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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-one horse
-arranged marriage
-found family
"Rise of the Cinder Fae" by Whitney Dean presents a dark and intriguing twist on the classic Cinderella tale. The first third of the book is dedicated to establishing the world, introducing us to its complexities and mysteries. Our main character, Elora, lives with her cruel stepmother and horrid stepsisters. Following her father’s death, Elora hopes to take over his role of overseeing the fae kept in their kingdom (Ashbury) in order to keep them and her people safe. After being manipulated by her stepmother, Elora travels to the neighboring kingdom of Pumpkin Hollow, which now rules over Ashbury, to attempt to seduce the prince and win favor with the crown.
While the story is rich with magical elements, it leans heavily into the romance genre rather than traditional fantasy. The fantasy aspects take a backseat for much of the narrative, only truly coming into play towards the end of the book. The romance is a slow burn with great banter.
My favorite characters were princess Irina (Prince Finnian’s sister) and queen Honora. The girl power in this book is what captivated me. Honora is the mother figure everyone deserves. Irina is wild, carefree and exceptionally entertaining. I would love to read a novella about her escapades.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
Pros: All things Irina. The slow burn romance is believable. The villainous characters are truly deplorable and my hatred for them was palpable.
Cons for me: There was so much focus on the romance aspect and I am more of a fantasy reader. The world building dragged on for too long and the hidden aspects led to more confusion than mystery. The pumpkins and the bridge- I still have so many questions.
Favorite quotes:
““It stopped being home the moment the light left your eyes.”
“I’ve never yearned for anyone, but I search for her when she isn’t near.”
“Sacrificing my heart wasn’t part of my plan.”
“And I hold her with the terrifying realization that I will stop at nothing to keep her safe—that the loyalty beat into me for this kingdom, for my father, was all for nothing. I belong to Elora now.”
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-one horse
-arranged marriage
-found family
"Rise of the Cinder Fae" by Whitney Dean presents a dark and intriguing twist on the classic Cinderella tale. The first third of the book is dedicated to establishing the world, introducing us to its complexities and mysteries. Our main character, Elora, lives with her cruel stepmother and horrid stepsisters. Following her father’s death, Elora hopes to take over his role of overseeing the fae kept in their kingdom (Ashbury) in order to keep them and her people safe. After being manipulated by her stepmother, Elora travels to the neighboring kingdom of Pumpkin Hollow, which now rules over Ashbury, to attempt to seduce the prince and win favor with the crown.
While the story is rich with magical elements, it leans heavily into the romance genre rather than traditional fantasy. The fantasy aspects take a backseat for much of the narrative, only truly coming into play towards the end of the book. The romance is a slow burn with great banter.
My favorite characters were princess Irina (Prince Finnian’s sister) and queen Honora. The girl power in this book is what captivated me. Honora is the mother figure everyone deserves. Irina is wild, carefree and exceptionally entertaining. I would love to read a novella about her escapades.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
Pros: All things Irina. The slow burn romance is believable. The villainous characters are truly deplorable and my hatred for them was palpable.
Cons for me: There was so much focus on the romance aspect and I am more of a fantasy reader. The world building dragged on for too long and the hidden aspects led to more confusion than mystery. The pumpkins and the bridge- I still have so many questions.
Favorite quotes:
““It stopped being home the moment the light left your eyes.”
“I’ve never yearned for anyone, but I search for her when she isn’t near.”
“Sacrificing my heart wasn’t part of my plan.”
“And I hold her with the terrifying realization that I will stop at nothing to keep her safe—that the loyalty beat into me for this kingdom, for my father, was all for nothing. I belong to Elora now.”
Whitney has blown me away with her latest novel, Rise of the Cinder Fae. This is probably my most anticipated book of the last 6 months or so, and it did not disappoint a single bit! This is a Cinderella retelling and still all completely its own story, its own world, its own life. We follow the fallen princess of Ashbury, Elora, and the prince of Pumpkin Hollow, Finnian.
What you’ll find:
•arranged marriage
•enemies to lovers
•world building
•Fae! & they’re so hot
Merged review:
Whitney has blown me away with her latest novel, Rise of the Cinder Fae. This is probably my most anticipated book of the last 6 months or so, and it did not disappoint a single bit! This is a Cinderella retelling and still all completely its own story, its own world, its own life. We follow the fallen princess of Ashbury, Elora, and the prince of Pumpkin Hollow, Finnian.
What you’ll find:
•arranged marriage
•enemies to lovers
•world building
•Fae! & they’re so hot
What you’ll find:
•arranged marriage
•enemies to lovers
•world building
•Fae! & they’re so hot
Merged review:
Whitney has blown me away with her latest novel, Rise of the Cinder Fae. This is probably my most anticipated book of the last 6 months or so, and it did not disappoint a single bit! This is a Cinderella retelling and still all completely its own story, its own world, its own life. We follow the fallen princess of Ashbury, Elora, and the prince of Pumpkin Hollow, Finnian.
What you’ll find:
•arranged marriage
•enemies to lovers
•world building
•Fae! & they’re so hot
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I am in a state of panic frantically messaging the author at the end of a book, I know it's a good one. I have been so excited for Whitney and Cinder and this book does not disappoint! I'll say before I even write my review, you're going to want to read this book.
Cinderella retellings are not one that I have read much of, and I really enjoyed it. The way it was written was done very well, and the pacing of the story was pretty consistent all throughout - until you get to the last maybe 100 pages when things go from 0-100 and keep you on the edge of your seat until the ending. I absolutely LOVED the dynamic and chemistry between Finn and Elora. I was snickering more often than not at their banter, and the push and pull between them was *chefs kiss*. I especially loved Irena and her sass, as well as the way she basically 'gentle parents' Finn when he needed it (which was a lot).
