This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. Read the full disclosure here.
We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is retellings and re-imaginings. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Book: “The Raven and the Reindeer” by T. Kingfisher
Publishing Info: Argyll Productions, July 2017
Where Did We Get This Book: The library!
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Retelling/Re-imagining: “The Snow Queen”
Book Description: When Gerta’s friend Kay is stolen away by the mysterious Snow Queen, it’s up to Gerta to find him. Her journey will take her through a dangerous land of snow and witchcraft, accompanied only by a bandit and a talking raven. Can she win her friend’s release, or will following her heart take her to unexpected places?
A strange, sly retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen,” by T. Kingfisher, author of “Bryony and Roses” and “The Seventh Bride.”
Kate’s Thoughts
I have very little familiarity with fairy tales that go beyond The Brothers Grimm, and while I know the basics of “The Snow Queen”, I never read it as a kid and I don’t know a lot of the details (if we’re being vulnerable on the blog today, my information mostly came from Tumblr posts when “Frozen” came out). But I did know that I like T. Kingfisher, and I liked the past reimagining she did, “What Moves the Dead”. So when Serena picked “The Raven and the Reindeer” I was on board. No questions asked.
I thought that “The Raven and the Reindeer” was not only a creative and unique reimagining of “The Snow Queen” based on my knowledge, I also thought that it was heartfelt and at times very funny. Which is something that I expect from Kingfisher these days. I really liked Gerta’s character arc, as she starts out as a starry eyed and somewhat naïve teenager who thinks she is in love with her life long friend Kay, who is very noncommittal to her as, really, any sort of significant person in his life. After he’s kidnapped by the Snow Queen and Gerta goes on a quest to save him, she starts her own personal journey of self discovery, with the help of a snarky raven named Mousebones with whom she can communicate, as well as that of Janna, a bandit girl with a heart of gold. I loved seeing Gerta start to realize that she may not necessarily need Kay to love her to feel whole and complete, and also starting to realize that perhaps her attractions are towards someone else. Kingfisher also makes such a fun character out of Mousebones, whose snarky attitude adds most of the humor and had me chuckling over and over again.
I really enjoyed “The Raven and the Reindeer”! T. Kingfisher has such a knack for charming stories that feel very original, and this would be a great place to start with her catalog if you haven’t already!
Serena’s Thoughts
This was a pretty easy book club pick for me. I knew I wanted to do a fairytale re-telling, and then, obviously, I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read by T. Kingfisher. Beyond that, “The Snow Queen” is a tough nut to crack as far as re-tellings go and I haven’t read too many of them (unlike the endless versions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Cinderella” stories to be found!)
As predicted, I really liked Kingfisher’s take on this story. I’m pretty familiar with the original, so it was easy to recognize the many similarities as well as the points of divergence. In particular, I really liked the switch made to Gerta and Kay’s relationship, with Gerta slowly beginning to understand that while she still wanted to save her friend, Kay might not be where it’s at as far as love interests go. Instead, Kingfisher also reimagines the bandit girl who in this story serves as not only the true love interest, but also as a companion for Gerta on the second half of her journey.
I also really enjoyed the quirky animals found throughout the story. This is another staple of Kingfisher’s work, and it melded perfectly with this fairytale that already has a number of animals featured within it. The raven, of course, was hilarious and excellent, as well as the exuberant, magical otters that pull the Snow Queen’s sleigh. But, I have to say, the reindeer, for all that he’s only around for a very short bit, really hit me in the feels. I’ll admit that there were tears.
Overall, this was a fun re-imaging of the classic tale, and I think it will appeal to all fairytale re-telling fans!
Kate’s Rating 8: This is a charming and funny re-imagining of a fairy tale that I wasn’t super familiar with.
Serena’s Rating 8: Sweet and heartfelt, this is an excellent re-telling of “The Snow Queen.”
Book Club Questions
- How familiar are you with the original story? Was there a change that stood-out to you?
- Kingfisher re-imagines the relationships at the heart of this story. What do you think of her portrayal of Gerta and Kay’s frienship?
- There were a number of mini adventures throughout this story, which one did you enjoy the most and why?
- Which animal companion was your favorite and why?
- This story focuses on themes of courage and self-esteem. In what ways did the author tackle these topics and was it effective?
Reader’s Advisory
“The Raven and the Reindeer” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Popular The Snow Queen Retellings Books.
Next Book Club Pick: “Music from Another World”
The Library Ladies 