This book was not shelved by my library as a YA title, but it seems like YA. And from that perspective - it's not bad YA. I didn't find it satisfying, though. "The Snow Queen" is my favorite fairy tale, and I was expecting the story to build outward from that - and it does, but not in a way that feels very organic. The first half of the book is a fairly literal rewriting of Andersen, with some of the more outré edges sawn off or reinterpreted. It's simply not that interesting, and the prose is really flat, too. Then the book takes a very sharp, very supernatural turn right at the halfway mark - and that *is* both interesting and more vividly written, but it doesn't seem to have much to do with "The Snow Queen" as Andersen, or the first half of the book, established it. Saving Kay remains the objective, and the initial impetus for Gerta's quest is as simplistic as the original story, but when Kay is eventually saved, it's hard to see why Gerta liked him so much to begin with. He's never really developed as a character, which creates a huge disconnect. It leaves the Andersen tale feeling like an odd framework Kingfisher chose to tell her story on, because it ultimately doesn't have much relevance to the ideas that really interest her.

That second half of the story, which is far weirder and more visceral, is clearly where the interest lies, and the audience feels that, I think. The romance is pretty simplistic and fantastical, and there's a part of me that is pained to see we're still telling stories about girls shocked to fall in love with another girl twenty-five years after I read similar (but less mainstream) works. But I can also see how it would still resonate with a 15-year-old, just as it did me at that age. (Oh, and the giant otters are delightful. Not a euphemism.)

In summation: not a bad book, but probably best enjoyed by a very specific range of early teen readers with little awareness of the original Andersen tale. ( )

reading for SFFBC Dec. 2019; bought from Smashwords: neither openlibrary nor my overdrives even know about it

More comments in the group, but here's some: I love this short book. It does feel sort of YA, as another group member wondered, esp. as it's short and also full of enough liveliness to make a good movie. But still, so beautifully written... I'm a sucker for poesy. And wise, and loving.

My favorite retelling remains the same though, because Kay gets to be a real person. (Here, not so much.) [b:Breadcrumbs|10637959|Breadcrumbs|Anne Ursu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1300592738l/10637959._SY75_.jpg|15546655] by [a:Anne Ursu|122302|Anne Ursu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1312493139p2/122302.jpg] is marketed to children, but it's one I've read more than once and will again. And I'm very glad that I bought this one so I can reread 'Kingfisher's' version, too.

Highly recommended to all fans of retold wonder stories. ( )

What a great book! My only complaint is that it's not longer, or part of a series, I'd have loved to read more. Guess I'll just have to find other books by this author and read them all. ( )

There are not many stories about this sort of thing. There ought to be more. Perhaps if there were, the Gertas of the world would learn to recognize it.

What a delightful book. Quick and fun, The Raven and the Reindeer is filled with magic and wonder. A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen is clever, modern yet wholly reminiscent of the fairytale I read as a child.

Kay and Gerta are born only days apart, their grandmothers the best of friends. Kay is born with frost in his eyes, blue like a husky's, and it leaves him cold, cold, cold. To Gerta, Kay is her best friend, the one person she loves most in the world. To Kay, she's the neighbour girl and is alright. Then one night Gerta wakes to see an ethereally beautiful woman in a sleigh pulled by giant otters, watches while Kay get into sleigh of the Snow Queen and is driven away.

Thus starts Gerta's adventure, as she loves Kay too much, she cannot leave him to the machinations of the Snow Queen and starts off north. She runs into a witch who enchants her, a talking raven, a clan of bandits, and a whole plethora of fantastical things and people. Among the bandits she endears herself to a beautiful girl with dark skin and a soft heart, who kisses Gerta and puts doubt in her heart about her love for Kay.

I adored the cadence of Kingfisher's writing. It's plain but very, very fairytale, in turns innocent and sweet, at times dark and bloody. Gerta is adorable; she's not the smartest or the prettiest but she's kind, hardworking, and determined, and that's endearing. Janna is a bright spark, brave and bold, changing Gerta's mindset. The relationship between Gerta and Janna is sweet and cute.

The magic in the story is so interesting, mixing Finnish folktales and Sami culture, fitting naturally into the world, as natural as the trees. The idea of the snow queen and changing into animals is more fantasy, but the way it was weaved into the story felt more like magical realism. I liked that Gerta dreams of such interesting things, particularly when she dreams of the feelings of her surroundings. That connection to nature is an important theme.

"Words are like fish and you catch them and you get to keep them forever."

( )

4.5

So freakin cute.
I loved all the characters (man the reindeer ( )