A Spark in the Cinders

April 15, 2023
An adventure for those who haven't yet found their fairy-tale ending. Now that Cinderella has married the prince, her older stepsister, Aralyn, has been forced to take on the household chores. Cinderella, now going by Princess Ellarose, seeks out Aralyn, who has had the benefit of an extensive education, for assistance with troubling diplomatic matters. The two discover a royal coup is brewing. When Aralyn's ambitious mother decides to cut her losses and take her younger daughter, Divya, to a neighboring kingdom in pursuit of a suitor, abandoned Aralyn makes a desperate wish and meets her own fairy godmother, Lyra. Tall, fur-clad, and purple-skinned, Lyra reveals the existence of an ancient fey weapon that may be powerful enough to save the kingdom and get Aralyn back in good social standing. Aralyn and Vee, Ellarose's loyal knight, set off together to find the three scattered pieces of the weapon, traveling through the danger-filled Mortel Mountains, ominous Silent Forest, and the Impassable Sea. At first mutually antagonistic, the two young women realize their overly demanding, abusive parents have given them similar outlooks on life. The worldbuilding is so expanded that the story's fairy-tale origins add little; still, this is an interesting journey of self-discovery with plenty of magic, action, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and a strongly developed theme of becoming your own person despite your origins. Main characters are cued White. An entertaining jaunt. (Fantasy. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 15, 2023
Grades 8-10 In the aftermath of Prince Fael's search for a girl who fits a glass slipper, the chosen bride's stepsister seeks revenge for a number of slights, both real and imagined. When the new princess, Ellarose, is crowned, she finds that the royal family seems uninterested in actually running the kingdom of Novador, and she needs help to ensure the castle and the kingdom's subjects don't starve. Ellarose turns to her stepsister Aralyn, who was trained by the best diplomats money could buy, and Aralyn agrees to help while secretly plotting her revenge. Things become infinitely more difficult when Aralyn's long-lost fairy godmother appears, and they learn that Divya, Ellarose's other stepsister, is intent on marrying a prince in a deadly rival kingdom. The godmother sends Aralyn and a captain of the royal guard off into the mountains to find a magical weapon that could solve all of their problems, but is it even real? This unusual take on the Cinderella story will appeal to fans of the popular Twisted Tales series. Grab it for any collection.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.