Reviews

Ok, I get what the author was trying to do here, and it's an interesting take on Cinderella, but this story is so disjointed, confusing, and downright boring.

The first half, where Cinderella is meeting with the witch to kill her husband, Prince Charming, and we're given glimpses into her marriage and how it's falling apart, isn't bad. The fairy tale setting can be charming at times, and the story has an overall Grimm feel to it...until the end of the first part, where things get confusing. Is she dreaming? Is she hallucinating? WHAT the hell is happening??

The second half of the story, where she runs off into the woods, just amplifies the confusion. I had no idea what was real and wasn't. The author throws in a ton of fairy tale references and sub-stories that add nothing to the main story. It's like she just wanted to include her twisted take on a bunch of popular fairy tales, so she threw them into this story even though they offer nothing to the plot and only confuse the reader even more.

By the time I reached the end and figured out what was going on, I was exhausted and no longer cared. This is not a fairy tale retelling. This is a story about a deeply disturbed and mentally unstable woman who married a man she hardly knew for money and stability. She never loved him, and he never loved her. He's a cheating cad with no morals, and she's a shallow, pill-popping cold fish of a wife who carries just as much blame as he does, IMO. And the ending was ridiculous. This woman belongs in a mental institution and needs some SERIOUS help. I wouldn't give her custody of my cat, let alone two children.

Anyway, I'm giving it two stars because I read to the end, but I kind of wish I hadn't bothered. I expected a 'sophisticated literary fairy tale for the twenty-first century'. Instead, I got a story about an immature crazy woman having a mental breakdown and completely losing her grip on reality. No thanks.

okevamae's review against another edition

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5.0

The premise of this book seems dark, but straightforward: Cinderella, miserable after 13 and a half years of “happily ever after,” wants out of her marriage. I can almost guarantee that whatever you think this book is going to be, you’re going to get something completely different. In fact, two or three people could easily read this book and come out with two or three entirely different ideas of what exactly was happening. I’m still not exactly sure what really happened, and I still loved it. And I love that I still don’t completely know.

I don’t want to give too much about the book away, I feel like it would spoil the surprise for anyone interested in reading it. The terms “modern fairy tale” and “fairy tale retelling” don’t quite do it justice. Definitely read it with an open mind to the strange directions it will take. There’s a big twist that was set up very clearly, and yet I still loved the reveal. It’s going to get weird, and you might think it’s bad editing or just bad writing. In my opinion, it’s not that at all. Hang in there. The result is a weird and wonderful feminist skewing of the Cinderella story – and the fairy tale genre as a whole – that’s not quite like anything I’ve read before. I found it to be totally worth the ride.

Also – don't sleep on the mouse subplot. Trust me. It will eventually add a whole other dimension to the story.

Just as a heads up, if you don’t like ambiguous realities or non-linear storytelling, this is probably not the book for you.

TW: gaslighting, cheating, self harm, prescription drug abuse, and a subtle but persistent thread of fatphobia.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

jfraser82's review against another edition

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1.0

Well. I gave it a good old college try. This was such an intriguing idea and I still would love to know how it ends (feel free to message me if you know!). 50 pages in I began to skip all parts that the mice were talking (Ugh)...100 pages in, I just quit. It's simply boring and I couldn't grow to like one character. Sad and I wish I could have seen it through!

mayrad's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this novel. On the one hand, I thought it was incredibly creative and I loved the interweaving of the various fairytales. I thought the overall message was captivating. I think my problem was with the execution. It was confusing and difficult to follow at times. The side story about the mice, although I understand the purpose, was too long and distracting. The switch at the end was strange and the ultimate conclusion

that Jane was mentally ill and everything had been in her head

defeated the message of the book. Some parts of this were really good but, overall, it was just okay.

starrysea98's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 stars. this was quite promising in the beginning and i quite liked the middle too with the mish mash of random fairytale characters but then became utterly confusing.

emugo's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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