For the die hard Cinderella fan . . .

I started this as a audiobook and wasn't a fan of how Cendrillon was portrayed with the tone of her voice. It sounded more whinny than anything and I just wasn't a fan.

Luckily this is a book I have in print also, so I switched to only reading from the book. I liked the twists this book had on the "original" storyline but some of the twists were obvious and a bit anti-climatic. Would have liked the last 2 chapters to have been rounded out a bit more and drawn out, parts felt rushed.

All that being said, if you are a fan of fairytale retelling's, and if Cinderella is your favorite, you might want to read this one just for the differences she took on the characters. There are several characters in this book, like Lady Francoise and Alexandre, that I loved would have liked to see more from their point of views.

I probably won't seek this author out but if anyone disagrees, I'd love to know what book from this author I should try as a second chance. ( )

AURA IB Box 2 - 65
Hardcover ISBN 10: 0593326652 ISBN 13: 9780593326657
PZ7 .D36967 C 2022 AURA

This is a Cinderella Retelling that's Cinderella in France at Versailles in The Selection. Her name is Cendrillon and she is invited to multiple balls and events with a selection of other available prospective brides for Prince Louis.
Cendrillon, who is called Cinder, once she's reduced to being a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters in her household after the death of her father, attends the ball where she catches the eye of Prince Louis and his brother, Auguste. She is invited to compete with the other women for marriage to Prince Louis, who she dislikes, but feels she has no other choice if she wishes to escape her stepmother. As Cinder/Cendrillon continues in the competition, she grows closer to Auguste, the prince's brother, and finds herself disliking Prince Louis more and more each day. In the end, she has to decide whether she can stand Prince Louis to escape her stepmother and if she can give up the boy she loves.
It's a light-hearted and charming tale with swoon-worthy romance. It also has fun and feel-good moments like The Selection did. It's a nice, easy, and quick read to help cleanse your mind if you've been reading heavier-duty topic stories or dark and more distressing stories. It was a nice, refreshing read for me that reminded me of The Selection and love stories, etc where the good wins over the bad. If you're a lover of retellings, fairy tales, and such then make sure to check this out if you haven't already.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for letting me read and review this lovely retelling. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

I love fairytale retellings!
This one is a YA retelling of Cinderella and takes place in the French royal court at Versailles. Based upon Cendrillon, the French version of Cinderella.
The evil stepmother, two step-sisters, godmother and prince (well, 2 of them!) are all present with some unique twists and turns.

I took off one star because of the voice of Cendrillon: something about her tone (maybe a bit too calculating and not so cautious?) made me not as sympathetic towards her as one would expect in a Cinderella retelling. Also, the glass slipper didn't seem as important in this story.

There was also one death in the novel which I hoped would have been investigated more but was not (don't want to spoil it). ( )

Narrated by Lauren Ezzo. A swoony take on the Cinderella story with a few twists. Cendrillon's father, an adviser to King Louis, dies shortly after a seemingly impetuous marriage to Lady Catherine. Now Cendrillon does all the cleaning, shopping, and cooking. She sleeps in the attic, having lost her bedroom to mean stepsister Severin (sp?). When the king hosts a ball to find a wife for his son Prince Louis, Catherine and her daughters head off to the ball, leaving Cendrillon behind. The reimagining takes off from there with the twists: It's not Prince Louis that Cendrillon loves, it's his bastard brother. Prince Louis hosts a competition for the prospective wives a la "The Bachelor." The younger stepsister Alexandra is kind compared to her mother and Severin, and is also having a secret romance with Elodie, Cendrillon's former servant and dear friend. Ezzo's performance is lush, manifesting the luxe of life in Versailles. Her Cendrillon is resolute and tender. ( )