In this retelling of the classic Snow White tale, the daughter of an owl is forced into human shape by a wizard who’s come to guide her from her wintry tundra home down to the colorful world of men and Fae, and the father she’s never known. She struggles with her human shape and grieves for her dead mother—a mother whose past she must unravel if men and Fae are to live peacefully together.

Trapped in a Fae-made spell, Androw waits for the one who can free him. A boy raised to be king, he sought refuge from his abusive father in the Fae tales his mother spun. And when it was too much to bear, he ran away, dragging his anger and guilt with him, pursuing shadowy trails deep within the Dark Woods of the Fae, seeking the truth in tales, and salvation in the eyes of a snowy hare. But many years have passed since the snowy hare turned to woman and the woman winged away on the winds of a winter storm leaving Androw prisoner behind walls of his own making—a prison that will hold him forever unless the daughter of an owl can save him.

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I don’t read many novellas, not out of choice, but I’ve never stumbled across any that caught my eye. Then I saw this book.

An original (which is an accomplishment in itself) retelling of an old fairy tale. Such a stunning tale woven lyrically into a book you just can’t put down. A quick read, one easily done in one sitting, I whipped through this book unable to stop reading because I needed to know what was happening next.

And the writer’s voice was mesmerizing, wonderfully hypnotic/spell-binding and gripping. The plot flowed expertly, catching you off-guard now and then with unexpected twists and turns… just perfect. I absolutely loved the character development, with secondaries propelling the Protagonist toward her ultimate goal in such a compelling way.

I found myself emotionally invested in the writing, constantly nodding my head and smiling. And, there were a few sad tears too. A beautifully written retelling that I recommend to everyone who loves fantasy writing, beautiful world-building and extraordinary story-telling. ( )

[A] retwisting of the classic Snow White tale in which the daughter of a snow owl must find her own identity while unraveling the story of her parents and her people.

Opal set itself apart from others by its premise and its vivid imagery. The main character is an animal transformed into a human just as her journey to the truth begins. Normally, in a fairy tale, getting turned into an animal is a curse the protagonist has to overcome by breaking a spell or accepting their true self. Not in this story, and that was only one of the twists in Wojtaszek's fairytale-inspired fantasy. I wasn't sure if the alternating viewpoints ("Fire" for the owl-turned-human; "Stone" for the abused prince) would work for me, but ultimately, they did; I found switching between the two added a bit of tension and suspense as the owl-turned-human's journey brought her ever closer to Prince Androw's tale. All in all, an enjoyable story and I look forward to reading more by this author.

4.5 stars

(I docked half a star because 20-30 more pages would've added more depth to three "chapters" of the story that felt a bit rushed.) ( )

I won and received an autographed copy of this book in a giveway on goodreads. The story goes back and fourth between telling Prince Androws story to the girl princess who has no name as yet because she was an owl turned to her real human self after her mothers death. When she is reunited with her father she gets her name. I liked the fairy tale feel of the book, it is about the fae and human world combined. I am not used to short story reads as of yet but I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more books by Kristina Wojtaszek. ( )

This is the story of an owl who is changed into a girl when her mother dies— which seems almost the reverse of your usual fairy tale when the changing happens the other way. In Opal, when the young owlet becomes a girl, she starts to unravel the story of her mother, who was well-known to be as white as snow, as black as ebony, red as . . . Well you know that story right?

While it might have some familiar fairy tale elements, Opal is a very different from any fairy tale I’ve read.

It’s so fun to discover a book, and if you’ll excuse the obvious pun, Opal is truly a hidden gem.

Opal is lyrical, beautiful, and haunting. It’s very original despite being a fairy tale re-take and fabulously well written. My only criticism was that it didn’t feel like it told the whole story. The main character does undergo a massive change in the novel, but she’s not very active in making it come about. Still, the novel is so enchanting, I didn’t mind.

And if Opal is, in fact, just the beginning of a story, I’ll happily pick up the next one by Kristina Wojaszek. She’s a talented new author and one well worth watching. ( )