The Snow Princess in Shine your Icy Crown: Character Analysis

Overview: The Snow Princess as a Persona of Struggle and Self-Making

The snow princess is the central persona of Amanda Lovelace’s Shine your Icy Crown, the second volume in the you are your own fairy tale series. She is not a traditional character with a linear biography but a poetic voice whose experiences unfold through short, fragmented poems and prose interludes. The book’s frame story introduces her as a princess who rejects every crown her father offers, and who eventually crafts her own icy crown with sharp points. That image—a crown she builds herself, one that can wound those who come too close—becomes the central symbol of her journey toward self-definition.

The snow princess struggles with depression, anxiety, and self-harm. She often feels invisible, lonely, and exhausted, and she repeatedly wishes not to wake up. Yet she is also stubborn, observant, and quietly defiant. She refuses to settle for a life scripted by patriarchal expectations, and she gradually learns to see herself as the author of her own story. Throughout the collection, a “big sister” figure offers guidance, encouragement, and unconditional love, helping the snow princess reframe her pain and move toward healing.

This analysis treats the snow princess as a composite persona rather than a fully realized fictional character. The poems are based on the author’s own experiences, as Lovelace notes in her introduction, but the persona stands on her own as a representation of many young women’s struggles. We will examine her role in the collection, her motivations and traits, her chronological arc, her relationships, her key decisions, and the themes and symbols she embodies. Where the text is explicit, we will say so; where we interpret, we will mark it as interpretation.

Plot Role: The Princess Who Refuses the Given Crown

The snow princess is the protagonist and narrator of the poems. The book is structured in three parts, each opening with a prose passage that advances the fairy-tale frame. In part i, she is a princess who rejects every crown her father presents, causing rumors that she has no love for tradition or her kingdom. At night, she weeps. In part ii, she continues to dismiss crowns offered by handsome princes, who call her cold, heartless, and frigid. She then decides to craft her own crown from ice-like crystals, with points so sharp they can wound a man who gets too near. In part iii, the frame shifts to a more direct address, and the final poem, “our icy crown is you,” reveals that the crown is not an external object but the princess herself.

Within the poems, the snow princess appears in short vignettes that describe her inner life: her desire for deep conversation, her relief when plans are canceled, her habit of hiding behind tiredness, her self-harm as a grounding mechanism, and her growing refusal to be defined by others. She is not an active agent in a conventional plot; instead, her “plot” is the gradual transformation of her self-perception. The big sister’s advice poems serve as a counterpoint, offering hope and practical challenges. The snow princess’s role is to embody the themes of the collection—self-sovereignty, sisterhood, reclaiming language, healing from trauma, and subverting fairy-tale conventions.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

The snow princess is motivated by a deep longing for connection and understanding. She wants someone she can have deep conversations with, someone who will take her out for ice cream at one o’clock in the morning, someone who will listen without thinking she is stupid or annoying. She wants “anyone—to take the time to understand her.” This desire drives many of her actions, but it is often thwarted by her own fear of rejection and by the insensitivity of others.

She is introverted and self-critical. In a room full of people, she feels she doesn’t belong and often stays in the corner, believing she has nothing worthwhile to say. When she does speak, others talk over her. She describes herself as a “wallflower.” She also has a habit of imagining relationships with strangers in coffee shops because it is “so much easier than having the real thing”—this way, they can’t reject her.

Her actions reveal a quiet resilience. She wears a fake ring to make men respect her boundaries, resenting that it is the only boundary they ever seem to respect. She warns her sister’s boyfriend to treat her sister right, seeing him as a predator. She refuses to be only someone else’s daughter, sister, girlfriend, wife, or mother. She rejects the label “slut” for not wanting to settle down, and she reclaims the word “snowflake” as a term of strength.

At the same time, she struggles with self-harm. The text states explicitly: “no, hurting herself is not something she does for the attention. some days, it’s the only thing that tethers her to the earth.” This is a stark admission that self-harm is a coping mechanism, not a cry for attention. She also hides her true state behind claims of tiredness, saying “i didn’t get much sleep last night,” even though she is tired mentally and emotionally.

Chronological Arc: From Despair to Self-Crafted Crown

The snow princess’s arc is not linear but moves through stages of despair, resistance, and eventual self-acceptance. Early in the collection, she is overwhelmed by her mental illness. She hears a small, persistent voice that tells her no one has ever felt as sad or lonely or insignificant as she does. She wishes not to wake up, repeating the wish three times. She feels relief when plans are canceled because she won’t have to fake being okay. Her friends accuse her of selfishness when she can’t be there for them.

The big sister’s guidance begins to offer a counter-narrative. She tells the snow princess that her mind can feel like a fortress, but it can get better. She challenges her to tell the truth when someone asks how she’s doing, and to ask more questions when someone says they’re fine but are lying. The snow princess begins to acknowledge her pain, though she still struggles.

In part ii, the fairy-tale frame shows her rejecting crowns and eventually crafting her own. The prose passage says she “decided to craft one of her own—a magnificent piece made from ice-like crystals, the very first of its kind. when she was done, the points were so sharp they could wound a man if he got too near.” This is a turning point: she stops crying at night and instead smiles, “completely unaffected, & shined her crown until it sparkled. growth.”

In part iii, the poems become more direct about her reclaiming her power. She realizes she is the strong woman protagonist she always looked up to. She says “you say lonely. i say self-sufficient. i say content dating myself.” The final poem, “our icy crown is you,” assembles the fragments to reveal that the crown is not an object but her own self. This suggests that her identity, with all its sharp edges and icy defenses, is something to be embraced and worn proudly.

