Anything Jennifer writes is so very well written.. but this one wasn’t for me. It’s a dark fairytale about Cinderella’s bully.. her stepsister. It has feminist views which is great but I think I was just expecting something else. Give it a try though if you like dark fairytales.. check trigger warning too.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

Couldn’t get into this unfortunately. I’d like to try again one day as I’ve read really great reviews so I probably just wasn’t in the right time frame when I read it!

// this book was sent to me by netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review //

I was looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately had misunderstood the premise. I thought it was a going to be a modern setting, which it is not, it is a fairytale retold.

I could not get into the writing it was too fantastical a story. I found when reading the shortened name for Cinderella of Ella I got confused as I thought it was the nickname for Isabelle.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would, and wow just look at that cover, stunning! A great retelling of Cinderella, a unique perspective.

Stepsister is a brilliant fairytale continuation with a lackluster ending (and far too many chapters!).

I wrongly assumed that Stepsister was going to be a fairytale retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of one of the ugly stepsisters. Instead it’s a continuation of the fairytale, beginning with the grotesque events of Isabelle and her sister Tavia chopping off pieces of their feet in the futile attempt to convince the prince that the glass slipper belongs to one of them (rather than their beautiful, mistreated stepsister, Ella).

Of course, we all know how that part of the story goes…

After Ella is revealed to be the prince’s love and is swept off to become a member of the royal family, Isabelle and Tavia become the most hated inhabitants of their French village. What kind of monsters sit back and let their loving, caring stepsister be maltreated, then twist the knife even further by trying to steal her chance at true love? Unfortunately it wasn’t down to Isabelle or Octavia, who were both just doing their best to fulfill their mother’s wishes.

Meanwhile, there’s a subplot following the personifications of Fate and Chance. Fate is an old crone who draws out maps of people’s lives, determining the twists and turns that their story will take. Chance, however, has decided that Isabelle deserves a second chance. He steals her map, fighting Fate on Isabelle’s behalf, desperate to prove that she can change her attitude – and therefore change her Fate – for the better, before it’s too late.

Although I found the subplot very interesting, at times I struggled to follow what was going on. That might have been because of the fact that I ended up listening to Stepsister on audiobook (my first full audiobook, ever!).

However, I think it’s more down to the fact that there is a large cast of characters, and a lot of the background characters feel unnecessary. Chance has a lot of allies, while Fate is introduced as an old crone with two sisters (and I’m still not quite sure what happened to the sisters, because I don’t remember them ever being mentioned again). This is a book I would be interested in rereading in the future, to see whether I find it easier to follow when reading it physically.

It also didn’t help that this book had so many chapters. By the end of the story we’re nearly on chapter 140, and for a book which is only 350 pages long, that’s too many. Some of the chapters were over before they’d really begun, and it made the storytelling disjointed and kept throwing me off. I found it hard to concentrate, and even harder to connect with the characters.

That being said, I did enjoy what Jennifer Donnelly did throughout Stepsister. There was a huge focus on the way that society views women and girls, and the roles that they are expected to fill. With Tavia having an intense interest in science and Isabelle being interested in war and military strategy, these girls don’t fit the typical mold a woman was expected to fill in France in this time period!

I particularly enjoyed the personification of Chance and Fate, and would happily read more books featuring these two in the future. It makes this fairytale stand out from the YA crowd by giving it such a great USP, and that’s not something I often find myself thinking about YA fairytale retellings (or continuations!).

All in all, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It would have been better if the chapters had been structured better, and I also would have liked the ending to have played out a little more slowly. The story unravels painfully slowly, then the ending occurs at such a breakneck speed that I found myself wondering if I’d accidentally skipped some chapters.

Although I didn’t love Stepsister I’m still looking forward to reading Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly, and I’m glad I’ve finally picked up one of her novels as I’ve been hearing great things about her writing for years.

First, I want to say that I love Donnelly! Have all her books in my personal library and keep recommending her to friends and family.

With all these retellings that overloaded the bookshelves, I'm exhausted of listening to all the hype because someone retells something somebody else has written. It sounds a lot like a lack of ideas. But wait, wow, that's Donnelly, sure she can't let us by writing a cheap story.

I, obviously, was wrong. I started the book back at the beginning of 2019. There is nothing to keep me going. I needed nearly a month to reach 30% of the book and I grew tired of it so I left it 'for now'. I picked it up later the same year but reached a dead end with it again.

My one and only stubbornness prevented me from hitting 'I will not be giving a feedback' back then. Recently, I picked up the book again. Decided that I have to start from the very beginning. I barely reached 20%.

