Authors: Anita Valle
Series: Dark Fairy Tale Queens Trilogy
Genres: fantasy/fairy tale, fiction
Short summary of the story: This is the first book in the Dark Fairy Tale Queen trilogy, and it puts a whole new spin on the Cinderella character. Far from being the innocent victim, Cinderella is manipulative, cunning, and calculated. The abuse and indignities she suffers at the hands of her stepmother and stepsisters is largely of her own making. This little lady has her own agenda, and a dark heart worthy of the nickname "Crow" that the Prince bestows upon her. Speaking of the Prince, he is not exactly the 'charming' lad so fondly touted in other versions of the story.
The other books of the trilogy are Sneaky Snow White and Rotten Rapunzel, which I have yet to read. Without giving the end away, suffice it to say that the books are all connected in a very unique way.
Here is what Goodreads has to say about the book:
My thoughts on the book: This one was a fun read! It takes everything you thought you knew about beloved characters (like Cinderella) and flips it on its head. You get to see both the characters and the story in a whole new light. Personally, I prefer this version to the saccharin-sweet usual telling, but then again, I tend to gravitate toward darker things. Seriously though, if you are a fairy tale lover, you owe it to yourself to give it a try!And you thought the stepsisters were wicked....
I'm not who they think I am. A docile girl who meekly obeys her stepmother and stepsisters. Some kind of sick angel who cheerfully bears their mistreatment. That's what I WANT them to think. Because then they won't suspect what I'm really up to.
The ball, the prince - it's all part of my plan to come out on top. Stepmother and her demented daughters will pay for every floor I have scoured, every sneer I have borne. They don't know about the white magic, how I use it to enhance myself. They can't see that my heart is black as midnight, rotten as a poisoned apple.
They're about to find out.
The author also has another series, The Nine Princesses, which I am most excited to read.
