Loosely based on the story of Cinderella, Ella brings a zombie twist on an old time fairytale. I started reading this story and could not put it down. It has been quite awhile since a story captivated me as much as this one. I can't wait to start the next book in the series. ( )

Set in the English countryside following WWI, this is a retelling of Cinderella with a zombie twist. In this world the flu pandemic was a virus that killed then reanimated the victims. Ella has become the slayer for her community because of her skill with swords and shotguns. She does this in addition to serving her stepmother and 2 step sisters.

When the local duke returns from the war, he becomes the interested of every unmarried girl in the county. But he has more on his plate than parties and fancy dinners. He has been assigned the task of tracking the virus and the undead. It was inevitable that he would cross paths with Ella. And when they meet, sparks fly.

I enjoyed this retelling. The world is simple. The characters are wonderful, even the minor ones. I really want to know what will happen to the folks in this story. I marked it down 1/2 star because there were some glaring grammatical errors that I just could not overlook. But I will definitely be reading the next in the series. ( )

I don’t read a lot of fairy tale retellings, so I figured it was time to do just that. And how could I resist a retelling of Cinderella, taking place after World War I, with zombies! Yep, zombies.

Now, the zombies don’t dominate the story. They are there, lurking in the background, threatening to burst onto the scene at any given time. Sometimes, they do. And that’s where Ella opens up a can of whoop ass.

Ella didn’t ask to be the town’s protector, executioner. She was kind of forced into it. Her and that katana she wielded so well. And that’s just one role she’d been forced into.

She didn’t blame her father for getting married again. She wanted him happy. She didn’t blame him when he came home from war catatonic. She hoped for and watched for him to recover.

She did blame her evil step-mother and two spoiled step-sisters. They relegated her to maid service, whipping her when she didn’t do something right or fast enough. Ella almost relished having to go slay a zombie or two.

Her world changes when she runs into tall, dark, and handsome. Seth, the Duke, is so far out of her league, but her heart wants what it wants. And that’s Seth.

Can Ella have a happy ever after? Or will her evil step family spoil her plans? Will Seth want a lowly maid ? Or will he want one of the snotty step-sisters? And can he see her as a protector, not a killer?

All of my questions are answered, and in such fun and delightful ways. Ella is no lightweight and she has some awesome friends who love and support her.

Seth, weighed down by responsibility, by proper appearances, steps into the shoes assigned to him with strength and fortitude.

And then there’s the zombie thing. The author offered a fresh take on them. I didn’t quite see where she was heading until the end. Very interesting.

I stayed up late and then got up early so I could finish this book and find out what happened. Such a fun retelling.

And did I mention zombies? ( )