This was a riveting and dark retelling of Cinderella. Bound to her step-family to repay an impossible debt, Vanya finds herself put into an even more impossible situation - pretending to be a princess to marry the prince. They can't seem to get along, and she's worried not only about her twin, but about whether or not she can pull it off.

I enjoyed it a lot, but it was a bit slow paced for me.

A poor girl named Vanya is the protagonist of the fairytale version of Cinderella called Stealing Glass. In order to save herself and her twin sister from the debt they owe to their evil stepfather, Vanya finds herself in a life-altering predicament where she must pretend to be a princess and the fiancée of Prince Dimitri, a prince who has returned from exile. Vanya learns more about herself and her family on this journey than she ever imagined she could, all the while falling in love with a man she knows she shouldn't.

I was eager to read this book as soon as I finished reading the summary. The synopsis seemed intriguing and entertaining. Considering how much I adore fairytale retellings, I really wanted to love this book. Sadly, I found myself putting the book down frequently and not always wanting to pick it back up. Character relationships occasionally felt hurried or lacking. Don't get me wrong; the story and plot are intriguing, and I did somewhat enjoy them. The world-building is excellent, but It wasn't a 5/4 star book for me. But I'm sure it will be for others. Most of the time, I was more interested in learning more about the second characters than the main characters because they seem to be more intriguing. In general, it's a fascinating book and I enjoyed the different point of views, and I do suggest it to fans of fairytale retellings. The book end on a brilliant cliffhanger that will make you want to snatch the next book up. When the second book is published, I will absolutely read it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stealing Glass: A Cinderella Retelling
By Liv Strom
⭐️ 4/5 🌶️ 1/5

What if Cinderella was a thief?
The fairy godmother evil?
And the prince only interested in revenge?

Trigger warnings: child loss, physical abuse

Summary: “A daring heist, a mistaken princess, and a love bound by glass in a city where only death is sure.

Vanya longs to escape Tal, the City of the Dead, and the suffocating debts weighing her down. As her stepfather's interest rate increases, she turns to thievery to secure her freedom. Her task? Steal the glass crown at the crown prince's betrothal ball before midnight, and she'll finally break free. But Vanya soon discovers she bears a striking resemblance to the missing foreign bride, and her employer desires not just the crown, but control over the one who wears it.”

Review: I was captivated by this dark fairytale retelling from the beginning! The author’s writing style is rich and descriptive, and she builds a unique world and magic system. I did get confused with the world building at times, but there is a helpful guide in the beginning of the book. The story loosely follows Cinderella, but gives the characters more depth and growth. The tension between Vanya and Dimitri is top tier and I am eager see how their relationship continues to evolve. I will definitely be reading the next book in this duology, which is scheduled for release in February 2024!

Read this book if you enjoyed:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Fate of Wrath & Flame by K.A. Tucker

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the opportunity to review!
Honestly, this book was a very entertaining read, however it was just not for me. There were a lot of places where the plot was very slow. You learn a lot about the magic system and what is happening politically, but it happens so breadcrumb-y that you kind of forget why the information is important. There was also a lot going on that felt important to the plot but the reasons behind why and how it was happening didn’t feel fully developed. It is also such a major build up to a wedding and an event you think will happen by the end of the book and it doesn’t. It will happen in the second.
The things I absolutely loved about this book were the city it takes place in: Tal is essentially a city that celebrates the dead and worships the Goddess of Death. Necromancers or Death Keepers are the highest revered religious people. The magic system is super cool - where it seems like only the noble houses are blessed with magic yet something is happening to them that is highly suspicious. Our main character Vanya and her twin Lumi were thieves living with their “stepfather” and got wrapped up in an evil plot of thievery and regicide.
I think I would have liked it better if Vanya and Dimitri were portrayed as more mature characters. Their personalities needed a little bit more depth. Also, I think I would have enjoyed the story if it was multi-POV more. I would have loved Mariska’s pov and Alexei’s.

Don’t skip it! It’s definitely good - If cities of death and Cinderella retellings are your thing, this will fit your vibe.

3.5 stars. I liked parts of this! I have had, generally, very poor experience with retellings but I did enjoy this one overall. The writing is solid and the characters were intriguing. I'm curious to see where it goes next.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stealing Glass is a Cinderella retelling, but a darker version than the one we know and love. This is the first in a duology, that is geared towards young to new adult readers. It follows the story of Vanya, a thief from Lowtown with her sister Lumi, and a crowned prince Dimitri.

I loved the description of this book, but the execution wasn’t there for me. I felt like it was chaotic in the writing style, where we would receive a lot of backstory for irrelevant items but slim to nothing for the more important ones (ex. Lumi’s attack, not a spoiler). The relationship between Vanya and Dimitri also felt very rushed but stagnant at the same time? There was a lot of subplots going on at the same time as the main storyline, which felt confusing as a reader. This is targeted as a “new adult” book but feels quite YA as the romance is seen in the story as “extreme” but its barely kissing... which is odd. She’s meant to be the best thief but is barely an adult. I felt like we were trying to take the classic “Throne of Glass” assassin but put a spin on it, which doesn’t work. I’m also upset about the brush over what happens with Alexei, which felt like it didn’t fit with the story and was an afterthought.

