A review by folkofthebook
Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.0

This was a very sweet and endearing retelling of Cinderella with a trans Black woman as Cinderella. TW there is a bit of misgendering and deadnaming from her awful stepmother and stepsisters early in the book, but aside from that, the story is largely whimsical and almost mystical with its use of magic and happenstances. All the qualities that kind of annoyed me growing up to the original Cinderella (ugh, whyyy make her so homemaker-y) actually worked so well with Ella; she is incredibly resourceful, even so much as creating her own compost pile for her garden (love a sustainable queen). A short but hopeful read with well-crafted writing.
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