Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

Fairytale retellings is not my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this Cinderella retelling through the eyes of the “evil” stepmother. If more retellings were like this, I’d read more of them. In this book, Etheldreda, or Lady Tremaine, is a twice-widowed woman left with no money and saddled with a decrepit house, two young daughters, a priggish step-daughter (Cinderella – who can’t be bothered to help the family in anyway whatsoever), and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon that helps her hunt to put food on the table.

Ethel clings to her family’s respectability, which she hopes will help secure her daughter’s future with financially advantageous marriages. When a royal ball is announced, Ethel must put aside her pride, and spend what little resources her family has, to secure invitations for her daughters. But of course it’s Cinderella, not one of her daughters, that secures an engagement to the heir of the kingdom, much to her chagrin. So when Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, she must put her and her daughter’s safety and security on the line to protect Cinderella.

This book was so good!! I loved Ethel. She was strong, determined, brave, cunning, and smart in a world that treats women like crap and doesn’t give them credit for having a brain. At first it was weird how loving and tender she was with her daughters, but it fit with the story being told. She was even kind, thoughtful, and indulgent to Cinderella despite Cinderella treating her horribly and not lifting a finger to help the family. The found family Ethel surrounds herself with was everything and I loved how well they worked as a unit to achieve their goals.

Ethel was able to out-smart people around her to accomplish her goals and I was there for it. The men in the story were pompous asses, and deserved everything they got. The twists were so juicy and several times I let out an evil chuckle as I listened to the book. There is definitely nothing more deadly than a woman scorned, and Ethel had no problems dishing out sweet, sweet justice. If you like bad-ass women taking charge and making things happen, this book is for you.

I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator did a fantastic job. She brought Ethel to life and the expressiveness of her voice was incredible. You could feel the simmering anger, desperation, despair, and love in every inflection. I highly recommend you listen to the audio of the book.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio Early Listeners for the gifted copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.