So...I liked Stitching Snow, but not as much as I was expecting. I felt like the story described in the summary is a different story than the story that unfolded. And yet, there was much more to the story than I ever realized. 
 Stitching Snow very much reminded me of Cinder, so there may or may not be quite a few comparisons throughout my review. Essie very much reminded me of Cinder, and Dimwit really reminded me of Iko, and Dane reminded me of Captain Thorne. And her step-mom reminded me of Queen Lavana. 
 Basically, I'd describe the book as Cinder in space but with Snow White instead of Cinderella. 
 It's not a horrible book- I did like it, and I like the idea of Essie fleeing to a different planet as a child, and surviving on a very different planet than the one she grew up on. I like that she did what she needed to do to stop a huge war and take control of the crown. 
 It just wasn't as compelling as I thought or hoped it would be. 
 Mostly, because this book seems to be a stand-alone and so the world-building and character development seemed minimal and glossed over. We got bits and pieces of this world, but not to a level I would have liked. I think it's because I went in expecting Stitching Snow to be a series- because, honestly, these kinds of stories usually are- so I was disappointed to see that the story was pretty much resolved by the end of the book. 
 I felt like nothing was really explained, and there were a few things about this world (Exiles and Transitioning, mostly) that were really confusing and made no sense whatsoever. There are all of these different planets and the people that live on them have this history with each other, and yet, I could not tell you a single them about them. And it's the same with the characters, who didn't really stand out to me. 
 It really is a shame, because I felt like some of the relationships could have had a lot more to them. Like, Essie and her step-mom or Essie and her dad, and even her step-mom's issues with her mom. 
 Everything felt really rushed to me, and I really do feel like Stitching Snow could have benefited from being a series, just to let everything develop over a slower pace. 
 Still, I like the overall story, and I'd definitely recommend to die-hard fairy tale fans and to people who haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet. And if you have read the Lunar Chronicles, you may like it too, but maybe not as much. 
 What I Thought: I liked Stitching Snow and the overall story, but I also wish that things didn't feel as rushed, because I felt like the book had so much potential. Stitching Snow gets 3 stars. 
 I received Stitching Snow from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.