Blanca & Roja is a triple fairy tale retelling, pulling from elements of Snow White, Rose Red, and Swan Lake. I'll admit that I myself am not familiar with the tale of Rose Red so it's possible that some of the imagery and plot points went over my head. The story focuses on the del Cisne family (clever, since "cisne" means swan in Spanish) who have a daughter taken away by "the swans" every generation thanks to a bargain one of their family members made generations ago. The current pair of sisters, Blanca and Roja, have been aware of this curse their entire lives and have been doing everything in their power to stop it by confusing the swans into thinking they are basically the same person. I loved the juxtaposition of the two sisters (one of which is obviously supposed to be Snow White and one is obviously supposed to be Rose Red). I loved seeing them love and support each other and the small, clever methods they took to try to confuse the swans, from eating rose petals the color of each other's names to ensuring one at more bitter foods to counteract her inherent sweet disposition, and vice versa. These little details really made the story seem like a fairy tale.
Throughout the novel there is also a theme of empowerment across multiple types of identities, and I appreciated that McLemore was able to write a diverse cast of characters and have them all show strength and capability in their own unique way. Roja's character especially resonated with me, as she's the one everyone assumes will be taken by the swans (her red hair, hot temper, etc. compared to her sister's striking blonde hair and angelic demeanor) but she is encouraged by her father throughout the novel to use her feisty, less "desirable" traits to cultivate her own type of strength.
Because that power, that anger in you, that is the best thing you have.” He gave her a nod as proud as if she were a son. “So claim it. Pick yourself up and use it.” - Kindle Edition, Location 101
While I really enjoyed the whimsical feeling at the beginning of the novel, I did find it to really drag for me personally by the halfway point. I think this was largely due to the fact that the book is split into 4 POVs (Blanca, Roja, and two other characters who are the romantic interests) and I found myself bored by the chapters that weren't from the sisters points of view. I know most fairy tales (including the ones this book is based on) include romance, however I just found myself bored by it and would have much rather learned more about the del Cisne family, such as: Who were the other sisters who were taken by the swans? Do the sisters who were spared have survivor's guilt? Are the sisters always so polarized in their appearances? These are conversations I wish had happened (although I do know the point of a fairy tale/ magical realism isn't to dissect the details, it's just my own natural curiosity!) I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt- I was fully expecting the book to keep going and was surprised when I hit the author's note.
“Haven’t you ever seen anything you knew was real even if you knew no one else would believe you?” - Kindle Edition, Location 1841
Overall: Roja & Blanca is a wonderful foray into YA magical realism with a lot of diversity and representation, beautiful writing, and fun fairy tale elements.However, the pace slowed for me the second half of the novel and didn't deliver as strongly for me as The Weight of Feathers.
This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages