A review by aureolyn
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This was one of the books under my series of starting books because of their dedication.

“To everyone who’s ever felt that they’re not enough”

I loved this book. I thought the messages were strong and good. I really liked how the author made the distinction between being pretty and being beautiful. Being pretty was just about a person’s appearance. Obviously there’s pretty privilege but once we got to know the characters, we can see how their passions and personalities shine and make them so beautiful. I also like the idea of breaking out of molds and finding oneself. Great character development makes me weak. The more I got to know the characters the more attached and invested I was. Anyways, if you haven’t already guessed this is a twisted tale of the famous Cinderella story but this story follows her stepsisters after the original fairytale. It’s filled with a rollercoaster of emotions that I’m still working through as I’m trying to form my thoughts here. It starts pretty dark and the insertion of chance and fate was a bit confusing. I think their introduction could’ve been better which is why this isn’t 5 stars but as we got to know the characters and as the story unfolded, it started to make more sense. Lastly, I also liked that all the characters were flawed. It makes them so much more human and that much more relatable. 
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