I'm devastated. I gave up and officially DNF the book. I can only hope that Donnelly will surprise us, her fans, with a pageturner soon.

This archived before I had the chance to download it, so I never got around to reading it until now, but this was a smart retelling that I really enjoyed! I like unique retelling that bring something new to the story, so I really enjoyed this one!
It was dark, interesting and had a lot of good messages (but some things I did disagree with) but overall it was a really enjoyable, fresh take on the retelling genre.

Stepsister was one of my favourite books of 2019. I love fairytale retellings – especially when they’re on the darker side – and Stepsister did not disappoint.

The story centred around Isabelle, one of Cinderella’s ‘ugly’ stepsisters, and her life following Ella’s encounter with and subsequent marriage to Prince Charming. At the start of the story, Isabelle was bitter. She felt powerless and controlled by her mother, and she was jealous of Ella’s beauty and how it allowed her to escape their household. The book never shied away from the bad things Isabelle and her sister Octavia had done, or how they had treated Ella.

What I think Jennifer Donnelly did so well in this book is portray how much Isabelle’s life had been shaped by her belief that she was ugly. Her lack of self-worth, her jealousy, her attempts to pretend to be someone she wasn’t, all came down to the fact that she thought she was ugly, and ugly girls got nowhere in life.

The book delved into Isabelle’s past, as well as the people around her and the society she lived in. It was clear how she became the girl she was. After Isabelle was given a quest to fulfil, however, she could no longer sit at home and hide herself from the world. She was forced out of the life she had always known, and slowly began to realise that maybe she wasn’t so worthless after all. I really loved seeing her resilience, seeing her character change and grow and form more positive relationships, especially with her sister.

I also loved the addition of Chance and Fate and how they influenced Isabelle’s life – it was a cool twist and added stakes that the original fairytale lacked.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it!

This book was a pleasant surprise. Fiercely and unapologetically feminist, as well as being a retelling that brings new twists to a familiar tale. However I found it peculiar that it takes place on our world rather than some fantasy world, I understand why but I just found it jarring. 3 stars for originality, writing, and the sheer fierceness of the main character.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect and it surprised me how much I enjoyed it. I've loved all of Jennifer's books I've read so far and this one is no exception.

The writing was great as always and she created such an interesting cast of characters. I loved them and the relationships so much, I especially loved how she wrote them in a way that showed that people are complex. The good guys weren't all good, the wicked stepsisters weren't all wicked.

I loved the unique spin she put on the story, both with the characters and the inclusion of Chance and The Fates. Basically, there wasn't much I didn't love about it.

Overall, I'd rate the book 4.5 stars out of 5 and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a unique feminist retelling of a classic tale.

(Just to note: the review has been posted to Amazon and I'll edit with the link once Amazon approves it, also I'm in the process of creating a new blog and the review will be cross posted there once it's up and running)

I love retellings its one of my favourite genre of books to read. I say this is a retelling but its more of a spin off and focuses on one of the step sisters who just wants her mums approval. Because she wants her mums approval when the prince comes around looking for the owner of the slipper she cuts her foot up in attempt to make her foot fit that glass slipper. Because we are in the point of view of Isabelle the sister it really makes you feel how they must be feeling and how much abuse they get from their mum. I mean no mum should call their own child ugly. I do like that we get an insight of the 'evil' stepmother and why she does what she did and it is understandable but still not nice. 

I like the original characters we got in this book like chance and fate and how they guided our main character. I felt it gave the books more character and extra depth!

One of my favourite things about this book was the quest and adventure that the main character had to complete. it really drew me in and i was there in my head as i read it on this quest with her trying to solve it with her. 

I gave this book 4 stars.

Why did I pick it?
I have loved many of Jennifer Donnelly’s previous books and so when I saw a new one from her I knew I had to pick it up at some point.

I’ll admit I was a little put off with it being a retelling, I’ve read a few retellings in the past and although I have enjoyed most of them I am getting a little bored with the theme, it feels like a fad.

What I loved about it
Although this is a retelling, I thought the approach was really unique. All the woman are strong characters and there was a strong feminist storyline throughout.

Jennifer Donnelly does an excellent job of taking characters such as the “evil stepmother” and changing the way we view them. She isn’t just “evil” she’s scared and worried that her daughters will be alone in the world, she does what she does out of desperation not pure evil. We learn that lots of other characters do what they do out of loneliness or jealously

Some of my favourite parts of the book are the dialogue between Chance and Fate. The fact that Chance loves to gamble and to travel without a plan are really clever characteristics and gives a voice and an extra layer to the story.