I enjoyed that the FMC is meant to be a strong, confident woman who isn’t quite as interested in the MMC, but is more driven by her bond with her sister. The overall aesthetic of it being a gritty and dark Cinderella retelling was also appealing, although I didn’t feel much was taken from the Cinderella tale other than the very beginning. I think this should be marketed towards a younger crowd, as that’s how it was read.

I will most likely still read the next book, as I’m curious to how the story progresses & ends, but I hope that she can write the next book a bit more cohesively as this was generally confusing.

Tropes: Hidden identities, dual POV, twins, cliff-hanger ending, unique magic system, enemies to lovers(??)

Stealing Glass by Liv Strom is the first book of the young/new adult fantasy duology the Tales of Bones and Roses. This is a Cinderella retelling where the FMC is a thief.

The Lovely: I loved the concept of the story and the twist on the traditions, Cinderella concept, especially with the FMC being feisty and mostly able to hold her own. There is also some interesting world building around the role Spirits play in the world.

The Mundane: Its a bit unclear if this is intended to be young adult or new adult. The FMC is “barely into adulthood” and she seems to act and think more like a teenager. However, this seems at odds with the fact that her and her twin sister are supposedly these top tier thieves. This just didn’t really make sense to me.

The Dreadful: The flow and tension of the story came across as a bit chaotic. It felt like there were too many sub-plots and storylines competing for attention and this limited my feeling of getting invested in the characters.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Recommendation: I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. i would recommend this book to young adult readers (maybe late teens) who like fairy tale retellings with a strong FMC.

I won't be continuing with this one. The beginning seemed promising but as I read on it lost my interest. I think this one is just not for me.

Thanks netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love that this book had Dual POV, because I always want to see what both characters are thinking. Especially now they’re feeling about each other when we aren’t sure. I loved Vanyas story from the very beginning. Including her confident attitude. Example, she always stated how she felt and expressed her opinions. She stands strong on what she believes and how she feels.

I loved reading about Dimitri’s revenge plot, and seeing his reasonings on why he’s going along with it and to me, I completely understand. It left me anxious about what they should expect, especially since the book ended with a cliffhanger lol.

Storm can definitely write a story with an amazing plot and interesting characters. I will be following her work in the future. If you love fantasy romance, enemies to lovers and Dual POV… this book is for you!

It was a rather quick read, with a very interesting universe and a pretty strong plot. Unfortunately, the two main characters did not grasp my attention the way the universe did.
What I liked was the double POV because I learned more about each character through these POV. However, other characters (like Lumi) were way more interesting to me than Vanya, and I was a little bit intrigued by Alexei (when Dimitri did not interested me as much).
I did not really enjoy the romance between the two either. It was very (very) quick, and I prefer when there’s a build-up and when it’s way slower. Nonetheless I will probably read the sequel, because the ending was quite engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

What if Cinderella was a thief,

the fairy godmother evil,

...and the prince only wanted to marry to get his revenge?

I absolutely adored this book! 4⭐️

Stealing Glass is truly like Cinderella meets a distopain society that also has Griffons.

Vanya is a poor girl living with her terrible step-father. After years of collecting up a debt with interest that is impossible to pay Vanya and her twin sister Lumi decide to give thievery a try.
When their newest heist at the palace goes wrong Vanya finds herself impersonating the missing foreign bride of the prince, who she shares a remarkable resemblance with.

Truly Vanyas storyline gave me major Barbie Princess and the pauper vibes which I loved! She is a strong female lead, who voices her opinion, takes risks and was overall an enjoyable character.

Dimitriiiii. Of course the prince has one of the best male names to ever exist!!
I feel like it is not to often I read a book where the prince is the one who does not want the crown or the title and for Dimitri that was just the case.
A prince that is fueled by his want of revenge and will stop at nothing to get it??? Sign me up.
I was not expecting that past that this prince has but I was not disappointed at all. After returning home from isolation Dimitri works alongside his best friend Alexi to exact his revenge.
In his case I believe the revenge he wanted and opinions he held were all completely justified and I’m excited to see what happens in book 2 with his storyline!

This book did have a huge cliffhanger and I was expecting it, but it still hit me and left my chest hallow and ready for book 2!

Overall it was a great romantasy read and a book I will recommend!

(And a huge thank you to NetGalley and ‎Sävström Müller Press for letting me read an arc of this book!)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 REVIEW !!!

Stealing Glass - Liv Strom (out 20/10 - also on KU)

💫💫💫💫💫

Stealing Glass is an enemies-to-lovers Cinderella retelling that gets the world-building and tension between the main characters spot on.

Strom was not afraid to use the characters to shape understanding of each of their social & political background and I loved this about the book - the issues Tal, the land they lived in, was facing where shown to us through the eyes of Vanya and Dimitri, the ‘princess’ and prince of this ‘fairytale’ (definitely more Brothers Grimm than Disney).

