Thanks to the publisher for providing an electronic review copy of Slippers and Thieves in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't read the other 3 Magicorum books before this one because I heard it wasn't needed and it was still really, really easy to follow everything that was going on. I don't think you can read them entirely out of order (for example, it sounds like #4 and #5 definitely need to be read in sequence) but its fine to start at this one.

This was fun! Slippers and Thieves and its narration is a quick Cinderella retelling that never feels like it takes itself too seriously. It's insta-lovey to the extreme, the characters are archetypes, and the plot is predictable, but I think that's okay in a retelling. This isn't groundbreaking but not all books need to be.

First off Let me say I feel cheated by this gorgeous cover. Who is this regal queen??  I must know her story! As far as I can tell it's not anyone in this book. What I thought I was getting was an epic Cinderella retelling. What I got was a little more like a middle-grade fairytale retelling.  I won't say this book was awful because it wasn't I was able to get all the way through but it was much more juvenile than I expected. That might not be a bad thing for most readers. 
My other issue as some stated you can defiantly read this as a stand-alone as I did. The author does slyly fill you in on what happened in other books BUT There are large pieces missing. Like in the middle of the book, it seems like the crew of friends goes off on an adventure hunting zombies in Egypt. (No idea why this book doesn't say.) So there is a whole book that fits in the middle of this story. 
Also, I'm not sure I understood the motivation of all of the adults in this book. Ok, so they were all disappointed in love with each other. Does that mean you try and torture, kill and brainwash teenagers? Does that mean that you want your only child in a loveless marriage at all costs? Unless it's something to do with being in a fairytale template. UNSURE. 
Like I said I did enjoy parts of this book. There were a few humorous parts. Maybe the issue is I'm not a middle school reader.

this is the first I've read of this author's books, because I didn't realise it was part of a series, but that didn't stop me enjoying this a lot!

I found the idea of fairy tale templates fascinating and Elle is good fun, no passive heroine here. I liked Alec too, and enjoyed their developing relationship and adventures through the story.

A well written, interesting interpretation of an old favourite.

I really enjoy this author's work. In this series she puts a twist to the classic fairy tales. This one is a take on Cinderella. The characters and the setting are interesting and I always wonder how the characters are going to get out of the fix they are in.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review for Slipper And Thieves by Christina Bauer
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This book is just as sassy, snarky, adventurous and imaginative as the rest in this series. I love the take on the fairy tales Christina Bauer has taken. They are imaginative and entertaining. In this one we get the Cinderella template play out. 

Elle is a awesome heroine. She doesn’t take crap from anyone and she stands  for herself. The ending has you wonder about one of her stepsisters though. What power does she hold within that no one knows. Elle has closed off her heart due to so much pain and disappointment she has had since her mom died. And her stepmom what a piece of work that woman is. Not as bad as Alec’s dad and mom but close. I love how Elle has risen above it and carved out her own life and continued school and making her parents proud. she fights for herself and those she cares for and is very loyal. The exchanges between her and Alec are entertaining and full of sass. 

Alec is the charming guy you sometimes wonder about only he is Prince Charming. He isn’t what I expected though. He cares for those that work for him and doesn’t chase the spotlight like his parents. Instead he runs from it and learns to become his own person. He has thoughts and views. I think under him LeCharme would rise further as a jewelry company. Those working for him would put more of an effort that is for sure because he shows them kindness, respect and is fair to them. His best friend is a wolf and watching them interact is a hoot. He is a hero you root for and stand behind because he isn’t what he seems. He is smart, powerful and kind. He isn’t greedy and doesn’t come off as selfish and arrogant. He has seen the hate his parents have for each other and doesn’t want that in his life. I felt so bad for him with the ends his parents went to and go to to keep him from love. They are horrible. But seeing him with elle and how they have that snarky sassy banter and just play off each other and yet respect and support each other as they fight their attraction or as Elle denies the attraction is awesome and entertaining.And the Queen of Hearts was a great addition to the tale.  Watching him fight and see how powerful he is and how powerful love is was great. Seeing his thoughts, views and feelings showed his depth and that he wasn’t just a one dimensional greedy person like his dad. He had emotions, was loyal and kind. He wanted what was right for the people working for him and his family and those around him. And his protection and love for Elle shines through.  His love for his friends is a beacon and grounds him as well. But his parents man they are pieces of work. What his dad does is just horrendous. 

The story is a nice fun twist to the Cinderella tale and we are left wondering what that dark elf and Elle’s and Alec’s family is up to. We get both Alec’s and Elle’s view and I liked Alec’s more only because it gets us to truly see who Alec is and what he really thinks about things. The story engages you and draws you into the twisted and entertaining take on the Cinderella tale.