What I loathed about it
Although I enjoyed the book I’m disappointed I didn’t love it more. The story starts strong and finishes well, but it flattened out a little in the middle and didn’t keep the pace for me.

Thoughts
A retelling with a twist, what happens after happily ever after with some “strong girl” feminism thrown in.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Sadly I just could not get into the story so I decided to stop reading. Lots of people very much enjoyed the novel so I'm guessing it was simply the wrong book choice for my tastes. I would recommend checking out other reviews.

The concept of this book is so interesting. It love that it's a very different story being told based on Cinderella. It follows the stepsisters of Cinderella, but after she's already married the prince. I love this idea. But the execution, it was just fine. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with the writing or the storytelling, but I just wasn't as captivated by this tale as I hoped I'd be. It was an average book for me and I'm just a bit disappointed really.

What happens to the stepsisters and stepmother after Cinderella finds love with her prince? Well, we find out in this retelling of Cinderella. Isabelle, the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to try to trick the prince, is left trying to tend to her sister and mother. She tries desperately to make them happy while also being happy herself, but she is left angry, bitter, and ugly. But she decides she must take fate into her own hands, and somehow find her own fairy tale ending.

I think the beauty of the this story was that our Cinderella villians are just morally grey characters. Were they the best or worst of people? No, they could've easily gone to either side. I absolutely loved Isabelle's character. I felt sorry for her at times and cheer for her when she was down. She never grows into a beautiful character, but she is a strong character. She has her faults and her problems, but regardless of that, she learns how she can be better and do better.

My only gripe with this story is the "fates" side of the story. The story begins with a thief stealing the fates (the Greek goddesses), maps. The thief wants to change Isabelle's fate whereas the Fates want her to stay on the path she's on. I just didn't enjoy the sections with them pushing and pulling Isabelle in certain ways and I thought the whole thing could've been done away with.

Regardless, this book is very good. It's a nice short read as well. And it's inspiring. It gives you the courage to go and stop standing aside. Do the hard things and make something of yourself.

This book is a 4 star book for me! The fates, get rid of them. Isabelle, keep her she's strong and wonderful and I'd love to read more of her and her adventures.

My three-word description of Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly is thrilling, exciting and humorous.

Book Synopsis:
Isabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood.

When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

My Musings:
I found this compelling and hugely entertaining. The storyline starts out as a retelling of Cinderella but is certainly a departure from the original story. The Stepsister takes the initial concept of the fairy tale a few steps further, broadening the story to expand on events after that infamous happy ever after.

True to the Grimm Brothers' version of Cinderella, the book opens at the end of the tale that we all know, with the stepsisters mutilating their own feet to attempt to fit the glass slipper. With Stepsister, that is the beginning. Isabelle, 16, and Octavia, 17, are left behind with their overbearing mother and Isabelle, in particular, is overcome with bitterness. I really liked that this story focused on the stepsisters' perspectives of what then happened. Jennifer Donnelly delivers very strong characters in this novel, and both of the stepsisters were portrayed as intelligent and brave. Neither of them are attractive and both have done dreadful, selfish things, but so have many of the other characters in the book.

Running parallel with all of this there is another dimension to the story - one where Fate, who has determined the course of Isabelle's life, pits against Chance, who wagers that he can change it. These two characters face-off, each hoping that Isabelle takes the path of their choosing, which was exciting.

Jennifer Donnelly's mesmerising tale is all about beauty, forgiveness, second chances, and redemption. Overall, I had no issues with Stepsister but it didn't bedazzle me.

Verdict:
Very highly recommended for those who get a buzz from fairy tale retellings.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bonnier Zaffre/ Hot Key Books via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Possibly one of my favourite books of the year, and definitely one of my favourite retellings ever. It's such an important message and the heart of the story is as endearing as the ugly step sister. Longer rtc.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an earc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love a good fairytale and I am very partial to a retelling too. I originally requested this book on netgalley but I listened to the audiobook which I borrowed vias my library app Borrowbox.

The book's main character is one of the 'ugly' stepsisters from Cinderella. Isabelle has spent her whole life being told what she can't do and has now got to the point where she believes she is rotten and ugly. Over the course of the book, Isabelle is shown that she is not rotten and ugly and she can do anything she likes. It's so empowering to see Isabelle realise her full potential.

Jennifer does an excellent job of turning Isabelle from a villain to hero. Jennifer makes it really easy to root for Isabelle and the others to succeed. This book has such a strong moral message.

I enjoyed Jennifer's writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.