First off, I was delighted to see that my personal favorite short story of Hyder's was included in this collection: "Jiji's Feathers," a tale about a colorful girl who lives in a world of grey people, which teaches tolerance, acceptance, and love. Like much of Hyder's work, there is a message here to be discovered - to pluck out and savor - a moral to the story that goes beyond the strength of Hyder's words and is something you can carry with you, long after you've closed the pages of her book.

I was also introduced to a host of new favorites in this collection, as well. "Day Longs for Night" is a poem that immediately captured me with its vivid imagery ("The night / lets down her long dark gypsy hair / spins on her bare feet / to stomp her passion / for moths, black blooms / bats and all things witchy"). And, of course, I loved the countless feminist references that Hyder included throughout her book... One, in particular, is found in the fairy tale entitled "The Ivory Tower" ("Yet she found that she would make it / to the forest despite how far / and with bloodied feet / that she would dance / in safety beneath the stars"). In truth, I could keep quoting to you the deliciousness that is Hyder's words... but my hope is that you'll get just enough of a taste to go out and purchase a copy for yourself.

You need to have your mind wide open when reaching down to pick up this book; Hyder's work demands that you allow yourself a large helping of imagination and thought. As this is not necessarily a book that you read from cover to cover but, rather, one that you keep by your side and pick up every so often throughout your day to arrive on a new page, a new adventure, The Real Reason the Queen Hated Snow is one of those perfect reading companions. Small enough to fit in your purse, but filled with enough material to keep you busy on a long wintry day - or just while you're waiting at the doctor's office - it's a book you'll want to keep snugly by your side.

The Real Reason the Queen Hated Snow by Annette Marie Hyder
Paperback, Twilight Times Books, 168 pages. Available online at Amazon.com.

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