Fairest

Ivi is Aza’s employer and the new queen of Ayortha. The narrator offers a detailed description of the 19-year-old’s radiance at her wedding: “Her honey-colored hair shone as though a bit of sunlight was caught in each strand. Her skin seemed to glow from within, like porcelain. Her bones—in her cheeks, her jaw, her wrists—were more finely shaped than the stem of a crystal goblet” (39). As Aza later learns, this is not Ivi’s natural appearance but the effects of a potion that binds the young woman to a murderous creature. This twist reveals that beauty standards are harmful even to individuals who seem to fit them. The selfish queen is desperate for love and external validation, as demonstrated by her immediate reaction to the king’s injury: “What will happen to me if he dies?” (85). Ivi’s vanity and envy position her as the “Snow White” retelling’s evil queen figure. After she nearly kills Aza with the poisoned apple, Skulni explains, “I didn’t have to threaten anything to persuade her to kill you. Her own jealousy was quite enough” (278). Ivi’s attempt to murder her former friend illustrates the insecurities and mercurial temper that make her a danger to herself and others.

Although Ivi is one of the story’s antagonists, she proves to be erratic rather than evil. Skulni manipulates her, making him the novel’s main villain. Ivi is a highly dynamic character. When she’s first introduced, an unexpected friendship blooms between her and the protagonist because the common-born queen also feels like an outsider at the castle: “I know how you feel. [….] I was terrified when I arrived here” (50). Even during her brief and disastrous reign, Ivi has moments of kindness and generosity, such as when she gives Aza an array of costly jewelry to “thank [her] for being the best lady-in-waiting a queen could ever hope for” (182). Much of the novel’s conflict and suspense arise from Ivi abusing her authority and turning on Aza, particularly when she poisons the girl. 

However, Levine gives Ivi opportunities to redeem herself. She learns remorse after attempting to kill Aza and restores the king’s health. Emphasizing her change of heart, Ivi’s final words in the novel are an apology to the Ayorthian people: “I thought you’d want a strong queen. I regret taking away your songbirds. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how much you like them” (319). Levine uses Ivi’s character arc to show the value of mercy in contrast to the brutal justice meted out in the original tale. Aza saves Ivi’s life, and the queen only has to forfeit her political power rather than being sentenced to death like the Grimms’ evil queen. Ivi is flawed but not irredeemable, offering a modern update on the evil queen trope and the story’s message.

Prince Ijori is Aza’s love interest. The 17-year-old is tall and “very handsome, but for overlarge ears” (44). Aza finds his ears “charming,” which contributes to the author’s message that people’s individuality matters more than conventional attractiveness. Aza realizes this about Ijori’s appearance before she’s able to extend the same grace to herself. Ijori demonstrates his playful sense of humor when Aza is afraid to approach the royal family after Oscaro and Ivi’s wedding: “Have no fear. The king is dangerous only when he’s hungry” (49). The prince’s words set the anxious girl at ease, demonstrating that he possesses “a light heart and a clever tongue” (44). Another quality that the protagonist values in Ijori is his gentleness. She’s confident that he will “rule with a hand / light as snow, / velvet fingers” and show his people “love to the borders” (257). Ijori’s quick wit and tender heart win Aza’s affection.

Ijori is Levine’s reinterpretation of the Prince Charming archetype. He is considerably more rounded and active in the story than the prince in the original “Snow White” fairy tale, who exists to swoop in at the end and facilitate the happily ever after. Ijori advances the theme of the importance of authenticity because he temporarily breaks off his romance with Aza after he discovers that she and Ivi deceived him and the rest of the kingdom. Ijori is also instrumental to the protagonist’s growth. He extols the qualities that make Aza unique: “I adore your face and your hands and the scent of your skin and the thicket of your hair. [….] I was sorry when you became beautiful in a commonplace way” (304). Ijori’s disinterest in Ayortha’s beauty standards grants Aza permission to appreciate her appearance. Ijori supports Aza’s journey towards self-worth and authenticity, saves her from the poisoned apple, and provides the novel with a happy ending that parallels the original fairy tale by becoming her husband.

Skulni is the novel’s antagonist. He is a “creature of unspecified abilities” (132), and he has “something of a spider’s body” with “a round belly” and “spindly arms and legs” (271). His spiderlike appearance makes it clear that he’s not to be trusted. Skulni’s malice knows no bounds. He boasts to Aza, “I’ve caused duels, wars, even famines” (277). He exploits human failings, especially vanity, to orchestrate the downfall of the magic mirror’s owners so that he can enjoy a temporary taste of freedom: “I never sing myself to sleep, / For plotting keeps me busy: / Whom to kill and how to woo / The foolish heart that owns me” (281). In keeping with this song, the duplicitous creature showers Ivi with flattery and encourages her to make an attempt on Aza’s life while also conspiring to kill Ivi. Skulni’s conniving, malicious, and deceitful nature makes him a threat to the protagonist and the other characters.

As the narrative’s true antagonist, Skulni represents a distinctive reinvention of the “Snow White” fairy tale and advances the novel’s plot and message about beauty standards. His magic mirror is a nod to a classic fairytale element, and he speaks the famous line, “You are the fairest one of all” (205), which gives the novel its title. Levine interrogates society’s obsession with physical beauty, and Skulni is the dangers of vanity personified. The creature exploits people’s insecurities about their looks to trap them in his magic mirror. This fits within the author’s broader use of mirrors as a motif supporting the theme of The Impact of Beauty Standards on Self-Worth. In addition, Skulni is inhuman, so attributing the story’s malice to him allows Levine to preserve a more positive view of human nature. Ivi becomes flawed rather than evil with the revelation that she commits her worst acts under his manipulation. The confrontation with Skulni marks the novel’s climax, and ensuring that he is “never seen or heard from again in Ayortha” helps Aza gain an improved sense of self-worth by the resolution (324). Skulni is essential to the story’s structure and emphasizes the novel’s moral lessons.