Book Review | Before The Snow - Danielle Paige

Title | Before The Snow

Author | Danielle Paige 

Publisher | Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Purchase | Amazon 

Source | Purchased 

My Rating | 5/5 




Book Summary 

Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige's upcoming Stealing Snow.

Young Nepenthe is half-princess, half-mermaid. Though she longs for the sea, her father wants her to stay on land. But only love can make a mermaid give up the water, and Nepenthe doesn't love anyone the way her mother loves her human father. She wants to live as a mermaid and become the River Witch, like her mother.

Then Nepenthe meets Prince Lazar, the son of the all-powerful Snow King of Algid, and she can't help but fall for him. After a horrible tragedy strikes, Nepenthe joins forces with a young fire witch named Ora to save Lazar and protect the kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that Ora loves Lazar just as much as Nepenthe does... And now Nepenthe must decide: inherit the power of the River Witch, or betray her friend to be with the boy she loves.

And Nepenthe's role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.

Before The Snow is a short novella as a prequel to Stealing Snow which came out a little after. I really enjoy reading novella prequels as they give you a valuable insight into the main story. You discover characters motivations for the way in which their personality comes across, and you literally get the back-story to the entire story. 

In Before The Snow we meet Prince Lazar, Nepenthe, Margot, and Ora. They are the main characters who actually follow on into the next Novella (review coming soon!). Nepenthe is just the sweetest River Witch I've ever read about. She has this warm heart from the time when she was human, but she has the most captivating magic which has been developed overtime as she's lived in the Hollow. 

Margot and Nepenthe are just like sisters yet there is no such thing as family really, as Margot learns and soon it's each to their own - and everyone is out for themselves.But in dire circumstances as according to the prophecy, there has to be a collaboration. 

I was gripped as I flicked through every single page, hungrily wanting more. By the end of the novella I was kind of rooting for a couple of the characters, and really annoyed with one of them - but do we really know all there is to know about them? Perhaps not. 

Overall, this was a really interesting and well written introduction to what is to come! I can't wait to read Stealing Snow now, which is lucky - because the wonderful publishers gave me an ARC copy last year - so I'll be devouring that soon enough. It was a wonderful insight into fantasy novels and for the YA/Children's genre I can see why it's such a huge hit. If you're a fan of the Dorothy Must Die series (as I am), or the Lunar Chronicles then you will definitely enjoy this.