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abmreads's review against another edition
4.0
Fun cinderella retelling I liked it a lot that the connections and relationships between characters was more fleshed out than in a lot of cinderella story's
user613's review against another edition
2.0
”This is temporary. Bad times are always followed by good times, right?” She attempted a smile to prove she was truly alright.
“Not if you bring the bad times upon yourself.” Mistress Cedrice spoke softly, her voice filled with concern.
This nicely summed up my feelings for most of the book. Ashlin’s stepmother and stepsister were cruel, manipulative and demanding of her. Yet, she remained loyal to them throughout the book and did whatever she could to help them and try to earn their love. She took the role of their maid. Humiliated herself and worked scrubbing floors in the palace. Then, she watched her stepmother waste that hard-earned money on gowns for herself and Ashlin’s stepsister. Ashlin let them mistreat her again and again, doing nothing to stop them or to help herself. Why? Because they were her family.
Her stepmother was not vicious; she was just being thorough. Despite her mind's reassurances, Ashlin could not quite calm the uneasy feeling in her core.
I wanted to scream at Ashlin many times during the book.
To make matters worse, Ashlin had somewhere else to go. In the beginning of the book, we watched Mistress Cedrice offer Ashlin an apprenticeship. Naturally, Ashlin refused her, with tears streaming down her face, because she couldn’t leave her family. What family?! She was choosing to be miserable. She had a way out. And, instead, she chose to stay miserable and committed to her “family”. Honestly, I felt very little pity for Ashlin after seeing her choose to stay with her step-family.
As a side note, it could be argued that this was abuse and manipulation at its best. However, if that were the case, I would've expected Ashlin to have something other than loyalty to her family keeping her there. (Fear. Feeling bad. Feeling responsible. Something else.) In any case, if it was abuse, I'd argue that this was an abuse story written wrong, since I felt no sympathy at all for Ashlin.
At the very end of the book, Ashlin thought she earned her stepmother’s love, only to have it snatched away from her yet again. And, finally, she saw the two of them for the cruel, manipulative, selfish people they were. And, she decided to apprentice with Mistress Cedrice.
This was incredible timing on Ashlin’s part since Mistress Cedrice happened to be the missing key in another part of the plot.
The Majis had been exiled 250 years ago. They had been vicious enemies, and magic-users. No one was allowed to use magic in Ashlin’s country, since it was thought to be dangerous. So, though the time was fast coming for the Maji’s Return, no one was able to prepare for it. (Since, they were thought to be vicious magicians, and there was no magic to be found.)
Mistress Cedrice was a magician. Ashlin witnessed her using her magic by singing. So, when a magician attacked at the ball, Ashlin knew what to look for and was able to help stop the attack.
Which, honestly, felt a bit too perfect to be a coincidence…
Then, there was Ashlin and Onri’s romance. The romance felt shallow, unrealistic and quite forced.
She had seen who he was and what he desired and in just a few simple words she had encapsulated that. His chest felt warm. He felt… seen.
Onri fell in love with Ashlin the night she opened the door to him and his brother in the pouring rain, wearing her ragged clothes. With no makeup and no updo in her hair. Tired and overworked, and not looking anything close to beautiful.
She was beautiful every time he saw her, but the sight of her tangled braid with the curls slipping loose was incredibly appealing.
They had magic feelings for each other, tingling on small touches and hearts beating fast when they looked at each other, and blushing when they noticed how close they were. They joked around like old friends. A few times Ashlin called Onri my lord, but quickly went back to calling him by his name.
He also assumed that she was a maid. Yet this changed nothing. Not in their relationship or in their feelings to each other. Or even in their own thoughts. They never once thought of the fact that he was a prince, and she was a lowly servant. (Once Onri’s father and brother mentioned it. Other than that, it was completely and totally ignored.)
“You don’t belong here as a servant. You deserve so much better than this.” He held out his hand, hoping she would place her own in it. “You are kind and skilled and intelligent, and yet you are scrubbing floors and polishing staircases.”
