I have slowly started picking up books from my 'to read' pile, so there will be some blasts from the past happening. Get excited!
An amazon summary, "The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story. Sarah Prineas’s bold fairy-tale retelling, now available in paperback, is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight.
Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker.
Pin isn’t free for long before she’s captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy-tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after.
As Pin tries to fight her arranged path, she finds that a sword is a much better fit for her than a glass slipper, and that the boy who she escaped with is still searching for her, and won’t stop until he rescues her—if Pin doesn’t rescue herself first." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
There are a few things I find problematic about this summary. You don't really know it's going to be a retelling of Cinderella until a bit later in the book. Not a lot later (unless you're quite slow on the uptake), but a bit later. Yes, