Fairy Tale. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
A servant struggling to survive.
A prince becoming a leader.
A snake seeking power.
Arella Marceau, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, finds herself diminished to a lowly servant who must obey the every whim of her stepmother. Then she meets Freddie who is handsome, kind, strong, and of course, very charming. They spend an afternoon together, exploring ruins, becoming lost in the forest, and dealing with gypsies and Arella begins to fall for the young man. When a mysterious debt arises, it inevitably tears Arella away from what she thought might have been a shred of happiness.
Arella accepts her dismal fate, but working as a scullery maid at the palace is a tumultuous task. For it is soon revealed to her that Freddie is Prince Friederic, heir to the throne of Ormandy. Even though discovery would mean life-shattering consequences, Freddie and Arella defy social expectations and meet in the safety of a secret garden. To complicate things further, Arella’s creditor seems to be frighteningly fascinated with her, as well as with the monarchy. What kind of secrets does he keep behind his black eyes?
As Arella’s life spins out of control, she must hold to her love for Freddie and to her belief that God has a perfect plan.
My Review:
Emma reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to review her book. First of all, I am honored, Emma. Thank you! When I asked her what her book was about, I got really excited. I love fairy tales! Her synopsis intrigued me and, I’m a fool for retellings, so that’s how Ashes of Glass came to my attention. And, I’m very glad that it did.
Let’s start with the not-so-strong points. I don’t know if it was specifically the copy of the book I received or if all of the books are formatted this way, but I couldn’t stand the formatting. It drove me insane. There were single or double lines that broke in the middle of the sentence, and often in the middle of the word. I eventually got used to it enough to read it, but I honestly wondered if the formatting would give me a headache! The chapters ran one directly after another and there was no bold or anything to set them apart, so it was sometimes difficult to tell that one was coming to an end. Also, I found many grammatical errors and a few typos. One chapter had the title inserted three or four times in the middle of the chapter, and once in the middle of a sentence! I took note of several run-ons, but they weren’t three or four sentence run ons; they were just two short sentences connected by commas instead of a semicolon or separated by periods. Eventually, I tuned those out. There were a few other examples of grammatical errors that need fixed, but suffice it to say none of them were jarring (though a few did make me shake my head XD). I’m just a grammar Nazi and noticed each of them as I read. I believe this is self-published, and that takes an incredible amount of work. I’m so proud for Emma to have gotten this far! But, at least the copy I read, was very poorly formatted.
Secondly, the plot. From the very start, even as I read the synopsis, I noticed similarities between Ashes of Glass and the film Ever After. The first few chapters resembled the film in many regards, which kind of had me worried at first, but they were only similarities. Truthfully, the exposition felt like Disney’s Cinderella mashed up with Ever After with a few strains of this new Cinderella retelling I was still feeling my way around. Now, that said, there came a point about 25% in that those similarities stopped and quite abruptly. I only found one or two more throughout the rest of the book. And the plot for the entire book was well done. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma’s retelling. It was beautiful. She nodded to our favorite Cinderella qualities, but fleshed them out with her own ideas and made a story we wanted to follow. It was very well-paced and I loved the mystery and intrigue thrown in. (I do wish it had been expanded on just a tad, but I wasn’t displeased with it.) I remember wondering more than once, “I’m only x% through the book…what could she possibly have left to do?” It seemed like we kind of sped through some of the traditional Cinderella plot points, though not uncomfortably so. I liked the ending, though I do feel there were a few things left unresolved. Nothing major was omitted and everything that should have been resolved was given attention, but I wanted one or two specific elements to have a final say and I kind of missed those. That said, I was positively grinning by the end.
The setting was simplistic, traditional. I enjoyed the reality of Emma’s world. This is a retelling void of magic; and though I enjoy magic in fairytales and other stories, I’m always intrigued by those who can tell a story which traditionally employs magic without it. It’s like a puzzle to me. How is the author going to get around this obstacle? How will she handle this plot element or that character, etc? I wouldn’t say the setting was underdeveloped, but I also wouldn’t really say there was anything particularly enchanting about it. I enjoyed the variety in the setting. We had a castle, a few homes, a forest, etc. It kept things fresh and interesting and made the world feel full.
I honestly and truly loved the characters. Arella and Freddie were fun to root for. They were endearing and a truly beautiful example of true love, love and friendship that develops and grows, love that sacrifices and protects. I had a wonderful time getting to know each of them and I’m really glad we got so many scenes from Freddie’s perspective; those were quite the treat (even though the transition from one pov to the next was entirely nonexistent and somewhat confusing on occasion). I loved the side characters. The step-family felt a little flat and resembled, again, both Disney and Ever After’s interpretations, but I like how they were incorporated into the plot. I wish we had seen a little more of some of the others like Agatha and Cecily. Oh, and I would read a whole book on Antonio! He was one of my very favorites! I think Izabella could have had more development, but I really liked her. I really wish we’d seen more of the king. I adored him!
Overall, I really did enjoy the book. I liked reading it and it wasn’t poorly done. I did wish for a little more here and there though. I feel like the book…it isn’t shallow, but it only touches the tip of the iceberg, if you know what I mean. It had great potential for depth, but rarely dove in and took the plunge. A book doesn’t have to be heavy to be deep. This is a light read, but there were some plot elements and characters I wish had been given more development.
The romance was sweet and genuine. It was clean, but still heartwarming, and of course, there were a few fluffy kisses that make all the girls smile and sigh. There was no foul language at all and a very few, mild instances of violence.
I’d recommend this sweet indie retelling. It has a lot of potential to become great, I think. It’s one to add to the collection for sure.
Hey, also, go check out Emma’s blog Letters to You!