I couldn't put this book down! I read it in one sitting. This is a different type of fairy tale retelling the I normally read. Highly recommended.

What if your life followed a fairytale template?

Set in New York, magic is fading from the world, but there are still pockets. Elle's life follows the Cinderella template. Her family own Cynder Mercantile a shop of wonders, when her mother passes, her father marries Marchesa "the evil step-mother". Our leading man, Alec Le Charme, is heir to the jewellery business his parents own. 

A unique take on another Cinderella story. This world introduces a whole host of magical beings and whilst being book 4 in a series, you certainly don't need to have read the previous 3 to follow along, as this appears to be a "part 2" story line, with the first 3 following another character in the same world. 

It is well written, intriguing and you are left wondering. Who is the Queen of Hearts? How will Elle and Alec overcome their families plot to keep them apart? What will happen next?

I absolutely loved this concept of Cinderella, although the main parts are pretty true to the story everything else is so original and I did not expect it at all. This book is part of a series, but given that the author does a great job on explaining the backstory you could totally read this on its own, which is what I did. I however, will be reading the other books before the next book comes out.

I was really impressed by the book. I decided to give this book ago as I loved how the cover looked along with it's title and found I was actually quite impressed on what I found inside the book.

 This book is a retelling of Cinderella without the normal characters sitting about feeling sorry for herself. Elle knew what she wanted so she went out to get it. 

It was only later on I discovered this book was apart of a series. Even if it's apart of a series I still think this is a good book to have as a standalone read without reading the first 3 books. I don't feel like I have missed out on some information or anything that happened in this book would link to the other 3 book. (Start placing your bets if I am wrong or not) I will be trying to pick up the other books at some point to try see if they do link or not. 

Minus the books cover and title, I actually really enjoyed the characters and their development. Ellie for one, didn't mope around all day waiting for a prince or a fairy godmother to sort out her problems or get what she desired and decided to be independent enough to do it herself. 

My only criticism is how ridiculously fast Alex and Elle fell in love, but to be fair there was a two year time skip which kinda makes up for it. But it was a case of they met then their romance pretty much led the usual Cinderella story line pretty well with a few twists in the story. 

I would recommend this book to someone who likes Disney/ Cinderella like vibes in their stories as it is a good retelling and did keep the characters fresh.

Slippers and Thieves by Christina Bauer is a part of the Magicorum series. It’s a modern retelling of Cinderella but with a couple of twists. 

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the idea that every person in the Magicorum has their own fairytale template (meaning that their lives will go according to a certain fairytale). I think that was a brilliant idea, and that was my favourite part of the book. Also, I liked how the author combined the human world with the magical one – in this book they manage to coexist without secrecy, and I really enjoyed that since usually in books one world is a secret.

I rather liked the character, though we only got to know Alec and Elle. I liked how Elle wasn’t a typical Cinderella waiting for the prince to save her – ever since she knew she a Cinderella template she took matters into her own hands, and I admire her character for that. Elle always fought for herself, and she is a great main character. Alec was really charming like a prince should be. I wish we had more information about Bry and Knox since they were also an important part of the story, but they only functioned as help in some plot holes. 
I was rather disappointed that some holes in the plot were covered up in a really simple way, and that some parts were only mentioned (for example some of the adventures that were rather important were mentioned in the only sentence). 

To conclude, I really admire the way in which the author presented the fairytales, and I loved the worldbuilding. The idea for the story was a great one, but I think that the book could have been longer so the plot wasn’t so fast. I had a feeling that there were a lot of shortcuts in the storytelling. And I liked the characters though I wish we knew more about them.

This is delicious, unique, feminist retelling of Cinderella with some snippets of Alice in Wonderland and paranormal vibes! ( witches, werewolves,shapeshifters are also on the board!) 

I have to admit, I haven’t read the previous books of the series but the author presents enough introduction about characters and their back stories and of course badass, independent, skillful jewelry thief Cinderella renamed as Elle stands on her feet proudly without needing any Prince Charming demands to try a shoe is refreshing approach! 
Tragic parts of the story of Elle stays the same. She lost her mother and of course her poor father has worst taste to choose another woman to get marry. After he died, the evil stepmother takes over family business and locks Elle at the basement. But our heroine is not a damsel in distress. She thankfully manages to escape with the help of her little friend and she starts her new life by attending West Lake Prep where human students are educated with werewolves, witches, fairies, shapeshifters. 

