Snow White and Rose Red

Not all fairy tales are set in once upon a time. Welcome . . . to a magical Elizabethan England.

“Romantic and charming . . . In putting her twist on the classic tale, Wrede uses language appropriate to the period and nicely evokes both medieval England and a magic land.”—Publishers Weekly

The Queen of Faerie has two half-mortal sons. Hugh is content to stay in Faerie, but John feels compelled to roam mortal lands, returning home to visit between Hallowe’en and May Eve. Then, because the beautiful but willful spirit Madini wishes to see all ties between Faerie and mortal lands severed forever, he is forbidden to leave home again. Snow White and Rose Red live on the edge of the forest that conceals the ever-shifting, elusive border of Faerie. They know enough about Faerie lands and mortal magic to be most concerned when they find two human sorcerers setting spells near the Faerie border on the day of All Hallows.

And when the kindly, intelligent black bear wanders into their cottage some months later, they do not realize the connection between his plight and the sorcery they saw in the forest. . . .