Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers by Brittany Fichter
Fantasy. 540 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
What if the prince didn’t throw the ball to meet his true love? What if he was trying to save her life instead?
Since the murder of her gifted mother, Elaina has been sheltered on her father’s ship. But when Elaina’s secret is compromised, she must return to land and live under the king’s protection…much to Elaina’s objection.
Ashland’s crown prince, Nicholas, has never been without. He is, however, facing a deadly foe who preys on his gifted citizens and a possible civil war. So when he meets Elaina, Nicholas delights in insisting she shares her military expertise gained on her father’s ship. He gets more than he bargains for, though, when he finds that he might have fallen for the one girl who refuses to fall for his charms.
A dark turn of events finds Elaina exiled and forced into servitude, a civil war declared, and the murderer bloodthirstier than ever. Can Nicholas and Elaina defeat the dark forces that have poisoned their kingdom…and find their own happy ending as well?
Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers is sixth in the Classical Kingdoms Collection, a series of fairy tale retellings for those who still believe in sacrifice, true love, and the magic of happily ever afters.
My Review:
Okay, guys. Cinderella. The classic fairy tale. Fichter’s favorite. One of my top fairy tales (Currently working on my own retelling!) Here at last. I’ve come to Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers. I’ve been eyeballing this beauty (Is that cover not stunning?!) for a while now, but I was determined to read the series in order. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait.
First of all, I have to preface this. We all know I love fairy tales. I’ve just admitted that Cinderella is dear to my heart. But let me tell you this: everyone has bits and pieces that make them up. Two pretty sizable chunks of my soul are the sea and the stars. I wouldn’t be who I am if not for my love of the sea and the stars. That said, I didn’t feel that yearning in my soul stir by just reading the title of this. Fichter drew it out in the writing! The way she incorporated the stars into this story filled me with peace and comfort and love. I gaze at the stars and love them. I find their utter beauty incomparable. They fascinate me. And this book did that obsession justice. Similarly, I’m pretty sure I have sea water in my veins. I practically learned to walk on a beach and get cranky when I spend too much time away from my beloved ocean. Fichter may have had a leg up tossing the sea and stars and Cinderella all into one pot, but the book dove in so much deeper than I could have expected.
Guys, I fangirled when Ever showed up. Hardcore. I squealed worse than Elaina did. Verifiably. And when Henry showed up?! I straight up melted into the floor. I cannot wait for his story! Good Lord! My little Henry all grown up and making friends? Doing what’s right and using his powers! And telling stories about his parents. Ima faint just thinking about it all over again! I LOVED the returning characters who made little cameos! They were glittering little lights that made my heart very happy. I will say this, though, I thought it was odd how and when they were called away from the story. I kind of wished they’d stayed for their part and moved on (thought I am super glad they were in the book as much as they were!) as opposed to coming and going and coming and going. Henry’s bits felt completely natural to me, but Ever. He left right in the thick of battle so to speak at the end, and for some unnamed reason. I wonder if we’ll get a chance to see what that was one day.
As for new cast members, Elaina was so much fun. She had just a dash of sass and I loved it. The girl couldn’t walk away from a challenge and honestly I just about died when Nicholas challenged her in public at the shipyard. Possibly one of my favorite parts of the whole book right there. That moment where Lydia groaned and Elaina’s eyes narrowed. Yes. That was perfection. Anyway, back to characters. XD Elaina struggled with control, with letting go, and with trusting. I can relate to that on so many levels. Watching Elaina grow and learn from the stars and the Maker was a treasure in and of itself.
Nicholas! Guys, Nicholas was…boy, there are no words for him! He’s probably the character with the most drastic, easy to see change in any of Fichter’s characters. He made me smile in the beginning, and I couldn’t help but like the boy we met since I knew he was our MC, but by the end…well, by the end he was a man. I liked watching him get under Elaina’s skin. I liked the glimpses into something more. I liked his relationship with his parents and seeing those parts of him wrestle with each other. But I really liked seeing him change. I liked watching him grow and want to be more, to be worthy, to be noble and just and good. Nicholas became a character who stole my heart a little. His devotion and nobility drew me in (fairy tale, lover? Me? Nooo, course not.) and it was mesmerizing to watch his relationship with Elaina develop.
