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lialovesreading's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
bickie's review
4.0
Reimagining of Cinderella in a kind of federation of kingdoms called Tyme. Government serves only the very wealthy, who are successful only because of their exploitative labor practices, and the royal family is only still powerful because the rich people (person) chooses to keep them there. Excellent world-building and 3-D character development. Shows how individuals can make a difference without sugar-coating how difficult it can be to challenge entrenched, far-reaching corruption and the abuse of power. Readers who know their US History will recognize the labor situation and be reminded of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Some explicit romance (kissing only); political situations and activism. Read before GROUNDED but was fine except for understanding the Exalted Nexus position.
dahlias_and_pyrotechnics's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.5
annabannana's review
There is a very upsetting, graphic scene that was not appropriate for my 7 year old to read. I recommend this for middle graders, or for a parent to read with their upper elementary kid and skip over some of the graphic details in the terrifying scene.
mariahistryingtoread's review
5.0
I've been taking more chances on books this year which while good for personal growth has not been so good for personal enjoyment. But, this series is amazing and I'm so glad I found it.
I was worried about this companion novel because I loved Grounded so much and was worried that this book wouldn't be as good - or even worse actively bad. I needn't have worried. To my immense gratitude Morrison maintained the same level of high quality.
This is the story of Cinderella with a labor reform twist. Ella has lived her whole life in squalor, forced to watch her mother waste away working in a sweatshop spinning silk for the Garment Guild; the backbone of the Blue Kingdom. After her father hits it big with a new invention her whole life changes. Now, saddled with an ‘evil’ stepmother, two step-siblings, and a whole mess of expectations she never wanted she’s determined to stay true to herself no matter the cost.
I think Ella is the core to the story because she’s definitely the catalyst for change, but there are two other characters equally as important to her. Prince Dash and Serge, who are seen briefly in Grounded, have been upgraded to top billing in this one.
Ella is a total spitfire. She believes strongly in her cause and she is more than willing to argue with you if you cross her. It’s extremely gratifying to see a strong female protagonist where physicality doesn’t come into play at all. She’s staunch in her convictions, but it’s balanced with her compassionate countenance. It’s way too common to have the outspoken female character be needlessly nasty because it’s ‘cool’ to be aloof. Ella cares a lot and personally, I find that way more endearing. Despite being absolutely right about people deserving basic rights in regards to working, she has a lot to learn about how to actually achieve this for them. I liked how this book addressed all sides of the argument. Ella was right from the beginning, people were absolutely being mistreated, however, this book took a very realistic approach to the whole situation. It took the time to explore what Ella reasonably could or could not do as well as the realities of the business side. I enjoyed seeing Ella learn how to weave the two sides together without compromising her integrity or values overall.
Prince Dash is a total sweetheart who is just trying his best. He’s the first Charming in decades to not be under the Charming curse laid upon them by the witch Enveria. He now has to find out who he is without the curse influencing his decisions. And who he is, is an anxious, easily flustered kid who I sympathized with immensely. My favorite aspect of his character was his willingness to learn. Yes, he had his stumbles, but I appreciated that he was so open minded. It completely avoided the whole ‘woman needs to teach a man to be a person’ trope. Ella wasn’t the sole reason he cared about the ethics involved in the Garment Guilds’ shops. He genuinely wanted to do better and sought out knowledge on his own. Ella aided in his growth, but he definitely did the heavy lifting.
Serge is the Executive Fairy Godfather of The Glass Slipper, a fairy godparent service akin to that of social workers in real life. As Executive Fairy Godfather he’s second only to Bejeweled, his lazy, glory hungry boss, who happens to be the most famed Blue Fairy in the kingdom. Serge has been waiting for decades for Bejeweled to finally fulfill her promise to hand over the company to him so he can return it to its former glory. With the help of his new apprentice Jasper, the first Crimson Fairy to ever work at The Glass Slipper, Serge starts to realize there’s more than one way to help people as long as you’re willing to work at it.
(Also I kind of shipped Serge and Jasper? Like the chemistry actually rivaled that of Ella and Prince Dash. I loved how Jasper brought out this softer side to Serge and seeing Serge learn to open up again because of Jasper. It had huge ‘grumpy curmudgeon with sunshine sweet pea’ energy. But, it was kind of weird though because Jasper is younger than Serge, but they’re both hundreds of years old so I can’t tell if the age gap should be a Thing or not. Like, is Jasper equivalent to an early 20s adult or does it not matter once you've lived for so long? Like I’m into it, but cautiously.)
