Marske's writing never fails to capture me.

This was such an interesting fairy tale retelling! I loved the direction and development of the characters and the story, I wasn't expecting it to carry so much magic, atmosphere and emotion.

I loved the relationship between the main character, Ella and the house. Their connection and the way their story is told separately yet so intertwined made this novella so interesting, the connection between the two created such a good tension in the story. I also greatly enjoyed following the main character in their searching to connect with others, the descriptions of the fleeting moments of the main character's desires and attempts to find her place amongst the living completely sucked me into the story.

Throughout the story, it was so easy to be brought into the emotions shifting through each page. I loved that despite the story being a novella, the emotions of the characters were delivered so clearly and intensely from the anger and rage to the quietly hopeful moments.

Overall, if you are searching for a gothic romance or if you enjoy retellings, please pick this up!

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Book Break UK / Tor Books for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

3.5/5

A quick read with a fun twist on the story of Cinderella. Personally I would've liked more depth on the poly romance because I didn't feel any romantic connection between any of the characters, especially as we don't meet any of them until halfway into the book. Loved the writing and the settings. Easy, fast read. I think this would've been great as a longer book so everything didn't feel so rushed.

What a great little novella! Generally, I find Cinderella retellings to be lacklustre, but Freya Marske incorporated the fairytale elements into a new and interesting narrative. I love the fantastical setting, I love the characters, I was even rooting for the romance from the first page they met.

The ending is great, I do think that maybe part of the romance needed fleshing out slightly more. It works very neatly between Nadya and Ella, and Jule and Ella, but Nadya and Jule felt a bit less convincing. I’m aware that I’m picky.

Regardless, I always like Freya Marske’s prose and I think it works well for a novella, hitting the right balance between plot and character all the way through. I will definitely be picking up any others she writes.

I rated this book 4.25 💕 I really enjoyed this one its such a unique retelling, the writing I'd beautiful I devoured it in a day will. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

What if Cinderella was a Queer ghost and also a house is absolutely a question more authors should be asking.

A refreshing and unique spin on one of the world's oldest fairytales is no mean feat, but Marske crafts a tale that feels both familiar and exciting to read.

I loved Cinder House. The idea that ghosts are tethered to a space, almost as a manifestation of the feelings of the place itself, was an intriguing idea. The descriptions of how the house and Ella were intertwined - the physicality of touch, and how that translated to Ella's ghost - were beautifully realised, and really helped with the personification of the house in its own right. It added an interesting element to Ella's character - she didn't only need to escape her stepmother and sisters, the house itself became a thing that was trapping her and forcing her action. It was never quite villain, or friend, but instead another restriction on Ella, much like her grief. It allowed her to hide from the world and her hardships, but at the same time she gave up some of her fight, some of her will, in merging with the structure. It was an unexpected dynamic added into the fairytale, as was the implication that perhaps her father, and the home itself, were not the beacons of love that we expect from modern versions of the story.

All of the other classic elements of the Cinderella story were there - the ball, the Prince and the midnight deadline - making the story feel familiar, but never quite predictable, as Marske twisted the expected elements into a fresh tale of longing and entrapment, and the exhilarating pull of freedom. There was less romance in Cinder House than in other versions of the tale, but it never felt lacking for it. The emphasis throughout was on Ella herself, her agency and making peace with her existence.
This did mean that the occasional romantic or sexual encounter didn't flow quite as well as I'd have liked. The exploration of Ella's sexuality, as a being who had died right on the cusp of womanhood, could have been a slightly more prominent plot point throughout, which would have then made the romance more satisfying. That said, I didn't need more from the romance, I just wanted Ella to find a way to peace.

On the whole. another fantastic read from Marske, and beautifully sculpted for an autumn release, falling somewhere between fairytale, ghost story and cosy romance.

A Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is a ghost.

I loved this twist on Cinderella, because I had no idea where it was going to go, because Cinderella is tied to her house, and the only people who can see her are her stepmother and step sisters, and they use this to their advantage and make Cinderella work for them. When the prince throws a ball, Cinderella makes a deal with a fairy that allows her to appear human for the ball, letting her dance and even eat.

The ending was surprising and worked really well. I loved the little twists and how the different aspects of Cinderella’s life combined. I also liked the polyamory. I was not expecting that but thought it was very well done. This was a book about belonging and wanting to be seen, and Cinderella definitely found her place in the end.