And Elle turns into a jewelry thief to make her ends meet. But her meeting with Alec Le Charme, heir of Le-Charme (dynasty is high-end jewelries) gets thing more complicated than ever. She falls for him. She is the one who is charmed now!

Oh! Yes! There’s a smart twist and it’s very creative addition to this enjoyable retelling that I haven’t seen it coming! Absolutely it’s smartly played! 

It was one of my fastest reads and it intrigued me to read the previous books as soon as I trim my monster tbr till the end of the century! 

So many thanks to NetGalley and Monster House Books for sharing this lovely arc with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

“First, homework. Then, jewel heist.”
Unique, magical, wondrous, fabulous.
Enchanted items that speak: violin, suit of armour.

“First, homework. Then, jewel heist.”

I quite frankly love everything about this book! Unique, magical, wondrous and fabulous, I’ve never read anything like it!

Whilst this is the fourth book in a line of fairytale retellings, you definitely don’t have to have read the previous books, though you will absolutely want to (like me!).

Strange creatures, strong characters and a gripping storyline - this is a must read! Based upon Cinderella, you’re left to wonder; who truly is the Queen of Hearts? Will Elle find her true love? How will her wicked stepmother affect her life? 

Do yourself a favour and read this series!

I received a free eARC in return for an honest review.
This book started  with so much hope: a sassy, smart Cinderella (Elle) in an interesting world where magic exists (but is hidden from humans) and everyone from the Magicorum falls into a fairy tale template. Elle is aware she’s a Cinderella template and makes plans for it. Alec, the “prince charming” for her template, is the heir to a massive jewel company who doesn’t want to get married.
Sadly, it’s all downhill from there.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the world-building is poor at best. There’s a ton of exposition, and it even commits the worst world-building crime possible: “as you know” world-building. If people already know something, the character has no reason to say it aloud. Despite all this exposition, I still have more questions about the world than answers. Elle keeps talking about how she’s the super-powered warden of fae magic. Cool, but what does that mean? I’m aware that this is one of multiple books in a series, but as I understand it it’s a set of self-contained standalones, which means that integral things to the story need to be explained in every one, even if it was in a previous installment. The thing with fairy tale series is that people will almost always pick and choose which ones they want to read based on the fairy tale they’re about. Take, for example, the Ravenspire series by C. J. Redwine. I have read the Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin retellings because they interest me, but I will skip the Prince and the Pauper retelling because that tale never appealed to me.
Secondly, we keep hearing about Elle being very powerful. The fae warden thing comes up all the time, but we hardly see her do anything with it. She casts some minor spells, uses an enchantment that her father set, and moans about having to hide her status as warden because the fae try to kill their wardens (why? I don’t know. It’s never explained.) Even if she has to hide it, there are still ways to show it. Maybe she could have performed a big spell in secret at some point. Maybe she would have had to pull out big magic in a life-threatening situation. Anything to let us see it instead of just hearing about it.
She’s also a bit too… squeaky clean, I want to say? Almost everyone likes her (and the people who don’t are usually portrayed as villains or idiots), and she has no flaws that I could find. She’s a bit snarky, but everyone finds her snark funny and charming. Part of what got me excited was the fact that apparently she’s a jewel thief, and she is, but not in the way I expected. Making her steal things for herself would be a selfish act, even if it was solely for preparing for when her Cinderella template would come into play, which would give her flaws and depth. No, she just steals back things that were stolen from others and gives them back for a profit. It’s basically a glorified version of lost-and-found craiglist. Even if she gets paid for it, it’s such a Robin Hood thing to do, but without the fun band of merry men.
At least she has some interesting aspects to her, though. The fact that she’s prepared so she can avoid being forced to be a servant to her evil stepmother and stepsisters is truly interesting. Alec, on the other hand, is beyond bland. He falls in love with her at first site, bitches about having to get married, plays video games with a predatory and territorial werewolf (I was really hoping YA was past the “possessiveness is romantic!” phase), and very passively tries to find out if his parents’ company is going bankrupt. He’s also so obsessive and manipulative. He tries to find Elle for months and gets her into an internship through her friend Bryar Rose (no points for guessing what her fairy tale is,  but she’s a non-character so she’s not that important). Bringing someone you want to date into an official position that makes them your subordinate is never a good idea. That’s why, in real life, many companies have strict guidelines and contracts for dating employees, or even rules forbidding it altogether.
Then, what finally made me quit: it skips two months for no reason. Alec’s inner monologue says that he, his asshole friend, Elle, and Bryar all had “a ton of adventures” together, and passively mentions that Bryar and his asshole friend got together (this is despite their super creepy first encounter where Alec actually thought his friend would lose control around Bryar. So. Damn. Creepy.) My question is… why? That would have been the most interesting part of the book! They go to Egypt and post in front of the pyramids, they fight zombie-mummies… probably more stuff that was far more interesting than internships, cliquey high schools, and a possibly-going-under company (which has barely been mentioned for quite a while, I’d like to add.)
Overall, this is incredibly juvenile. It could have been the most unique Cinderella retelling to date (yes, even overthrowing Cinder from its prized throne). With better world-building, more fleshed-out and flawed characters, and a less-creepy romance, even the less-than-stellar plot could have had a pass because the world and the relationship building would have been more than enough to keep me interesting. Sadly, as I have said before, you can’t rate a book on what it could be, or even what it should be. You can only rate it based on what’s in front of you.