Lydia and Charlotte kept me on my toes. I spent half the book wondering who the step-family would be. Elaina’s father ran truer to the original Cinderella than any other retelling I’ve read, which I have mixed feelings about. I mean, I loved his role in this book as the admiral. (Oh, and I must add I loved the crew! I’m a sucker for that gangly group of old giezers who look out for their girl with such fierce loyalty! And when the admirals showed up at the meeting! Be still my soul!) I loved the life he’d paved for Elaina, but then, well, let’s just say we wouldn’t have had a story if he hadn’t made the choices he did. The villain took me by surprise. Didn’t see that one coming at all, and I really enjoyed the mystery of the plot and the villain both. Oh! Also, that fairy godmother, y’all! I’m pretty sure my neighbors heard me screech! I hope we see more of some of these characters. I would be intrigued to see more of Lydia for sure.
The story follows Cinderella, but as Fichter does so well, it turns it into something altogether new. The common elements like the ball and the glass slipper are puzzle pieces that every writer strives to throw a new twist on, but Fichter takes it even further and gives each element a significance to her plot that ironically makes her stories so original and different from the fairy tale. I thought her take on Cinderella’s servitude and step-family was rather ingenious. It’s one I hadn’t seen before and it explained the classic tale rather well. But it was just one piece of a much larger plot within her world, a plot that drew me in, one I was far more invested in than seeing how Fichter hit the Cinderella elements. And, man, there were definitely some moments I spoke to my book like a crazy lady. My jaw dropped, my blood boiled, and my heart swooned. Near misses and witty remarks. The story is full of excellent writing and a world I’ve come to love dearly.
I did find one small inconsistency in the book and two typos, but I was so engaged in the story that I couldn’t be upset by them. The book had I think like one mild swear word that I didn’t even blink at honestly. The romance is clean and realistic, beautifully written. There is some violent content–there’s a civil war that breaks out, though we don’t actually see any of the battles–but none of it more graphic than a little drop of blood and a dagger. There is, however, some thematic content to consider for any young ones. Personally, I think I’d be comfortable with giving the book to a pre-teen, but I might sit down and have a discussion about some of the themes. The book does deal with ideas such as slavery and there’s a section that mentions physical abuse. None of it is graphic, but the book is darker than Disney for sure. We’re all left by scars, and our experiences shape us. This book doesn’t belay that, but it doesn’t despair either. It shines a glorious light and reminds us that everything has a season, a purpose, and a silver lining.
I am DYING to get my hands on the next book and cannot wait for it to come out!!! Thank you, Fichter, for your amazing fairy tales! They hold an iron grip on my heart!
More:
Book 0.5 (a novella) in the Classical Kingdoms series is The Green-Eyed Prince (4 Stars)
Book 1 is Before Beauty (5 Stars)
Book 2 is Blinding Beauty (5 Stars)
Book 3 is Beauty Beheld (5 Stars)
Book 4 is Girl in the Red Hood (4 Stars)
Book 5 is Silent Mermaid (5 Stars)
Book 7 is A Curse of Gems (5 Stars)
Book 8 is Neverland Falling (5 Stars)
Book 9 is Breaking Neverland (5 Stars)
Book 10 is The Sentinel’s Song (4 Stars)
Book 11 is The Seven Years Princess (5 Stars)
I have read and rated the above on Goodreads. Check out the links for more info.
The Becoming Beauty trilogy should be read in order; however, the others are technically stand-alones. That said, I’d still read them in order since there is some crossover between characters.
Here is a picture of the reading order as posted by the author:
On Gracebought:
If you missed it, be sure to check out the reviews for the previous books in the series here on GraceBought! And stay tuned for my thoughts on the next book!
The Green-Eyed Prince, Before Beauty, Blinding Beauty, Beauty Beheld