I found the writing a little disjointed at times and hard to connect with. I felt like I was being told the story rather than experiencing it through Cinderella’s eyes. The writing styles felt reminiscent of fairy tales, so I think this was a stylistic choice, it just wasn’t something that worked for her personally and I found myself a little frustrated because the plot had me gripped.

If you love Cinderella retellings, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss.

Mixed feelings about this novella. As far as fairy-tale retellings go, this was inventive in how it leaned into its key metaphors, and I really appreciated a few carefully-seeded plot twists: on that level, it works well as a reimagining, and benefits a lot from pretty visceral feelings invoked by what the pandemic made a widely-relatable trauma of being locked inside your house, inside your body. Here for the disability rep, and in such a well-handed manner, too.

Where it lost me is the horniness. I know, I know; I've followed the author from fandom works for what is arguably a master class of sex scenes doing a tremendous job of fleshing out character's psyche. It feels deeply counter intuitive to pick up a Freya Marske book and then go "it could be less horny" about it, yet this is where I am at. I don't mind the concept of a horny ghost house-girl; I felt that whenever this was going on, it was throwing me off the rest of the book. But YMMV.

Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

3.5 stars

Amazon and NetGalley both described this as a "queer Gothic Cinderella retelling" which did raise alarm bells at first. Was it trying too hard? But I went in with an open mind and was highly surprised. It's only a short book but it does work.

Freya has given us the traditional, familiar fairy tale, but given it an extra spark so it feels new and fresh.

My dislike for overly long books is quite clear, therefore I rarely want a book to be longer but I did want this one to be longer. What's there is good, but I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if it was spread out over a longer book, something to get my teeth into.

I do think there was a bit too much going on though. I think it would have been better if she'd picked a couple of things to develop. Keep the ghostly Ella of course, but by adding magic, sorcerers and fairies, it just makes it quite busy for such a short book.

One thing I will say, and maybe it's just me, but I didn't get the Queer aspect of it. Maybe it was just too subtle, but I was expecting something a bit more obvious considering it was important enough to be put in the synopsis, but that was lacking for me.

Overall, a very enjoyable book. Great characters, clever use of the traditional fairy tale merged with an extra spark, it's short and quick to read, but there were a few elements I felt could be tidied up to make it a great book.

This was a quick read, as novellas often are, and the downside is that it was finished by the time it really started getting good. Still, I quite enjoyed the overall story.

This was an interesting take on Cinderella, where Ella is a ghost haunting the house where she and her father died, while her stepmother and stepsisters keep living there. As Ella is compelled to keep the house clean, the stepfamily uses this as convenient labor they don't have to pay a maid for, and this is how we get to the basic Cinderella set up.

I could really feel Ella's frustration with her situation. She can leave the house, but always returns to the steps in the house where she died at midnight, so she can only stay out so long, and she is unable to resist the need to keep the house clean and obey when the step family demands it. The youngest stepsister is especially bad, and she will damage the house to get Ella to do was she wants as this hurts Ella.

Ella enjoys going out at night to see ballet in particular, but she can't interact with people. The only ones who can see her are the people living in her hosue, so only the step family and not visitors or random people she encounters on the street or at the ballet. I liked this aspect of her character, it gave her a clear desire for something even within the very constricted circumstances. She is also capable of writing within the house (she can touch everything that is part of the house), so she's capable of making friends through writing letters, but they can't see her.

The only other person who can see her is a fairy, who offers her a deal to become corporeal for three days and attend the prince's ball, setting up the main plot of Cinderella.

Everything from here on happens quite fast, sometimes a bit too fast, but this is a novella of only 144 pages so it fit within the pacing of the length. I liked how it build up to a poly relationship of sorts in the end, with Ella still being a ghost who can't touch people.

I liked how much world building fit into this 144 page story without making everything feel heavy on the info dumping. There's fairies, human sorcerers and ghosts, and a clear magic system between them, as well as some international politics. Ella, of course, is not really at the center of these, but the events at the prince's ball are to some degree political and everything was clear to me.

Would recommend to people who enjoy novellas and interesting takes on well known fairytales

I’ve never read a Cinderella retelling like this! It was so unique. I loved the idea of Ella as a Ghost/Haunting, it added a whole new layer to the story. I loved the use of the house as a character, this is one of my favourite things to see in literature and Marske handled it in a very interesting way. Honestly, I have so much to say about this!

This was really short, yet felt like a full length novel. The pacing was great, the plot was intriguing and the beats all hit well and the ending didn’t feel rushed or contrived.

