Eleven years ago, Snow tried to walk through a mirror to an enchanted land. For that, they locked her away in a mental asylum, and tried to quash any of the thoughts she had that weren't "normal." 
 But unsurprisingly, that isn't the extent of "Stealing Snow," the first volume of Danielle Paige's new series. Having given her own darker twist to the Oz stories, she now provides a twist on the old Snow Queen fairy tale -- or rather, Snow King -- which weaves in madness and magic, witches and snow monsters. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite have the scope or expansiveness to tell its story to full effect. 
 A year ago, Snow's sorta-boyfriend Bale (a pyromaniac) went dramatically off his meds, and broke her wrist seconds after their first kiss. Now she's miserable, lonely and sees no end to her imprisonment... until a strange boy named Jagger appears in her room, calling her "princess" and telling her that she needs to meet him on the other side of "the Tree." And then arms reach out of a mirror (why is a mirror in a violent mental patient's room?) and drag Bale through -- and of course, no one will believe Snow. 
 She manages to escape and make her way to the Tree, and ends up in a strange forested world locked in eternal winter. No, it's not Narnia. It's the world of Algid, ruled by the cruel Snow King Lazar, and populated by witches, Robbers, were-beasts and a strange pair of siblings who help Snow understand who she is -- the lost princess of their land, with snow-related powers that she is only beginning to grasp. To rescue Bale, and save Algid, she will have to learn how to use her power -- but she may not be able to trust everyone who seems to be on her side. 
 Having suffered through years of obnoxious "Frozen"-mania, I was looking forward to a version of the Snow Queen fairy tale that didn't make me want to leap into an icy river. And in some ways, "Stealing Snow" succeeds at that, reworking the story in some fairly imaginative ways that are reminiscent not only of Hans Christian Anderson, but a bit of CS Lewis, Norse myth and some epic fantasy thrown in as well. 
 What's more, her writing is stunningly lovely at times, whether it's Snow's scars glowing with inner light, the airless mental institution, or the ethereally beautiful woods. It's written entirely from Snow's point of view, and she adds a distinctly snarky, sarcastic tinge to everything she observes, but never misses a chance to tell us about the beauty around her (such as Nepenthe's watery appearance and scaled dress). 
 Unfortunately, "Stealing Snow" feels less like a finished novel than an outline of a longer series. For one thing, it moves far too fast -- the entire plot is an avalanche of lightning-fast training, lurching from one location to another, with the second half of the book almost divorced from the first half. Also, plot twists galore in the final chapters, to almost dizzying effect. The entire book is like this, crammed with too-fast interludes that, more fully-fleshed-out and explored, could be two or three books of more detailed, rich storytelling. 
 What's more, Snow's time in a mental institution leaves no mark, and she never questions her sanity. And the world of Algid, despite the multiple magical species in it, feels half-sketched out -- it doesn't have much of a sense of history or size. A slower pace and more expansive plotting and world-building could have made this story feel richer and more truly epic, and the world more fully realized. 
 What's more... it's one of those stories that is top-heavy with teen romance. Snow has not one, not two... but THREE love interests who crop over the course of the book. Literally every boy she encounters is a love interest, and after her initial all-consuming passion for Bale, the second and third crushes felt tacked on. 
 That implicit fickleness is the biggest drawback of Snow, who is a pretty entertaining heroine -- while her backstory is rather cliched (the lost princess of a magical land), her determination and snarky demeanor make her pretty likable ("Can you see me, Lazar?"). As for the three boys, they're fairly standard love-interest types -- beautiful, troubled, brooding, and exclusively interested in the heroine after knowing her for a short time. 
 With a strong sarcastic heroine and a darker take on the Snow Queen legend, "Stealing Snow" has plenty of promise -- but sadly the execution only uses some of that promise. Here's hoping the next book slows down a bit and tones down the romance.