3.91 AVERAGE

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This series is so fun, I’m loving them. Eden was really relatable in feeling like she’s not as good as her sisters, she always feels like a watered down version and doesn’t believe that she’s capable. That being said I was rooting for her and like no girl you can do it. She just needed a little belief in herself. 

I really like how they always set out with the intention of destroying a kingdom and somehow end up finding themselves a happily ever after.

And Dorian…I’m complete Dorian trash, take me away you handsome, roguish man.
adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

I really had fun reading this retelling of Cinderella. A lot of laughs and some teary eyed moments. Though I did have a little problem and it was with the glamorizing. I just couldn’t get a grip on how it all worked because sometimes it seemed like she fully became the person/creature and others it was like nothing actually happened to her and it was all in the person’s mind. So I wish the workings of Eden’s glamour was explained a bit better. But I definitely can’t wait to read the next book with my best friend. Because we are having so much fun buddy reading this series. 
hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

spinesnlines's review

5.0

First read of 2021! It went by fast. I read Of Beast and Beauty last month. I have made a goal to stop leaving big gaps between books in a series. Pretty glad I decided to go ahead and read this one. It is a Cinderella retelling and I really felt like it was original.

My thoughts:
The plot: It retelling was pretty original. That was refreshing since we all know Cinderella and the retellings are pretty similar. As with Beast and Beauty, I loved the twists. I did figure a big part out before but it still played out differently than I thought so that’s always fun. I LOVE a Beauty and the Beast retelling and loved Of Beast and Beauty, but I think this one was even better.
My favorite characters: Eden. So far, I’m enjoying how relatable the characters are. Eden was the underdog of the sisters and never felt adequate. Who hasn’t felt like that before? Dorian. He didn’t annoy me as much as Xander in the previous book. The characters definitely went through all the emotions quickly! I also loved the house elves and Harmony.
The pace: It didn’t lull. There was enough detail I could clearly imagine the characters and setting, but it didn’t drag on.
The ending: There’s a bit of mystery and some questions I still have so I’m thinking we’ll find out more in the next books. I love when things are so tied neatly in a bow.
Favorite quote: “No one, especially a stranger, should have the power to control the way I feel.”
“I was scared to go near the unicorn because I felt so unworthy. My whole life I had felt unworthy, less than, and afraid to reach my full potential because I didn’t want to fail.”

I’m really excited about this series. A retelling with some fierce sorceress leads is the perfect combination!
adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Overview of my thoughts: Have I mentioned how much I love this series? Because I really, really, really have fallen in love with them? Fairy-tale endings, magical twists, and happy endings? Yes, please! Genuinely, this series has been my life-source lately :)

Plot: This book follows Eden (I adore her name, by the way!), the second-oldest sister. After the prince of Candor is declaring that he is open for someones had in marriage, Lady Eville whisks Eden away to Candor to compete with others to win his hand. The only problem is, she doesn't want to be there. Nor is she supposed to fall in love with him because, naturally Lady Eville is out for revenge again. But, she stays so that she can learn who her biological parents are.

Yet, her plan falls apart when a mysterious, charming stranger (who gives off a touch of a dark-haired Nikolai Lantsov) named Dorian becomes set on her. To quote what he said, "I knew then, in that instance, that you were going to be mine." 

So...who will she fall for: Dorian or Evander. 

And who will she kill?

Characters: I LOVED EDEN SO MUCH!! Her personality was so different than Rosalie's, which added so much more charm to her. I liked how realistic she was, and how messy, Mary Poppins-like she was. Chaotic characters? Of course! I also loved how it described her using her glamour, which is such an interesting element in the world these books are set in.

Also, Dorian was an immediate yes from me. Well, and then that kinda went down the drain after some of the things he did, but in the end I honestly adored him so dang much! Charismatic, morally-grey characters are always my favorite and none have failed me yet.

Evander...no. Just no.

Romance: Eden and Dorian were my favorite side of the love triangle. Though, if we're counting all of the romance in this book, the side romance of Harmony and Derek was literally so sweet, it melted my heart more than once!

Back to Eden and Dorian: I have yet to figure out a ship-name for them but the mental image I get of the two of them is like, a sparrow sitting on a foxes head. Did my heart just melt once again? Yup. And I absolutely love them so much! <3

Age Rating: 13+! No language is used in this book but the romance is edged more into YA.

Overall: LOVE THE SERIES SO MUCH!