This only falls short of 5 stars because it alludes to a lot of things which I wish were explored more deeper, for example Ella’s relationship with her father. While we got enough to understand and to draw our own conclusions, there was still a lot of ambiguity that I would have liked to explore, in particular relating to Ella and her rage.

No spoilers on the romance but I loved it! I loved how it worked out.

An immersive and imaginative retelling filled with secrets and sorcery. I loved how Freya Marske worked with the strands of the Cinderella fairy tale to create a story which felt so fresh and original.

Murdered at sixteen, Ella returns as a ghost. She endures a lonely existence ordered around by her stepfamily until an invitation to the festival ball provides an opportunity to engage with the world of the living once more.

If you’re looking for a fantasy novella, this is it. It was one of those elusive books that made me forget that I was reading and I’m now looking forward to working my way through Freya Marske’s backlist.

Thank you so much to Tor and NetGalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. (UK publication date is 9th October 2025)

I was drawn here by the fact that this was a Cinderella retelling, which won't surprise anyone being the huge Disney Kid that I am, but I was most interested to see how this novella could stand out from so many interpretations that have come before it.

Being immediately hit (within the first few pages!) by the fact that protagonist Ella was so striking and completely captivated me from then right through to the end. Yes it has all the things you'd expect from this classic fairy tale, but Freya Marske gives it her own magical take with everything from fairies, ghost lore, academic scholars and a gorgeous throuple you definitely won't see coming.

2025 has been my year of falling in love with novellas and this is another superb example of how good a shorter story can be when put in the hands of the right author 💚

This is a Cinderella retelling like nothing I've ever seen - because Ella is already dead when the story starts. The way the novella unfolds from there is both true to the original fairytale and completely unexpected. It's beautifully, achingly written, and utterly captivating in its atmosphere and characters. It's dark, sexy, and Gothic, but also warm and loving and gentle. I couldn't put it down, and at the end I immediately texted my best friend to say how glad I was that I already wrote my own version of a disabled Cinderella, because if I'd read this stunning book before, I don't think I'd ever have had the courage to try to match it.

4.5 stars :)

What a gorgeous book! Went in largely blind after not reading the summary since it was first announced, so I was delighted when I realised about a 3rd of the way through that this is a Cinderella retelling.

A quietly devastating but intensely romantic read that gives new life to the fairytale while remaining true to the basic plot beats. The writing style felt a bit different to Marske's previous work but just as excellent, beautifully written with a distinct Gothic House Story vibe.

Things did resolve quite quickly towards the end, and I would have liked a bit more romantic tension, but this works perfectly as a quick, but impactful read.

I am nothing if not a Freya Marske fan and true to form I adored this. Petition for Marske to write more books inspired by fairy tales because this was just a whimsical, magical delight.

I think it’s best to go into this not knowing too much, but i will say that it follows the same plot points as the classic Cinderella story, just with some delicious twists.

My only complaint was that it wasn’t longer because I would truly have read a full size novel about these wonderful characters!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of Cinder House.

We are following Ella who got murdered by her stepmother right after her father. She is now a ghost and haunts her house where her stepmother and stepsisters live.

I absolutely loved this book! It was short, nice, and really entertaining.
I thought it was a great take on Cinderella as there were the basic elements of the tale, but not only! Some parts were altered or added, which made the story really interesting.

Ella’s friendship with Quaint was so fun! I love how they are good friends who don’t trust each other lol

And Greta was playing the role of the evil stepsister a bit too well!

It was a very enjoyable read. I am giving it 5 stars!🤩

A Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is dead and a ghost and a ... house? I was intrigued when I heard that and in love when I read it. I'm not even that big on fairy tale retellings, but everything just worked for me here. The book opens with Ella and her father being murdered by Ella's stepmother and while her father simply perishes, Ella is "rescued" by their magical house and turned into a ghost. Ella wants to haunt her stepmother and her two daughters, but they aren't scared of her and just continue to treat her like the hired help, in life as in death. Ella also now happens to be the house – feeling every wall and every floor and every ceiling, every piece of furniture and the whole structure in general – so she more or less does all the housework to not be untidy herself. House magic and sentient houses are one of my favorite things in fantasy novels, so I was squealing over a main character who is also a house. Ella's perspective was so unique and interesting to read about. She of course hates her stepfamily, but she also can't stand it when the house is empty for a long time. She's longing for the world outside, for other people and for human connection, but she is trapped inside her own walls. Her situation may sound absurd but her character just made so much sense and Ella really delivered some first-class yearning. I almost blushed at the way she described how the delivery girl walks in and out of her. Only after years she finds a way to leave her house again, but she is still very much tethered to it and always snagged back by midnight. But she is able to meet a faerie who takes an interest in her and who gives her the opportunity to go to a ball and feel alive for three nights again. Remember, it's a Cinderella retelling. The familiar story is definitely there, but "Cinder House" adds so many new ideas that it's easily a compelling and refreshing read. At the ball, Ella meets a fairy-cursed dancing prince and they connect right away, and from that point onward the story kept me so invested in how the whole girl-ghost-house situation would be resolved in the end. The ending was great and surprisingly polyamorous, which made it even better in my opinion. Overall, this book was my thing entirely, and the only slightly negative point that I can come up with is that I would have loved to spent more time with these characters. It's only a short novella, but especially the second half of the story deserves a full-length novel. I guess I have to check out the other books by Freya Marske to get some more.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Cinder House.

