I was actually quite impressed by this book. I picked it up based off of the cover that I loved, not knowing what exactly to expect. What I found was a Cinderella retelling without the usual moping around. Elle knew what she wanted, and she went out to get it. 

Although this book is part of a series, it feels like it can be read as a standalone. I read this without having known there were three other books, and I don’t feel like I missed anything. That being said, I’ll most likely be picking the other books up when I have the chance. 

I actually really liked the characters in this book. I loved how Elle didn’t wait around for a prince or her fairy godmother to save her. She was independent, and determined not to love the normal Cinderella life. I also liked Alec, but we don’t know as much about him. Bry was by far my favorite character, and I’m definitely reading the next book for her alone. 

I was a bit thrown off by how fast Alec and Elle fell in love, but considering the two year time skip, it didn’t bother me too much. Once they met, their romance fit the normal Cinderella tale pretty well, with a few twists thrown in every so often. 

I really loved some of the concepts in this book, mainly the fairy tale templates. It’s just so interesting to think about, like did Marchesa have a Cinderella template? Did she know she would be the evil stepmother? If I’d read the last few books, I might have the answers, but oh well. 

This was definitely a great twist on the tale of Cinderella! The amount of different fairy tales tossed in kept it feeling fresh, and our characters kept this interesting. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review