The one fact I liked in the love story was how, at the end of the book, Ashlin refused to marry Onri right away, instead deciding to take a few months for herself before she thought about marriage.
Other than that very small point – the romance was a disaster.
In conclusion, though, there was intriguing worlds and many plot twists woven into this story, the romance and stepmother subplots were too hard for me to overlook.
I’m not sure I’d recommend this book to others.
Content Warnings
Other:
Magic exists, though it plays only a small part in the plot.
Religion:
An old monetary and its monks were visited before the story,
Violence:
Threat of war.
Romance:
Onri couldn’t take his eyes off Ashlin when they met. He spent lots of time studying her face and noticing how close she was. He took off his shirt for Ashlin to sew in one scene, and she noticed his chest. Onri took Ashlin home on his horse many days, hugging her all the way. They shared a few intimate almost-kissing scenes and a few kisses.
“Not if you bring the bad times upon yourself.” Mistress Cedrice spoke softly, her voice filled with concern.
This nicely summed up my feelings for most of the book. Ashlin’s stepmother and stepsister were cruel, manipulative and demanding of her. Yet, she remained loyal to them throughout the book and did whatever she could to help them and try to earn their love. She took the role of their maid. Humiliated herself and worked scrubbing floors in the palace. Then, she watched her stepmother waste that hard-earned money on gowns for herself and Ashlin’s stepsister. Ashlin let them mistreat her again and again, doing nothing to stop them or to help herself. Why? Because they were her family.
Her stepmother was not vicious; she was just being thorough. Despite her mind's reassurances, Ashlin could not quite calm the uneasy feeling in her core.
I wanted to scream at Ashlin many times during the book.
To make matters worse, Ashlin had somewhere else to go. In the beginning of the book, we watched Mistress Cedrice offer Ashlin an apprenticeship. Naturally, Ashlin refused her, with tears streaming down her face, because she couldn’t leave her family. What family?! She was choosing to be miserable. She had a way out. And, instead, she chose to stay miserable and committed to her “family”. Honestly, I felt very little pity for Ashlin after seeing her choose to stay with her step-family.
Spoiler
As a side note, it could be argued that this was abuse and manipulation at its best. However, if that were the case, I would've expected Ashlin to have something other than loyalty to her family keeping her there. (Fear. Feeling bad. Feeling responsible. Something else.) In any case, if it was abuse, I'd argue that this was an abuse story written wrong, since I felt no sympathy at all for Ashlin.
At the very end of the book, Ashlin thought she earned her stepmother’s love, only to have it snatched away from her yet again. And, finally, she saw the two of them for the cruel, manipulative, selfish people they were. And, she decided to apprentice with Mistress Cedrice.
This was incredible timing on Ashlin’s part since Mistress Cedrice happened to be the missing key in another part of the plot.
The Majis had been exiled 250 years ago. They had been vicious enemies, and magic-users. No one was allowed to use magic in Ashlin’s country, since it was thought to be dangerous. So, though the time was fast coming for the Maji’s Return, no one was able to prepare for it. (Since, they were thought to be vicious magicians, and there was no magic to be found.)
Mistress Cedrice was a magician. Ashlin witnessed her using her magic by singing. So, when a magician attacked at the ball, Ashlin knew what to look for and was able to help stop the attack.
Which, honestly, felt a bit too perfect to be a coincidence…
Then, there was Ashlin and Onri’s romance. The romance felt shallow, unrealistic and quite forced.
Spoiler
She had seen who he was and what he desired and in just a few simple words she had encapsulated that. His chest felt warm. He felt… seen.
Onri fell in love with Ashlin the night she opened the door to him and his brother in the pouring rain, wearing her ragged clothes. With no makeup and no updo in her hair. Tired and overworked, and not looking anything close to beautiful.
She was beautiful every time he saw her, but the sight of her tangled braid with the curls slipping loose was incredibly appealing.
They had magic feelings for each other, tingling on small touches and hearts beating fast when they looked at each other, and blushing when they noticed how close they were. They joked around like old friends. A few times Ashlin called Onri my lord, but quickly went back to calling him by his name.