I chose this book based of the description and cover and loved it more after reading it. I fell in love with Elle almost instantly, she knew what she wanted and she went out to get it herself. 
I loved how she didn’t wait around for a prince or her fairy godmother to save her. I also liked Alec even though we don’t know as much about him. But my favorite character in the book was Bry, and I’ll for sure make sure to read the next book just for her. 

Although this book is part of a series, which I admit I have not read, I think reading it as a standalone is fine. The author did a good job of retelling some important aspects from the other series that it felt like I already read the other books. And I’ll most likely be reading the other books in the series if I ever get the chance. The fairy tale templates really intrigue me and I love reading new ways authors twist the tales to fit their own, unique story. 

This was definitely a great twist on the tale of Cinderella, the different fairy tales thrown in here really helped spice up the mix and make it all the more interesting.

A completely new and spellbinding retelling of classic fairytale. I loved this book and its twist on the cinderella story. Despite this being the 4th book in the series and never having read any of the previous books, this was still easy to pick up and read as well as follow and enjoy. Will Elle find her true love? Will her wicked stepmother steal him away? Throw in some family drama, a couple of curses, the Queen of Hearts and some magic and you have this fantastic story. I have already bought the rest of the series to read more!

I see Cinderella retelling, I add it to my TBR. It's a curse. 

I had such high hopes when I started this. Elle is a jewel thief. The Queen of Hearts is part fae, part vampire. The story's set in a modern world where the lives of magical beings fit neatly into fairy tale templates and follow the general plot. It's not your typical Cinderella story.

I'll start this out with a disclaimer: I figured I could read this as a standalone and went into this with no prior knowledge of the Magicorum world. I wasn't completely wrong; Bauer gives enough background so that first time readers get a sense of the world and its magical system, but I can help but feel like I was missing out on a lot. There are some pretty obvious references to the events from the first three books and a gaping time skip for aforementioned events. So while you can definitely read this without prior knowledge, you may find the experience will leaving you feeling a bit...incomplete. 

This book certainly has its moments. There's some good humor and you certainly can't accuse Bauer for a lack of originality. Unfortunately it just never came together as a whole for me.

The pacing was a little weird for me. The story moves incredibly slow for the first two thirds of the book before rushing at breakneck speed towards the climax in the final act. There's also a gaping crater of a time gap when Elle and the gang are ostensibly on adventures chronicled in books 1-3, that really throws the story's flow off. I don't have a problem with time skips or referring to previous books, but the lack of transition made it feel like someone ripped a couple of chapters out of the book. 

I was disappointed by the lack of character development. Elle and Alec go through this constant back-and-forth of being soulmates who are obviously in love to "just friends" because denial. It cycles between the two a few times and neither is particularly convincing. (I'm really starting to wonder if my ARC had some chapters mixed around because it felt like I'd jump back to the beginning anytime any sort of progress was being made, and it'd be more of the same over and over and over again.)

The story as a whole didn't really work for me. Part of it is because of the way it was developed (see above), and part of it was the fact that there's a lot of filler. As a result, we end up with a story that doesn't really make sense to me. The obstacles feel contrived, the characters' motivates aren't that believable, and the resolution feels a bit too convenient for me to fully suspend disbelief. 

I'll probably give the Magicorum series another chance somewhere down the line (and will read it properly next time). The world has potential, and when she's not busy spewing cheesy fluff like a bottle Cheese Whiz, Elle is a snarky heroine I'd want more of. 

Thanks to Monster House Books for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley & Christina Bauer for sending me a copy of Slippers & Thieves. 

Firstly, can I start by saying how this review must be written for so many cool reasons but most importantly I have it on good authority that for every time you review an indie author, somewhere an angel gets a mocha latte and cmon, angels need caffeine too!

