This fantasy sports a clever premise using a well-known fairy tale as the catalyst. Readers should not be expecting a retelling or minor twist on the Cinderella story. Instead, this novel is what happens after because what happened before is not what the fairy tales say.

Told in first person from Lady Aislinn’s (aka Ash aka Cinderella) point of view, the reader sees up close and personal the internal conflicts and insecurities of Ash. It sure doesn’t seem like Ash is in the control of the situation–even though that is what she keeps telling herself and others. Ash, the heroine, may be difficult for some readers to root for; she does look out for her interests at a cost to others, although she keeps telling herself it is for the greater good. The pacing of the story is good, and frankly the initial set-up twist is brilliant. Plus, the author has a gift for writing witty and believable banter, which is always enjoyable. The ending was a little difficult to buy, but forgiving readers will point out that this is a work of fiction after all.

While this book is set in a fantasy world and magic does play a role in the story, the magic system is not really expanded upon and the politics of the world play a more important role. The book is also part steamy romance and part political intrigue. So, readers who like all three of those genres would most likely enjoy this book.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy provided by Del Rey

Content Analysis

Profanity/Language: 39 religious exclamations; 1 religious profanity; 12 derogatory names; 22 scatological words; 14 anatomical terms; 39 F-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore: Character thinks she would like to put a fork through someone’s eye; character has a scar from a previous attempt to kill him; several flashbacks or references to a character being beaten with a cane, mention of blood; characters kidnapped and treated roughly, threatened at knife-point, struggle resulting in injury with mention of blood; female backhanded across the face by male; references to a war with prior casualties and current injustices; brief scene where character backhands another and starts to strangle them, animal attacks, character kicks animal and severely injures it; character tells another how they were beaten mercilessly as a child; female slaps a male; report of a death by suicide; reports of murder of a family, including the young children; character is tortured to extract a confession; character knocks another unconscious; attempt to kill someone with magic.

Sex/Nudity: Romantic relationships (heterosexual); male puts hand on female’s thigh (unwanted); male puts arm around female’s waist; innuendo; several times in the book characters kiss; a disheveled couple come out of the barn, implied sexual activity; male touchy with a female and he eyes her neckline; female and male are tied together which requires a compromising position in order to escape; character recalls being told what men expected and practicing kissing, flirting, etc. but going no further; suggestive speculation on how a character likes sex; betrothed couple fall asleep from exhaustion in their clothes in the same bed; characters French kiss passionately on a sofa; description of a female’s negligee on her wedding night; crude reference; descriptive, moderate-length scene of wedding night sex; brief sex scene with some description; characters caress and kiss; extended descriptive and detailed sex scene (a married and unmarried person); characters kiss passionately; innuendo.

Mature Subject Matter:

Abuse (physical and emotional), war, politics, death, infidelity/affair, treason, assassination.

Alcohol/Drugs:

There is a substance in this fantasy world called lustre that is used for religion and magic, but some people have taken to using it as a drug; adults drink at social events–sometimes to excess; character is drugged.