“The recent years of Snow White’s life had become the most scandalous of the kingdom’s royal history. […] Everyone knew of the infamous poisoned apple and the dashing prince who had saved Snow White from a false death.

The story was simple, but the aftermath was not.”

These lines from the prologue illustrate the idea of events beyond the documented story. In the real world, Snow White’s tale is fiction that ends with her happy ending. In the fairy-tale world, her story is history, and to the subjects of her kingdom, that history seems clear-cut and easy to understand with Snow White as the victim and the Evil Queen as the villain. As is seen throughout the rest of The Wishing Spell, the history is not as simple as happily-ever-after would have people believe, and the aftermath of Snow White’s tale proves to be full of complexities brought on by the events of her story.

“‘Once upon a time …’ [...] ‘These are the most magical words our world has ever known and the gateway into the greatest stories ever told. They’re an immediate calling to anyone who hears them—a calling into a world where everyone is welcome and anything can happen. Mice can become men, maids can become princesses, and they can teach valuable lessons in the process.’”

These lines are spoken by Alex and Conner’s teacher in the real world during a segment on fairy tales. The lecture calls to the magic of the words “once upon a time,” an opening line associated with fairy tales and, as the teacher says, an invitation for the reader to journey into a different world. The teacher’s lecture focuses on the magic and positivity of fairy tales without considering the opposite angle that is explored in The Wishing Spell. While frogs can become men and maids can become princesses, men can also be cursed to become frogs, and maidens can become fugitives.