I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. This was mostly just boring. It's kind of a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set in modern day and with very heavy religious overtones. More than a fairy tale retelling it's a mystery about a young woman being framed as a drug dealer.

The young woman, Blanche, seeks shelter with a bunch of Friars (the dwarfs in this retelling) who are trying to rebuild a community. There is quite a bit of "God will provide" and "This is happening for a reason determined by God" throughout the story. Waaayyy too religiously heavy for me.

The writing style is a bit awkward and unfinished feeling. The conversations between characters don't flow very well. The whole thing feels kind of choppy and was hard to stay engaged in.

I didn't read the first book in this series so that may be part of why I couldn't engage in the story very well.

Overall I didn't enjoy this and almost stopped reading it a number of times. I ended up finishing it because it's a pretty short read and it's be on my to be read pile for awhile...I wanted it to count towards my to be read pile reading challenge so I finished it.

I won't be reading anymore of these Fairy Tale Retold books; there are much much better fairy tale retellings out there. I definitely would not recommend this to fantasy fans or fans of fairy tale retellings. If you enjoy light romance with a drug-based mystery and lots of preaching then this is for you. ( )

An excellent re-telling of the tale of Snow White set in New York City. The characters are real and delightful, the drama builds up to a satisfying climax and conclusion. Also sprinkled with inspired reflections and humorous incidences. ( )

I loved this take on the classic fairy tale of Snow White. The Friars in the story who represented the dwarves were so cool. I love that we get to know Blanche better and find out more of Bear and Fish's father and stepmother. That stepmother was so evil. This book is even better than the first as I found it more difficult to put down. An amazing story from beginning to end. ( )

I loved this book. I've read one other book by Doman, Waking Rose - and while I adored the characters in that book, it did have a few shortcomings. But this one - well, I obviously read the wrong Doman book before. This one had all of the things I loved about the last one, and none of the shortcomings (which basically boiled down to what I felt was an oversimplified theological view - the same characters in this book feel much more human, while just as faithful, and also - don't write about Pittsburgh if it seems you've never been there - this one was about New York, and I'VE never been there, so it sounded good to me!). Great story. I was on the edge of my seat. Think modern-day fairy tale retelling with Catholic overtones and a Robin Cook plot. Sounds weird, I know. But it works. If you like a good mystery with a happy ending, try it out. ( )

I know this might be hard to believe, but this book is better than The Shadow of the Bear. Authentically Catholic, Black as Night, follows the adventures of the characters introduced in Shadow of the Bear about a year after the end of the first book. This book is defintiely more mysterious, intriguing, and (okay,)romantic than the first book. What sets this series apart from all other teen novels is the true love the characters have for each other. They are willing to risk everything, pay all costs, endure all torments for the sake of the others. In the words of St. Paul, 'Love endures all things, believes all things, hopes all things. Love never fails.' Following the trend of the first book, Black as Night is based upon the classic fairytale 'Snow White' and yes there are seven 'Dwarfs'. At the end of the book, the author even points out some connections between her book and the Disney edition of the tale. I cannot think of a better way to continue the story begun in The Shadow of the Bear than this book. However, because the book deals with inner-city crimes, this book is recommended for ages 13 plus. ( )