to find out the next book that made this year's list!

What do you think of this Snow White retelling? Why do you think fairytale retellings are so popular? Let me know in the comments.