In Slippers And Thieves you follow Elle and Alec, two magic wielding characters forced into a fairy tale story template. If you know me, you know I am definitely the biggest lover of ballgowns and burglar type books and this was no different. Sometimes it's easy to miss the mark on fairy tales re imagined (especially one as popular as Cinderella) but this book did not disappoint! ALSO can we take a moment for the kickass and feminist heroine Elle who didn't let her life be controlled just by some template and who lived her story on her own terms!! A part that bothered me a tad was that there were some parts that rushed to push along the story. I really would've wanted  to read more about their adventures all over the world or seen some more context and backstory for the side characters. (Though, to be fair this is the first Maicorum book I've read so I don't know if those moments were featured in other books but more context and detail to some aspects would've been lovely!) 

Also, the Appendix included in the ARC was so so cool! You got a sneak peak at all of Bauer's thoughts, music she listened to while writing and so much more that really added a touch of personality to the writing overall.

Has it really been two years since I read the third book in this series? It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Either way, I'm back reviewing another one just in time for the new one to come out in November!! I'm so excited. I love these books because they're so delightfully cartoony in the best way possible. The characters are kick ass with their powers and just their lives in general, and this book is no exception to that rule. I had a lot of fun reading this, and I can't wait to start the next one in a couple weeks.

Unlike the last books, this one follows Bryar's best friend, Elle, and her partner Alec. Both Cinderella templates, Alec is a powerful warlock and a warden, and likewise Elle, though she has a little more trouble with school, being that she's the warden of Fae magic, and an enchanter. The problem being that she has no fairy wings, because her parents removed them when she was a baby to protect her. The other students love to tease her and always pretend that she's easy to forget, even though she's probably much stronger than any of them. The chapters alternate between Alec and Elle, giving the story a much needed and refreshing take, and letting you see both sides of what's going on with the characters.

The author begins with a bit of an explanation, though I don't really think it was necessary. This story begins when the two are fifteen, showing their lives before their eighteenth birthday and the events that lead up to creating the people that they are today. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters like that, because it had been so long since I last read one of these books, I needed that refresher. I really came out of this book feeling like I learned a lot more about them, and also the world that they live in. 

This time, the characters don't go on any kind of big adventure outside of New York. All the events that take place in the book are inside the city, and occasionally in the land of the Fairies, and interacting with the Queen of Hearts. I thought that the two blended really nicely together, and one of the things I really enjoy about this series is how seamlessly these kind of old worn out fairy tales are brought back to life in modern times with kick ass characters. I just can't get enough. Aside from the school situation, Elle has to deal with her evil stepmother and horrible step sisters, the death of her parents, how to come to terms with her magical powers, and the fact that Alec's going to be forced into a loveless marriage in almost no time at all. I think that if you're into young adult fiction with a touch of romance and a whole lot of magic and fantasy aspects, than you're going to love these books, and I highly recommend checking them out. They're probably my favourite series from the author, and I can't get enough. 

(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Monster House Books for giving me the opportunity to review the e-arc for Slippers and Thieves in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. 

The fourth book in the Magicorum series, but definitely not a series you have to read to have a clue what's going on. I haven't read the other books, but I still fell into this story and didn't have any concerns or gaps from not having read the previous three. 
Christina Bauer provided a totally new set up for Cinderella, Elle is definitely no Disney princess waiting to be saved. She has wit, guile, brains and a closeknit set of friends who are there for her. In this YA Fantasy retelling of Cinderella you get other fairytale characters and not one of them fits the modern 20th century stereotype of a fairytale, but nor do you get the Grimm from Grimm's fairytales. What you do get is definitely 21st century, save yourself and stop waiting around for things to happen, make them happen. 

You also get a whole bundle of other tales thrown into the mix, Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland, and more. The story is a fun romp that throws in intrigue, mystery, and a whole bunch of messy adventures. In Elle's world humans and magic live alongside each other and rather than someone asking you your star sign, they ask what's your fairytale template? 

Our Prince isn't some wet carbon copy, he's funny, clever, thoughtful and pretty much any teen's ideal boyfriend...and of course he does have that edge of wit and naughtiness that means your parents will not be quite sure about him! 

We also get elves, Faery Land, Trolls, magic, and of course the wicked step-mother...but this time she's got help. All round a great fun romp that was so easy to read in one sitting and that transports you away from the real world. I'm definitely going to be looking up more Christina Bauer books as I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to the next chapter in Alec and Elle's adventure in Bandits and Ballgowns.

And the character of Marchesa on the new cover so reminds me of a young Helena Bonham Carter!