Reviews

The Cracked Slipper by Stephanie Alexander

kreshishta's review against another edition

5.0

Cinderella with a not so happy ever after....what a great story retold by Stephanie Alexander, with a plot twist. I don't want to give out any spoilers so I'll leave it at that....just want to add that this is no simpering damsel in distress. There are some editing mistakes but overall well written.

mimiathereader's review against another edition

I'm a fan of fairytale retellings which is why I requested this book on NetGalley all those years ago. A story where Cinderella has to deal with life after she marries the prince? It sounded like it could be thoughtful and fun.
Well, it was depressing more than anything and did not have a fairytale feeling at all. It just wasn't what I thought it was, so I ended up just stoping, never wanting to get back to it.
I'm just going to mark this as DNF and move on to other more cheerful things.

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

madamelibrarian's review against another edition

2.0

Not the best book I've read. I thought I'd enjoy seeing what happened to Cinderella after the ball. The fairytale ends there. Prince Charming isn't so charming. I liked the characters, especially the unicorns!

illusie's review against another edition

2.0

This is not the classis cinderella story we all know, since it is about what happens after the ball. Being married to the prince is not what our heroine dreamed of. I thought it was rather depressing. What I disliked is that their was a love triangle, which seems to continue in the next book... I'm not going to read the next book.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review.

thepolishedbibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

A modern day retelling of Cinderella with a Prince Charming who is not as he seems.  This story is a perfect blend of many themes; there is mystery, adventure, drama, a bit of magic and romance! While reading, I found myself rooting for Eleanor as she worked to find a place in the kingdom and stay true to herself.  I enjoyed the pacing of the book, especially with knowing there are more in the series.  The Kingdom of Cartheigh sounds magical to visit, especially with unicorns.  I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great to listen to with the animated voices and consistent speaking.  Thank you to Stephanie Alexander and Kate Rock Book Tours for a gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

jenni_reads's review against another edition

4.0

I’m usually not a fan of fairy tale retellings but when I read the description for this book and seen that it was described like Game of Thrones meets Bridgerton’s meets The Tudor’s it piqued my interest! A combination of historical fiction and fantasy, two of my favourite genres!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I really enjoyed it! The Cracked Slipper is entertaining and very imaginative. I felt like I was reading a Tudor novel except this one has magical creature in it! It’s full of courtly drama and political intrigue. In this book happily ever after isn’t so happy! Eleanor Brice ( Cinderella ) marries the charming Prince Gregory Desmarais, who isn’t very charming at all! Life at court and marriage to the prince is not how Eleanor thought it would be. Her wicked stepmother and stepsister’s interference does not help either. Then when Eleanor meets the prince’s best friend sparks fly and a slow burn forbidden romance spices the story up. There is no happily ever after and the ending was left unresolved which made me feel like the book wasn’t finished but it did leave me wanting to dive into the next book in the series.

Thank you to katieandbreypa and Stephanie Alexander for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

moonlight_library's review against another edition

5.0

A fantastical fairytale retelling of Cinderella and what happens after the 'Happily Ever After'. I loved following Eleanor as she tried to navigate life as the new princess while trying to true to herself in a kingdom that didn't want women to have an extended education. She's incredibly strong to withstand all the judgement and nonsense that came with her new role. She's smart, kind, and caring and I just felt so bad as Gregory seemed to flip flop his feelings around her. She deserves someone like Dorian who encourages and loves her as she is. I loved that we were able to read the story from different perspectives getting a glimpse of what Dorian was feeling and get a sense of what the inner workings of the court were like. To avoid spoilers Oliver got exactly what he deserved I didn't trust him one bit! Can't wait to read more of The Dragon Choker I'll definitely be purchasing the paperback versions of all 3 books in the series!

bookdragonstbr's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this story!  Eleanor is essentially "Cinderella" and getting married to the Prince of her dreams.  However, right before they get married she discovers he's not exactly who she thought he was.  His best friend, Dorian, is everything that Prince Gregory is not.  The evil step-mother is still a prominent figure in this story as well.  I loved the unicorns. My favorite character comes in the form of a "no-filter" parrot called ShuShu.  He's absolutely hilarious and brought such a bright light to the story.  How will the love triangle unfold?  Will Step-mother get what she's always wanted?

The story flowed beautifully and the narrator did an amazing job at creating wonderful voices for each character.  Very whimsical and enrapturing!

ashleysbookobsession's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Read this if you
👑 Like Fairytale Retellings
📚 Enjoy Historical Fiction and Fantasy
🧙‍♀️ Believe in Magical Creatures and Witches

Meet The Author: The Cracked Slipper was Stephanie Alexander’s first novel written in 2012. Alexander has 3 children and practices family law. She has ghost written dozens of books. Her life after divorce has inspired both her legal work and fictional work.

Synopsis: Following 8 years of mistreatment and isolation, Eleanor Brice will no longer stand for being seen and not heard. Eleanor is sure she has found her Prince Charming. When Prince Charming proves to have a temper, a loose grip on his marriage vows, and resorts to the bottle, Eleanor decides he isn’t so charming after all.

What I Liked: Eleanor was sarcastic, smart, and didn’t take grief from anyone, following her dreams. Chou Chou was one of my favorite characters with his witty banter and sarcastic remarks. Him and Eleanor were quite the pair. I enjoyed that this novel focused on what happened after the happy-ever-after. As a kid I loved Cinderella and this was the perfect adult version of what happens next.

What I Was Not Crazy About: Prince Charming was very disappointing. I just couldn’t like him no matter how many comebacks he attempted to make. I found this book very hard to get into. At approx 55% in I considered giving up but couldn’t, hoping it would get better. In the end, this book just wasn’t for me. However this would not deter me from recommending to others who enjoy this type of read.

Available Now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, @katieandbreypa and @stephaniealexanderbooks for providing me with a complimentary review copy. In no way has that influenced my voluntary review. 

chelsea_not_chels's review against another edition

2.0

This book was just okay. First, it needs some more editing--there are numerous typos and misspelled words and a few instances of wrong word use; the one that comes to mind immediately is that two characters "poured over a book." You pore over a book, unless you're dumping something on it, in which case I guess you would pour over it. The whole "dragon and unicorn" dynamic brings to mind Pamela Dean's The Secret Country series, but it didn't feel as richly crafted as Dean's world. The non-romantic conflict was just "eh" and the climax was not exactly gripping. The ending was sensible, but lackluster. I think Eleanor made a good choice, but that resulted in an end that wasn't as emotionally powerful as it could be; there just seemed to be something missing.