Stepsister

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly is a YA novel that tells the story of what happens to her ugly stepsisters after Cinderella puts on the glass slipper and lives happily ever after.

When Isabella’s deception to cut off her toes to fit the glass slipper and win the prince is discovered, the shame she receives is no more than she deserves. Now she is ridiculed by the whole town; called ugly and mean. Wild and hot tempered, Isabella finds it impossible to fit in, in a world that wants her to be everything she isn’t.

Isabelle’s destiny is leading down a dark path but a chance may be all she needs to change her fate and just maybe… the fate of others too.

When I picked up this one, I wasn’t completely sold. I find with fairytale retellings/re-imaginings that they are either great or not and I really enjoyed this one. Isabella is strong and smart, she is impressively self aware about somethings and hopelessly naive about others.  She grows as a character and doesn’t depend on others to come and save her, she saves herself.

Fate and Chance’s interludes were fun and actually added to the story instead of taking away from it. The whole idea of Isabelle not just fighting her fate by taking a chance, but actually forging her own fate was great.

There were some very striking moments in the book; moments where the narrator is almost making an aside in order to help the reader along in getting the ideas across that the author wants you to make. I wasn’t sure if I liked being told what I was supposed to be “getting out” of the story but they were some really good lines.

This was a slightly dark, yet still hopeful retelling of the stepsister’s side of the story. This one gets 4 stars from me.

That’s all for now!

-M-