Cinderella – A Retelling with Strength and Courage (Courageous Heroine Fairy Tales Book 1) by Lisa Shea

Karen’s Magic Review

On writing a post for National Fairy Tale Day, I looked up a few books to share. One that came up was this and it was just sixty-nine pages long, so I downloaded it.

Immediately, I loved this retelling. The author’s style of writing really appealed to me. It followed the traditional tale of Cinderella in a slightly different way.

Even the introduction at the beginning impressed me. It explained about the darkness of the original fairy tales. I’ve read a few retellings of, and several turned explicit. I’ve taken a quote from this book and shared it below. That sealed it for me.

When I put it down at the end of the evening, I couldn’t wait to finish it the following day. I had reached the bit where Ella left the ball, leaving her slipper behind.

The story took an interesting turn, but then – it ended in a cliff hanger I hadn’t expected.

With this being book one of the series, I assumed book two would be another twist on a fairy tale. But no…

Still feeling bothered by it, I returned to Amazon to look at the next one. I then spotted Courageous Heroine Fairy Tales, and it contained all the stories in one volume. As it was also in Kindle Unlimited, I downloaded it immediately, and wait to read it!

Description

Cinderella made a vow to her mother, before her mother tragically passed away on midwinter’s day. Ella swore to watch over her father and care for him. But then her father married anew. Her stepmother and two stepsisters took sharp delight in causing Ella grief from morn to eve. They bullied her, called her Cinderella, and treated her as little more than a slave in her own home. It took all of Ella’s courage to swallow the insults and to honor her word.

Now the crown prince has returned home from the battlefront; a ball is announced to celebrate his arrival. All eligible young women from the entire kingdom are invited to attend.

Ella has but one desire left. She wishes to see the king’s gardens one last time before she leaves home. It will be a final way to commemorate her beloved mother before counting her vow’s terms as complete.