The plot was well written and the world building was so good considering the story only taking place in a small area. While some parts were a little predictable, most parts were not and the ending was 100% unexpected. I cannot wait for book 2 and the continuation of Finn and Elora's story and to see more of the Fae and the world Whitney has created!
Cinderella retellings are not one that I have read much of, and I really enjoyed it. The way it was written was done very well, and the pacing of the story was pretty consistent all throughout - until you get to the last maybe 100 pages when things go from 0-100 and keep you on the edge of your seat until the ending. I absolutely LOVED the dynamic and chemistry between Finn and Elora. I was snickering more often than not at their banter, and the push and pull between them was *chefs kiss*. I especially loved Irena and her sass, as well as the way she basically 'gentle parents' Finn when he needed it (which was a lot).
The plot was well written and the world building was so good considering the story only taking place in a small area. While some parts were a little predictable, most parts were not and the ending was 100% unexpected. I cannot wait for book 2 and the continuation of Finn and Elora's story and to see more of the Fae and the world Whitney has created!
Rise of the Cinder Fae is a dual-pov, enemies-to-lovers, spicy loose retelling of Cinderella. In order to support her town and the Cinder Fae she has a close relationship with, Ellora has to marry Finnian, the prince of the Kingdom across the glass bridge…and if they hate each other, they might hate their attraction to each other even more.
This book was wonderful to read, it’s the kind of magical fantasy with a good amount of spice, banter and great focus on character development. It really felt MAGICAL, the dialogues are fun and the tender moments made me melt. Despite the length of the book, it is paced perfectly well, picking up speed towards the end. Secondary and even minor characters were wonderful and I fell in love with quite a few of them.
I would specify however that the focus in this book is more heavily on the romance than the Faes however fear not, as their plot line is very intriguing and bring a lot of promises for the future.
I would 100% recommend this if you need a fairytale like fantasy with faeries, spice, an arranged-marriage and a character-driven story. I devoured it in the space of a few days and I’m so excited for my preordered physical copy to arrive so I can gush about it more!
This book was wonderful to read, it’s the kind of magical fantasy with a good amount of spice, banter and great focus on character development. It really felt MAGICAL, the dialogues are fun and the tender moments made me melt. Despite the length of the book, it is paced perfectly well, picking up speed towards the end. Secondary and even minor characters were wonderful and I fell in love with quite a few of them.
I would specify however that the focus in this book is more heavily on the romance than the Faes however fear not, as their plot line is very intriguing and bring a lot of promises for the future.
I would 100% recommend this if you need a fairytale like fantasy with faeries, spice, an arranged-marriage and a character-driven story. I devoured it in the space of a few days and I’m so excited for my preordered physical copy to arrive so I can gush about it more!
I really liked the first half of this book, but I felt like the second half (and particularly the last 10-20%) were really rushed. I was a little surprised that in a book titled "Rise of the Cinder Fae," the fae were largely side characters. I'm also not a huge fan of the crazy possessive "I'm the only one who can touch her" trope, which featured heavily in this book. Tropes aside, I think I would have rated this book higher if the end had been developed a little further.
This book…. this book.
First, the writing is absolutely enchanting. I have never read a retelling before, and i am so glad this was my first. It blew my mind. It was so beautiful and captivating. I fell in love with the main characters, and the author always makes the “side” characters just as lovable.
Second, i couldn’t get enough. I am a very fast reader, but i was so distraught thinking of this book ending i literally slowed my pace. It was an epic story. Absolutely and utterly epic.
Lastly, i can’t, and i cannot stress this enough, fucking wait for the remainder of this series. Absolutely PHENOMENAL.
Merged review:
This book…. this book.
First, the writing is absolutely enchanting. I have never read a retelling before, and i am so glad this was my first. It blew my mind. It was so beautiful and captivating. I fell in love with the main characters, and the author always makes the “side” characters just as lovable.
Second, i couldn’t get enough. I am a very fast reader, but i was so distraught thinking of this book ending i literally slowed my pace. It was an epic story. Absolutely and utterly epic.
Lastly, i can’t, and i cannot stress this enough, fucking wait for the remainder of this series. Absolutely PHENOMENAL.
First, the writing is absolutely enchanting. I have never read a retelling before, and i am so glad this was my first. It blew my mind. It was so beautiful and captivating. I fell in love with the main characters, and the author always makes the “side” characters just as lovable.
Second, i couldn’t get enough. I am a very fast reader, but i was so distraught thinking of this book ending i literally slowed my pace. It was an epic story. Absolutely and utterly epic.
Lastly, i can’t, and i cannot stress this enough, fucking wait for the remainder of this series. Absolutely PHENOMENAL.
Merged review:
This book…. this book.
First, the writing is absolutely enchanting. I have never read a retelling before, and i am so glad this was my first. It blew my mind. It was so beautiful and captivating. I fell in love with the main characters, and the author always makes the “side” characters just as lovable.
Second, i couldn’t get enough. I am a very fast reader, but i was so distraught thinking of this book ending i literally slowed my pace. It was an epic story. Absolutely and utterly epic.
Lastly, i can’t, and i cannot stress this enough, fucking wait for the remainder of this series. Absolutely PHENOMENAL.
This was such a great romantasy read! I loved the world building in it was really easy to follow and wasn’t overwhelming like you sometimes get when you read a romantasy book. I think Whitney’s characters were well rounded and full. The plot was plotting for sure. It was suspensful and had me on the edge of my seat! Overall this was a fantastic book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the fantasy or romance genre.