A fantasy about a dark forest besieged by monsters--and the wild queen who has sworn to drive them out. A fierce young queen, neither human nor lynx, who fights to protect a forest humans have long abandoned. An exhausted young soldier, last of his name, who searches for the brother who disappeared beneath those trees without a trace. A Golden Dragon, fearsome and vengeful, whose wingbeats haunt their nightmares and their steps. When these three paths...

In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness has fallen. After defeating the evil mother who summoned an immortal demon to kill her, newly coronated Queen Asterin Faelenhart should have every reason to celebrate. Her kingdom is safe, forbidden magic eradicated, and her friends are alive. Except Asterin's triumph has come at a devastating cost -- forced to choose between a lifelong friend and true love, she's lost both. But the shadows in Axaria have begun...

Neil Gaiman takes the characters and scenes from popular fairy tales to create his own dark, twisted tale. Featuring some key elements from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, he takes the readers on a journey where there just might not be the typical fairy tale ending with a knight in shining armor. Featuring Chris Riddell's black and white illustrations with gold highlights complement the traditional fairy tale themes very well.

Examines the life of Snow White's stepmother, the Wicked Queen, to find out just what it is that makes her so evil that she would want to cut out her teenage step-daughter's heart and have it delivered in a locked keepsake box.