White As Snow (2000) is a fantasy novel by Tanith Lee.
The plot is a retelling of the fairy tale of "Snow White", combined with the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone.
Arpazia is the young beautiful daughter of a lord. In the midst of winter his castle is attacked by King Draco, who slaughter the inhabitants and rapes Arpazia before bringing her back to his own castle as his queen. Arpazia falls pregnant from the attack and gives birth to a girl named Coira. The horrors Arpazia experienced makes her lose her mind and leaves her incapable of even recognising her own child.
Coira grows up only knowing her mother from afar. As Coira becomes a woman, Arpazia in her deluded state comes to believe Coira, who looks so much like her, stole her beauty and youth and the only way to regain it is by killing the girl.
Coira escapes from the castle with a troupe of travelling little people (the dwarves of the story) that came to the castle to entertain the king. Coira and her seven companions travel to a large mine far away where the little people find work. One of them is a handsome man named Hephaestion. He and Coira fall in love.
The mines are ruled by a despotic lord who goes by the name Hadz. He fancies himself to be the god of the underworld and is looking for his queen. When he sets eyes on the beautiful Coira, he decides on her.
Arpazia, learning of Coira’s escape, sets out to find her. She travels to the mines where she and Coira are reunited. At long last Arpazia realises who Coira actually is. The two are separated by Hadz. Coira is forced to become his queen, with all it entails. Arpazia is thrown in the dungeons.
Hadz, wishing to kill Arpazia in a spectacle, tortures her by having red hot iron shoes struck to her feet and hangs her. Coira, who wanted to save her mother, faints in shock. Hadz, displeased by her response, plans to get rid of her but Hephaestion convinces Hadz to hand Coira over to him instead.
Coira and Hephaestion leave the kingdom together to start a new life far away, leaving their terrible experiences behind.