Click here to purchase from Rakuten Kobo _ It’s the characters that shine, and the twisted fairytale itself.Also available on eBook for £5.99. Multi layered world building there is not, but I considered Sophia’s town as insubstantial as the town in the original Cinderella. There’s a large dollop of betrayal in here too, throwing the plot sideways. The twists on the Cinderella story just kept on coming throughout the story, with a truly evil antagonist at its centre. Sophia, with the help of her new friend Constance, is unfaltering in her desire to bring the king, his rules and tyranny – down.Ī twisted fairytale retelling, a tale of revenge and rescue, with a kickass gay main character keen to put her world to rights or die trying.

This is when Sophia begins to learn the TRUE story of Cinderella, not the tangle of lies spun by the land’s rulers. She is a direct descendant of one of Cinderella’s sisters. She’s out of there…įleeing, she meets a woman dressed like a man who can fight like one too. Lining up for the men’s viewing disgusts Sophia and her true nature soon bursts through. The splendor of the castle is soon tainted by the requirements from the king. With no choice, Sophia attends the ball with dozens of other girls. She is in love with her friend Erin who has returned her affections but will not upset her parents by straying from the rigid centuries-old path laid in front of her. Her parents call her ‘different’ as unlike other girls who obey their parent’s every word, Sophia asks questions and baulks at the answers if she deems them unfair. 200 years before, the adored Cinderella died, and the subsequent kings have kept her story alive in their own perverted way. This is a land where Cinderella’s story is read by all girls every day, by law. What does this mean? Usually forfeited girls are never seen again by their parents. They have three chances over three years to attend the ball and if not chosen – you guessed it – Forfeit!

The girls can’t resist or they may be forfeit. These men might already have one, or more, and can be of any age.

They attend the ball to be on show for men looking for a wife. If they don’t measure up to the king’s high standards, they are shamed and forfeited. Once turned 16 every girl must attend the ball in lavish hair, makeup and gowns, whether their parents can afford it or not. Why do they marry these men in the first place? That’s another rule. They have no rights, their husbands able to mistreat them in any way they chose. He is a tyrant, inflicting harsh rules on his subjects – especially women and girls. Sophia lives with her parents in the town called Lille, ruled over by a king.

Cinderella is dead pages