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A review by jessraven
All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother by Danielle Teller
3.0
Strap in, friends, because this is definitely not "Cinderella" as you know it - and I say that in the best way possible.
While the beginning of the book is slow and a bit difficult to get invested in, things get interesting once Agnes leaves the Abbey and strikes out on her own to make a life for herself, for her daughters and, eventually, for everyone's favourite princess-to-be. All the Ever Afters is a story that deserves to be read to the end, for Teller spends the better half of her novel weaving an intricate, at times heartbreaking tale that makes the reader question whether good and evil in fairy tales is truly so black and white, and where the truth of these stories lay. Who is the villain? Or, to put a finer point on it, is there truly such a thing as a villain at all? And, at the end of the day, what counts as a "happily ever after"? These questions and more are what Teller prompts her reader to consider, and this Cinderella story will likely make you reconsider every fairy tale you've ever read in a brand new light.
While the beginning of the book is slow and a bit difficult to get invested in, things get interesting once Agnes leaves the Abbey and strikes out on her own to make a life for herself, for her daughters and, eventually, for everyone's favourite princess-to-be. All the Ever Afters is a story that deserves to be read to the end, for Teller spends the better half of her novel weaving an intricate, at times heartbreaking tale that makes the reader question whether good and evil in fairy tales is truly so black and white, and where the truth of these stories lay. Who is the villain? Or, to put a finer point on it, is there truly such a thing as a villain at all? And, at the end of the day, what counts as a "happily ever after"? These questions and more are what Teller prompts her reader to consider, and this Cinderella story will likely make you reconsider every fairy tale you've ever read in a brand new light.