Relationships: The Big Sister and Others

The most important relationship in the collection is between the snow princess and the big sister. The big sister appears in poems titled “big sister says,” offering advice, encouragement, and love. She tells the snow princess she loves her more than the moon, the stars, and all the galaxies. She encourages her to show gratitude to her body, to believe in her own magic, and to fight on as a “wolf-heart.” The big sister also validates her pain, telling her it is okay not to be okay, and urges her to seek help. The relationship is one of unconditional support, and the author’s note says “sisters make up a large part of the magic.”

The snow princess also has friends who misunderstand her. They accuse her of selfishness when she can’t be there for them, and they don’t understand that she hasn’t learned to be there for herself. The big sister responds by saying a true friend understands when you have to show up for yourself. The snow princess also has romantic encounters that are often objectifying. Men ask her out for a laugh, call her “too pretty to be single,” and only respect her boundaries when she wears a fake ring. She grows tired of kissing boys and of being called strong.

She has a sister (possibly the big sister, or another sister) who introduces a boyfriend. The snow princess warns him, “you better treat her right,” seeing him as a huntsman who looks at women like prey. This protective action shows her loyalty and her willingness to stand up for those she loves, even when she struggles to stand up for herself.

Key Decisions and Consequences

The snow princess makes several key decisions that shape her arc.

She rejects the crowns offered by her father and by princes. This decision leads to rumors and accusations of being cold and heartless, but it also preserves her autonomy. The consequence is that she must find her own way, which she does by crafting her own crown.
She wears a fake ring to enforce boundaries. This is a practical, if ironic, decision. It works—men respect the fake relationship more than her own “no”—but it also highlights the injustice of a world that only respects boundaries when they are backed by another man.
She warns her sister’s boyfriend. This is an act of protection, and it shows her willingness to confront a potential threat. The consequence is not shown directly, but the big sister’s advice about seeing loved ones make hurtful decisions suggests that the warning may not be heeded.
She accepts the big sister’s challenges. She begins to tell the truth about how she’s doing, and she asks more questions when others say they’re fine. This is a small but significant step toward honesty and connection.
She crafts her own icy crown. This is the culmination of her arc. The crown is sharp and can wound, but it is hers. The consequence is that she stops crying at night and instead shines her crown, symbolizing her acceptance of her own strength and defenses.

Themes and Symbols: The Icy Crown, the Snowflake, and the Fortress

The snow princess is intimately connected to the collection’s central themes. The icy crown is the most prominent symbol. It represents self-definition, protection, and the refusal to accept a crown that others try to place on her head. The crown’s sharp points suggest that her boundaries are not just for show—they can hurt those who get too close. This connects to the theme of self-sovereignty and self-definition.

The snowflake is another symbol. The book reclaims the term “snowflake” as a word of strength, not fragility. The snow princess is “icy” and “cold” in the eyes of others, but she redefines these qualities as her own. This ties to the theme of reclaiming and redefining language.

The fortress of the mind is a metaphor the big sister uses to describe mental illness. The snow princess’s depression and anxiety feed each other, creating a never-ending cycle. The big sister’s advice to “open every window” and let love inside suggests that the fortress can be breached, but only with effort and support. This connects to the theme of healing from trauma and mental illness.

The sisterhood theme is embodied in the relationship between the snow princess and the big sister. The big sister’s love is unconditional, and she repeatedly tells the snow princess she is not alone. This is a source of strength and healing, as explored in sisterhood as a source of strength and healing.

Finally, the snow princess’s rejection of patriarchal expectations—refusing to be defined by marriage, motherhood, or male approval—connects to the theme of subverting fairy-tale conventions and patriarchal expectations.

Questions and Answers

Why does the snow princess wear a fake ring?

She wears a fake ring because she finds that men only respect her boundaries when she claims to be “happily taken by another.” She resents that this is the only boundary they ever seem to respect, but it is a practical tool for protecting herself.

What challenges does the big sister give her?

The big sister gives two challenges: first, to start telling the truth when someone asks how she’s doing; second, to ask more questions when someone says they’re fine but she knows they’re lying. These challenges are meant to normalize genuine care and honesty.

How does the snow princess describe her depression and anxiety?

She says “her depression makes her anxious & her anxiety makes her depressed,” calling it “never-ending.” This describes a cyclical relationship where each condition feeds the other.

What does she wish for at night?

She closes her eyes and makes the same silent wish: “i will not wake up tomorrow.” She repeats it three times, and the text notes she’s not sure anyone is listening. This is an explicit expression of suicidal ideation.

What does she craft in part ii, and what happens as a result?

She crafts her own crown from ice-like crystals, with points so sharp they can wound a man if he gets too near. After crafting it, she no longer cries at night; instead, she smiles and shines her crown until it sparkles. The text labels this “growth.”

Conclusion

The snow princess is a deeply human persona whose struggles with mental illness, societal pressure, and self-worth are rendered with raw honesty. She is not a passive victim; she actively resists the roles assigned to her, even when her resistance is small or ironic. Her journey from wishing not to wake up to crafting her own icy crown is a testament to the possibility of healing and self-acceptance, even in the darkest moments. The big sister’s unwavering love and guidance provide a model of sisterhood that is both tender and fierce. Ultimately, the snow princess learns that the crown she sought was never outside herself—it was always her own.

For a deeper look at how the collection ends, see the ending explained page, or explore the questions and answers for more discussion.