Books for Little Girls: 'The Snows of Khione' by Lisa K. Stephenson Is a Must-Read

Author Lisa K. Stephenson has done it again.

In 2019, I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa while attending the Decatur Book Festival, very early in her career. At that time, she had written about eight books, all of which were present on her display table. At first, my sister and I were taken aback, believing that she was showcasing other authors alongside herself, but we were amazed to learn that all of those books were written by her.

Lisa was very young and humble; I remember making a light joke, “Wow! Were you writing since you were in the womb?” We all had a good laugh. I was very proud to see a young Black woman, so talented and passionate about her work. Not only that, but Lisa was so kind, taking the time to discuss in great detail each of her books and the inspiration behind them. My sister and I purchased one of every book.

Over the course of two months, I read through the novels and have kept up with Lisa ever since via Facebook; she gained a lifelong fan in me from that day on. I’ve since gone on to review a number of novels for various publications, such as Refinery29, BuzzFeed, and Bustle. One day, while moving, I came across one of her novels, Even My Hair is Mad, buried on one of my bookshelves, which prompted me to do a quick Google search—I wanted to see what my girl has been up to.

That’s when I discovered The Fiona Gold Books website, and I was blown away! I got in touch immediately, received a sample copy, and read it cover to cover in a matter of seven days. Not only that, but I was able to download the accompanying soundtrack as well, and I just had to write about it. Amelia, her marketing manager, asked me to publish this here on She’s SINGLE, and so, here we go.

MY REVIEW
Fantasy novels have an interesting way of capturing our attention because, for us readers, they provide a means to escape our daily lives. The way an author can meticulously create a fictional world while seamlessly blending it into our reality is surely a gift. The Snows of Khione takes place 400 years after the artificial intelligence war, which I immediately found quite intriguing. We’re all familiar with the Tesla bots and Cybertrucks now making waves and headlines, slowly integrating themselves into our society.

Here, Lisa takes this information and catapults us centuries ahead, showcasing the harm and almost irreparable damage they’ve done to our civilization. As a result, humans, to avoid being on the brink of extinction, decide to mate with the Modiri. The Modiri in the novel are known as mermaids; however, Lisa never uses that term throughout the book, which is a bold choice. The fantasy elements are palpable in every way, and Lisa does not rely on overused vocabulary to label her characters, which I found to be quite refreshing. We are experiencing a new type of being and a whole new world (no pun intended).

As the novel progresses, we learn that the story is set in the United Kingdom, which I also found interesting, considering that A.I. has seen rapid growth in America today compared to other countries. But as the novel unfolds, we learn why this is (I won’t spoil it here). This further demonstrates that Lisa thoroughly spent time developing this book and was intentional about each and every detail, which, as a reader, I deeply appreciate.

We are then introduced to some of our characters: Emaline, Fiona, Melissa, and Kovos. The family of four is considered destitute, working alongside other hybrid men and women in a small town called Sattle. Our main character, however, is Fiona, a fourteen-year-old girl who learns of these mysterious beings through the shapeshifting witch, Fanira. Once she gets wind of the world beneath the waves, her curiosity mounts as she wonders about the symbol on the rear of her foot—the one only she, her eldest sister, and their father, Kovos, share. Both Emaline and their younger sister, Mary, are without this branding.

But once her inquiries become too overwhelming, Fanira introduces Fiona to the Modiri, showing the young girl that she is, in fact, a member of the underwater seas and possesses the ability to transform from human to fish in a matter of seconds. At first, this transformation startles Fiona so much that she vows to almost never return to the waters. However, as we delve deeper into the novel, we learn that the peaceful, perfunctory life of the hybrids is soon to be interrupted when the Embers stop falling from Modiri Mountain, granting the monarchy and the rest of the world access to highly advanced medicine that is harnessed and sold globally.

Something beneath the waters has put a stop to their money mules. The finned Modiri (Modiri born on land but not allowed into civilization) were taken to a mountain and kept there. It was discovered that Embers would fall from their fins, which later proved to be highly profitable. Now, with no Embers, an unwell King, and a desperate kingdom, the overtaking of the hybrids is set into motion. However, there are many twists, turns, and revelations along the way that make this book hard to put down—it is undoubtedly a page-turner.

While this novel holds elements we are accustomed to reading within the genre, there is a refreshing and pulsating take that feels entirely new. The story is immaculate and never predictable, and the characters are beautifully developed, both on land and in the seas. When we meet Khione, the King of the Snow Kingdom, we are thrust into a world that is magical. Honestly, a moment shared between one of the Lorelies and Kovos brought me to tears!

The novel also utilizes new names to distinguish the land characters from their forms underwater. For example, Kovos is his human name, but he’s Kalkisis in the underwater kingdoms. Fiona is Naida, Melissa is Melusine, and so forth. This tradition started when the first Lorelies were sent ashore, and humans could not pronounce their names, so they gave them “human” names instead.

This book is hands down among my top five favorite books of all time, and as a Black woman, I can more than appreciate another Black woman taking the time to develop an exemplary story where the mystical creatures are Black with textured hair. Ceto, the Goddess of the Dangers of the Sea, is depicted with 4C hair and a wife. Lisa did a wonderful job representing Black women with this novel—our creativity, our passion, our intelligence, our professionalism, and, more importantly, our physicality. This is the true definition of representation and should be a gift for all Black and brown girls around the world.

THE SOUNDTRACK

My oh my, what a great body of work. The soundtrack features five songs: Hello, Who I Am, Shells by the Sea, No Limit, and December. As per Lisa, “I wanted the soundtrack to showcase Fiona’s journey—from a young girl curious about her underwater lineage, to battling identity, to acceptance. The songwriters I selected for this project are Black and talented. I wanted there to be elements of R&B, soul, pop, and orchestra.”

All of these elements are present on this album. I cannot wait until the album is available on streaming services because I will be purchasing the songs as well. Lisa is a class act through and through, no doubt about it—and no, I am not being biased. I could have easily declined this write-up if I felt the work was underwhelming, but to be honest, I leaped at the chance to work on this review due to my overwhelming satisfaction and surprise at how well this body of work came together.

To Lisa’s team, I want to say thank you, and to Ms. Lisa herself, I want to thank you. I will be gifting this novel to my granddaughters this Christmas and will play the soundtrack on Christmas morning.

by Dakota Martin