2015, 240p, Fairy-Tale Retelling
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
Reserved yet resilient, Ella Blakeley lives with her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, without hope of escape—until the day Prince Kenton announces a ball that changes everything. Even without mice, magic, or fairy godmothers, Ella might discover a life that’s better than she ever dreamed. This intricately woven twist on Cinderella is an enchanting book you won’t be able to put down.
So, there are lots of fairy-tale retellings for Cinderella, and of course, I was interested in reading another one. There are some great ones and this version is now one of my personal favorites!
All the basic ingredients are there: Ella's mother died when she was young, her father remarried and has also now died, Victoria is the evil stepmother and Mabel and Cecilia are the two self-absorbed stepsisters. There is a ball where Prince Kenton is hoping to find a wife as he is in a bit of a hurry to get married.
There are also some differences. Ella has two friends, Jane and Will. There are things that happen through the course of the book which tests both of those friendships. There's no fairy godmother so Ella has to find a different way to get to the ball. And as for the evil stepmother...well, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens with her.
Ella is worked to the bone and not treated well by her stepmother and stepsisters. She's always pleasant, but when they go a little too far, she is not about to live with what happened and sets out to make it right. It's one of those stories where you feel like you know what will happen in certain parts, but there are some great twists which make the story more realistic.
There are some great lessons to be taken from Ella's story and this is a book that will appeal to both teens and adults. I definitely plan to share it with my daughter and will read it again myself. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!
Watch the trailer here.
Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee was born the fourth of seven children to a family of avid readers, movie quoters, and sports fanatics. She graduated with a degree in English from Brigham Young University in 2004. She is a mother of five rambunctious, adorable boys and while you read this, she is probably folding laundry . . . or should be.
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