I absolutely loved that Stealing Glass was dual POV - as it helped me really connect with both Vanya and Dimitri. Knowing both of their secrets, and how they kind of aligned, did have me wanting to scream at them half the time as I’ve never read a book where communication was needed more - begging them to work on this in Book 2 🥲

Halfway through reading this book, I thought to myself that Strom was doing herself a massive disservice calling this a Cinderella retelling. When I got to the acknowledgments at the end and it said that it’s a mix of the Cinderella she loves, whilst rewriting the bits she didn’t - it made so much sense to me. Vanya is Cinderella for modern times - a Cinderella with her own agenda; cunning and capable, and full of warmth for the prince of the story - yet fully willing to address his many faults.

I love love love this book and it’s one of my favourite slow-burn romantasy books I’ve read this year!! I think this is going to be hugely popular when this lands on KU next week (at least one of you better read it ASAP as I need someone to DISCUSS with 😩)

Thanks for the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC ✨

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This book is like if the author saw the inspiration behind throne of glass and ran with it. Throne of glass started as a Cinderella retelling with sjm saying “but what if she was an assassin?” This book similarly takes the Cinderella trope and says “but what if she was a thief?” The similarities stop there (which I’m so thankful for) and subsequently the story evolves into a complex world with distinct gods and a well thought out magic system. I really wanted more than the dual pov to get a peek into the heads of other characters but if the epilogue is any indication we might get just that in the next book

Vanya, a thief in magical thrall to her greedy stepfather, is forced to impersonate a foreign princess (Helia) in order to save her twin sister and pay off their debt. The prince, Dimitri, is busy attempting to get revenge against his murderous father and has no time to deal with his unwanted bride-to-be. Sparks fly (and cities burn) when these two unlikely (and sometimes unwilling) champions of responsible government clash against the pseudo-medieval Russian regime (and one another).

My first impression of this book was Cinderella meets Halloween decor. The descriptive prose is quite cliched for the most part, providing dark princess vibes rather than true grit or horror. That said, the writing clearly has potential with the guidance of a better editor. (There were a lot of typos! Although the only truly confusing error was the repeated use of the word telepathy instead of telekinesis.)

Despite my initial reservations, the actual story was great. The tropes expected of a YA romance (magic twins, mistaken identity, insta-love) were executed brilliantly. Both the protagonists were fully fledged characters with their own motivations grounded in their previous experiences or lack thereof. Although insta-lust does occur, they don't fall into bed (for kissing and a massage only) until they actually start getting to know each other. The adults similarly acted like real people rather than caricatures dreamed up by sulky teenagers (which is my biggest pet peeve in YA fiction). Even better, everyone who interacted closely with Vanya as Helia was suspicious of her and their reasons for letting the situation continue without comment were explained.

The only world building element that felt lacking was Vanya's relationships with her sister and step-sister. But it also seems like those characters will see more action in the sequel.

In summary, this is a slightly dark, gloriously tropey, YA romance retelling of Cinderella. Everything is done right except for the copyediting. But if you can look past that, anyone into YA fantasy will love this book. I am now happily waiting for the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this ebook.

2.5 stars. This is one of those books where, when I put the book down, I forgot everything had happened. The characters were fine, but very not very complex. We get random snatches into their lives and background, but not enough for me to feel connected to them.

The world was classic fairytale, but not much time was spent developing it. It all read very surface level to me. While I was interested in finding out what happened next while reading, I wasn’t invested in the story or any of the characters goals/motives. The only interesting character was Lumi and she was barely in the book. I wish this had been longer, we had spent more time interacting with all the other characters. After finishing the entire book, it felt like I just read a few first chapters.

I also didn’t really see the Cinderella retelling, we deal with evil step-family and a random shoe, but really nothing other than that. Maybe I just lack the capacity to connect the dots, or maybe I just don’t like retellings.

Rarely am I hooked on a book from the very first line but this one grabbed me from the word go.

You can truly feel the atmosphere of this books setting and every character, no matter how small, has presence and is interesting.

The main characters have their flaws but are extremely entertaining and I found myself wanting to know every little detail about them.

The twists were exciting and I never found myself bored while reading this book. If anything I’d have liked it to last a lot longer and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy and romance. If I could give it 10 stars I absolutely would!

Thank you to the author Liv Strom and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I was excited for a Cinderella retelling, but honestly the book is hard to get into, and I’m 70% into the book and while there is immense world build the plot seems to be lacking. The book feels more like chore to finish.m, and the Prince is so back and forth and the whole cast is back stabbing someone.

3⭐️- Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Based loosely on Cinderella, I appreciated the change of an overused evil stepmother and good fairy godmother in exchange for an evil stepfather and evil “godmother” of sorts. The storyline took me awhile to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed the back half of the book.

What if Cinderella was a thief, the fairy godmother evil, and the prince only wanted to marry to get his revenge?

A lovely fantasy romance. If you're a fan of the genre, you'll probably enjoy this one.

I really liked this book a lot. The story was a fun twist on Cinderella I’d say it’s a very loose retelling but it was good. I enjoyed the characters and the plot was interesting. I’m very excited for the next book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.