He also assumed that she was a maid. Yet this changed nothing. Not in their relationship or in their feelings to each other. Or even in their own thoughts. They never once thought of the fact that he was a prince, and she was a lowly servant. (Once Onri’s father and brother mentioned it. Other than that, it was completely and totally ignored.)
“You don’t belong here as a servant. You deserve so much better than this.” He held out his hand, hoping she would place her own in it. “You are kind and skilled and intelligent, and yet you are scrubbing floors and polishing staircases.”
The one fact I liked in the love story was how, at the end of the book, Ashlin refused to marry Onri right away, instead deciding to take a few months for herself before she thought about marriage.
Other than that very small point – the romance was a disaster.
In conclusion, though, there was intriguing worlds and many plot twists woven into this story, the romance and stepmother subplots were too hard for me to overlook.
I’m not sure I’d recommend this book to others.
Content Warnings
Other:
Magic exists, though it plays only a small part in the plot.
Religion:
An old monetary and its monks were visited before the story,
Spoiler
and Onric received a spelled needle from them, which he and Ashlin used in the novel.Violence:
Threat of war.
Spoiler
A magical shield needs people’s pain to work.Romance:
Spoiler
Onri couldn’t take his eyes off Ashlin when they met. He spent lots of time studying her face and noticing how close she was. He took off his shirt for Ashlin to sew in one scene, and she noticed his chest. Onri took Ashlin home on his horse many days, hugging her all the way. They shared a few intimate almost-kissing scenes and a few kisses.
kiana's review against another edition
4.0
Good Cinderella retelling. Would be interested in continuing the series.
hebberelle's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book. It's well written and had a great scope with a lot of realistic characters. The one thing that kept it from being wonderful is the amount of abuse that Ashlin just KEEPS TAKING. I know it's a Cinderella story, but her cruel stepmother is just hideous and Ashlin needs a backbone. It's almost unrealistic the amount of mental maneuvering that Ashlin does to convince herself that things aren't absolutely awful.
dragonlilly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
So, so cute! And even a tad emotional. A fun and fast-paced read for sure.
natmare317's review against another edition
5.0
A great take on the classic Cinderella story. I have always enjoyed versions of the story where "Cinderella" meets the prince before the ball and they get a chance to know each other as it makes the story more believable than when they meet and fall in love at a ball.I hope parts of Ashlin and Onric’s continuing story can be found in the remaining series as it isn't one I'd liketo give up any time soon.
mylovescenario's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.75
cornfieldchase's review
3.0
It was ok, the fluff was cute and there was a bit angst, started skimming through it towards the end, the fmc was a tad annoying at times and desperately needs to grow a backbone ffs
katjonestheauthor's review
4.0
Okay, maybe after 140 of the same types books I should probably leave reviews. This was definitely a better version of Cinderella. I like how the step-mother isn't depicted as evil right away, but more-or-less the victim and a person great at gaslighting because honestly, that is more real-life. So many people put up with abusive relationships because they just aren't fully aware of it. I love how also the prince fell in love with her "poor" state first. Great story.
cindeereads's review
5.0
An Amazing Fairy Tale retelling
I loved this book it was an amazing quick read. I really loved the characters especially Ashlin she is a bit unsure of herself and her place in the world I am glad this is fixed by the end. The romance was amazing I loved that it was slow burn and Ashlin did not rush into anything by the end. I loved the plot it started with an altered Cinderella story I hated her step mother and sister they did not deserve her I am happy with how things ended. So overall I loved this book and will be continuing the series soon.
I loved this book it was an amazing quick read. I really loved the characters especially Ashlin she is a bit unsure of herself and her place in the world I am glad this is fixed by the end. The romance was amazing I loved that it was slow burn and Ashlin did not rush into anything by the end. I loved the plot it started with an altered Cinderella story I hated her step mother and sister they did not deserve her I am happy with how things ended. So overall I loved this book and will be continuing the series soon.