<b>Review Summary</b>
Cinder House is a dark and ghostly FFM take on Cinderella, and in many ways it's delightful.

However, I want to highlight a major theme of the book that isn't in the description: one character (the prince) is bespelled so that when they dance, people are compelled to lust after them and attempt to rape them. This becomes a key plot point in the second half of the book and is key to how relationship dynamics are played out. If this could be an issue for you, I recommend skipping this book.

Reviewing this book is hard because I didn't like how that point was handled, but I adored almost everything else about this story. For the right reader, I think this could be an excellent book.

The magic system was both fun and intriguing, the world-building is delightful, and the voice is enjoyable. I'd never wanted to be a ghost before, but this book did that for me.

The characterisation is also great. Our villainous stepsisters and step mother are fascinating, while the mischievous and tricksy fairy godmother is probably my favourite character. In fact, the only characters I wasn't as interested in were the male love interest and the dead father, who was a bit too 2D for my taste.

<b>In More Detail</b>
Cinder House is really two fairy tales rolled into one: that of our POV character Ella (Cinderella) and that of a prince given a cursed blessing by a fairy at birth.

The Cinderella story of the daughter, her step-family and her fairy godmother is so compelling. I would have loved a version of the book that focused just on that! Even now, I find myself wondering what happened to the stepsisters and what future tricks the fairy godmother will manage to play.

However, then we have the prince's story. Spoilers ahead!

As a baby, a fairy enchanted him so that he would dance so beautifully that anyone who saw him dance would fall in love with him. The problem is that when he becomes an adult, onlookers lust after him instead. At least one person succeeds in [content warning] <spoiler>either raping or sexually assaulting him</spoiler>.

Let's start with the logical issue with this premise. The book makes it clear that when dealing with fairies, wording is very important. Which is why it makes zero sense that, when cursed to have anyone who sees him dance fall in love with him, the prince suffers sexual violence. People who love you don't assault you. People who love you might desire you, but they don't want you to be hurt.

It's frustrating because people being bespelled into falling in love with you is already horrifying. How can you form true friendships and healthy bonds with people? Sticking with that would have removed the triggering material and made it not feel like a flippant use of sexual violence.

And the sexual violence really did feel like it was handled flippantly. Yes, there were bruises. Yes, the bespelled perpetrator [content warning]<spoiler>killed himself</spoiler>. Yes, the prince feels lonely and sad that he can't dance for people. But the psychological impact of suffering sexual violence isn't explored.

There's another part which sat uncomfortably with me. This is an FFM story, in which <spoiler>Prince Charming is married to a princess for political reasons. Both prince and Princess are attracted to Ella, and on Ella's part, the feeling's mutual. However, they use the Prince's dancing to provoke lust on the princess' part before having sex.</spoiler> Does it count as consent if you're bespelled into desiring sex? I wish we had seen a more explicit demonstration of attraction and consent, even if the trio later chose to play with the spell. Because I liked the way the trio operated; I just wanted to be 100% that they all wanted that.

This would have been an easy 5-star book for me if the sexual violence issues had been handled better.

Being a hardcore Freya Marske Fangirl(TM), I knew I needed to get my mitts on this ASAP! A super interesting take on the Cinderella fairytale, with our protagonist being a ghost chained to the home in which she met her end, being forced into servitude by her Stepmother and Stepsisters.

This was, unsurprisingly, superbly written. I only wish it could have been a full-length novel. I would have wanted to see more of the political landscape, and definitely wanted to see more of the relationship dynamic.

Still, I lapped up the morsels we've been given and had a great time doing so! Can't wait to see what she writes next!