Author: Jamie Campbell
Series: Yes ((7 book series)
Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling
Brief Summary:
The story is told from the POV of Anna, one of Cinderella's 'ugly' stepsisters. In this case, the stepsister is actually truly ugly, but in appearance only. Her personality is more along the lines of the 'original' version of Cinderella we all know. The good attributes of that Cinderella version are reinvented in Anna rather than in the title character of Cinderella.
As for Cinderella herself, 'evil' is perhaps too strong of a word. Self-centered, I would venture, would be the more correct term. At any rate, Cinderella is most decidedly not the poor, unfortunate victim of abuse that she is often portrayed as in most tales. Even Prince Charming's moniker is quite misleading. So basically, take everything you thought you knew about the story and chuck it out the window. This, as they say, is a whole other can of worms.
Here is what Goodreads has to say:
My take:History is told from one person’s perspective. Sometimes they don’t get it right.
Ugly Stepsister Anna has wrongly been accused of being mean and evil. Now it is time she got the opportunity to tell her side of the story.
With Cinderella so perfect and wonderful, it is no wonder Anna feels ugly in comparison. Dealing with bullies, a grumpy mother, and the death of her step-father, Anna is at her wit's end.
When the Prince’s ball approaches, Anna is told she must find a husband to save the family fortune. Attending with her sisters, the sulky Prince Charming only has eyes for Cinderella.
With the burden of being the only one to unite her step-sister with the Prince, will Anna act as cupid? Or will she protect Cinderella from the arrogant Charming?
A charming twist to the story of Cinderella told completely from the point of view of the Ugly Step-Sister.
Let me start off by saying that I did enjoy this book; but I usually do like fairytale retellings, so that is no great surprise. The plot was simplistic but well done, with just enough description to clarify things, but not enough to meander and lose focus. I rather liked getting to know Anna and found her to be a very sympathetic character who was nice enough without being cloyingly sweet.
On the downside, I feel the author could have delved into the character of Cinderella in a bit more detail. I do think the book suffered from being a 'short' (the whole series reads something like an anthology of shorts although they are stand-alone-books). It felt a bit rushed at times, and this reader was left wanting. That aside, it's a good quick read, and if you enjoy fairytale retellings then I would urge you to give this one a go. If nothing else, it will make you smile, which is always a good thing.