Basically, there is a ton of corruption in the Blue Kingdom from all sides. This book really makes it a point to show how it takes a village to root it out. Ella is new money trying to force the upper class to see their workers as actual people. Prince Dash is old money trying to fight old prejudice and assumptions. Serge is fighting for the people who fall through the cracks. And for all the good they do there’s still more work to be done. It’s not only a great lesson for the intended demographic, but an investing set of circumstances.
That being said, there were still flaws. The middle of the book stalls a bit. Once Ella and Dash begin to get along there’s a decent chunk where nothing is happening to move the plot. It focuses more on their relationship which I liked seeing develop, however, I didn’t feel it was balanced well with how pressing the work they were doing was supposed to be. It kind of felt like they took a break from the plot to do the romance. And for all my praise of how well it depicts the entirety of the labor reform argument, it lacks in detail in this part. I wanted to see more of the living conditions as well as more opinions from other peasants that weren’t Ella. Like Ella has a best friend Kit who completely disappears after her initial appearance. I think it would have benefitted from having someone who was still on the ground floor offer their insight and input to the policies they were coming up with. Similarly there is a girl who previously was rich who is losing her station due to her family’s business going bankrupt. She’s actually nice to Ella and I would have liked to see her perspective as someone starting from the top falling from grace on the new policies especially since her family was the only good workplace in the Garment Guild. Ella is supposed to be the bridge; I wanted to talk to more people on both sides to expand more the world.
Similarly, Serge disappears. It made me question his Godfather skills because it looked like he was neglecting his duties since we weren’t getting his perspective. It also was weird that his significance decreased so much considering how essential he is to the ending. I would have liked to hear more about his requirements as a Godfather from day to day and more development for Jasper since Jasper only gets one POV chapter at the very end.
I never lost interest and the third act more than made up for these weaker parts so I didn’t drop a star, but it was definitely noticeable enough that I did consider it.
I loved that Ella’s stepmother wasn’t really evil. She had a prickly disposition, but she truly cared for Ella. Ella just had to let her in. Same with the step-siblings (minus the prickliness). I low-key still think her dad is trash, but hey he comes around at least. The Rapunzel/Jack cameo was cute. Though, without Rapunzel’s inner monologue she does come off as annoying.
Another great book by Megan Morrison. I’ve got the last book (so far I hope) on the way now and I cannot wait to get to it.
I was worried about this companion novel because I loved Grounded so much and was worried that this book wouldn't be as good - or even worse actively bad. I needn't have worried. To my immense gratitude Morrison maintained the same level of high quality.
This is the story of Cinderella with a labor reform twist. Ella has lived her whole life in squalor, forced to watch her mother waste away working in a sweatshop spinning silk for the Garment Guild; the backbone of the Blue Kingdom. After her father hits it big with a new invention her whole life changes. Now, saddled with an ‘evil’ stepmother, two step-siblings, and a whole mess of expectations she never wanted she’s determined to stay true to herself no matter the cost.
I think Ella is the core to the story because she’s definitely the catalyst for change, but there are two other characters equally as important to her. Prince Dash and Serge, who are seen briefly in Grounded, have been upgraded to top billing in this one.
Ella is a total spitfire. She believes strongly in her cause and she is more than willing to argue with you if you cross her. It’s extremely gratifying to see a strong female protagonist where physicality doesn’t come into play at all. She’s staunch in her convictions, but it’s balanced with her compassionate countenance. It’s way too common to have the outspoken female character be needlessly nasty because it’s ‘cool’ to be aloof. Ella cares a lot and personally, I find that way more endearing. Despite being absolutely right about people deserving basic rights in regards to working, she has a lot to learn about how to actually achieve this for them. I liked how this book addressed all sides of the argument. Ella was right from the beginning, people were absolutely being mistreated, however, this book took a very realistic approach to the whole situation. It took the time to explore what Ella reasonably could or could not do as well as the realities of the business side. I enjoyed seeing Ella learn how to weave the two sides together without compromising her integrity or values overall.
Prince Dash is a total sweetheart who is just trying his best. He’s the first Charming in decades to not be under the Charming curse laid upon them by the witch Enveria. He now has to find out who he is without the curse influencing his decisions. And who he is, is an anxious, easily flustered kid who I sympathized with immensely. My favorite aspect of his character was his willingness to learn. Yes, he had his stumbles, but I appreciated that he was so open minded. It completely avoided the whole ‘woman needs to teach a man to be a person’ trope. Ella wasn’t the sole reason he cared about the ethics involved in the Garment Guilds’ shops. He genuinely wanted to do better and sought out knowledge on his own. Ella aided in his growth, but he definitely did the heavy lifting.
