One thing about me, I love Cinderella and I love a Gothic queer retelling and this one delivered BOTH.

I absolutely adore Freya Marske’s writing, and this novella, a retelling of the Cinderella story, is no exception.
Ella is a ghost at the start if the story. Her stepmother has inherited the house where she died but Ella is tied to the house and still expected to skivvy for her and her stepsisters, or they damage the house, causing her pain. Slowly, and by making friends with a fairy, Ella gains some autonomy and eventually makes it to the ball, meeting the prince, and his powerful intended queen.
Marske writes about what it is to be trapped, likening this to her own experience of chronic illness. I can see how this metaphor makes sense. Ella is a wonderful character, determined to escape her destiny and the shackles of servitude to her stepmother, but she also, really wants to have all the bodily experiences she’s missed by dying as a teenage, and Marske really brings this to life, through the wonder of the ball - not only through a sexual awakening but in her joy at the food. Ella is a Cinders for the modern age.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This is my first book of Freya Markse that I've read and I'm pleased to say, I really enjoyed the writing style. I usually struggle to get into novellas and connect with the characters but Freya did an excellent job is this unique retelling of Cinderella. The story follows Ella who is now a ghost magically bound to the house, her step mother and sisters who are as evil as ever, and of course the prince who may or may not have his own magical problems. The magic elements and world building were interesting with plenty of twists and turns on the original story to keep it fresh and interesting. The tale took a few dark turns at times which were very unexpected but welcome. If you are looking to try out this author then this is an excellent book to get a taste.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this eARC to review.

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.

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!

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

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

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 💚