Serge is the Executive Fairy Godfather of The Glass Slipper, a fairy godparent service akin to that of social workers in real life. As Executive Fairy Godfather he’s second only to Bejeweled, his lazy, glory hungry boss, who happens to be the most famed Blue Fairy in the kingdom. Serge has been waiting for decades for Bejeweled to finally fulfill her promise to hand over the company to him so he can return it to its former glory. With the help of his new apprentice Jasper, the first Crimson Fairy to ever work at The Glass Slipper, Serge starts to realize there’s more than one way to help people as long as you’re willing to work at it.
(Also I kind of shipped Serge and Jasper? Like the chemistry actually rivaled that of Ella and Prince Dash. I loved how Jasper brought out this softer side to Serge and seeing Serge learn to open up again because of Jasper. It had huge ‘grumpy curmudgeon with sunshine sweet pea’ energy. But, it was kind of weird though because Jasper is younger than Serge, but they’re both hundreds of years old so I can’t tell if the age gap should be a Thing or not. Like, is Jasper equivalent to an early 20s adult or does it not matter once you've lived for so long? Like I’m into it, but cautiously.)
Basically, there is a ton of corruption in the Blue Kingdom from all sides. This book really makes it a point to show how it takes a village to root it out. Ella is new money trying to force the upper class to see their workers as actual people. Prince Dash is old money trying to fight old prejudice and assumptions. Serge is fighting for the people who fall through the cracks. And for all the good they do there’s still more work to be done. It’s not only a great lesson for the intended demographic, but an investing set of circumstances.
That being said, there were still flaws. The middle of the book stalls a bit. Once Ella and Dash begin to get along there’s a decent chunk where nothing is happening to move the plot. It focuses more on their relationship which I liked seeing develop, however, I didn’t feel it was balanced well with how pressing the work they were doing was supposed to be. It kind of felt like they took a break from the plot to do the romance. And for all my praise of how well it depicts the entirety of the labor reform argument, it lacks in detail in this part. I wanted to see more of the living conditions as well as more opinions from other peasants that weren’t Ella. Like Ella has a best friend Kit who completely disappears after her initial appearance. I think it would have benefitted from having someone who was still on the ground floor offer their insight and input to the policies they were coming up with. Similarly there is a girl who previously was rich who is losing her station due to her family’s business going bankrupt. She’s actually nice to Ella and I would have liked to see her perspective as someone starting from the top falling from grace on the new policies especially since her family was the only good workplace in the Garment Guild. Ella is supposed to be the bridge; I wanted to talk to more people on both sides to expand more the world.
Similarly, Serge disappears. It made me question his Godfather skills because it looked like he was neglecting his duties since we weren’t getting his perspective. It also was weird that his significance decreased so much considering how essential he is to the ending. I would have liked to hear more about his requirements as a Godfather from day to day and more development for Jasper since Jasper only gets one POV chapter at the very end.
I never lost interest and the third act more than made up for these weaker parts so I didn’t drop a star, but it was definitely noticeable enough that I did consider it.
I loved that Ella’s stepmother wasn’t really evil. She had a prickly disposition, but she truly cared for Ella. Ella just had to let her in. Same with the step-siblings (minus the prickliness). I low-key still think her dad is trash, but hey he comes around at least. The Rapunzel/Jack cameo was cute. Though, without Rapunzel’s inner monologue she does come off as annoying.
Another great book by Megan Morrison. I’ve got the last book (so far I hope) on the way now and I cannot wait to get to it.
jenniferreads2's review
2.0
Blah. Didn't care for this one. The only character I liked was Ella's stepmother. Sad disappointment since I really liked the first book in the Tyme series
emiller's review
5.0
Another masterful book by Megan Morrison! I just want to live full time in Tyme and absorb all the stories in its world. This one took me a little bit more time to get into just due to the shifting perspectives but once I was in, I was in. I loved the way that this dealt with reform and the realities of reform. As much as I did love Ella and Dash, it’s really the side characters that shine in this one. Serge and Jasper really got to me both with Serge’s internal conflict and their relationship. I also was really drawn to Sharlyn, the stepmother and during the court scene I knew why. Again tears were shed towards the end. There is something truly magic about the way Morrison delivers on character arcs.
bookmarvel's review
5.0
just as good as the first one, grounded. so amazing. i love fairy tales that are redone and made even more amazing.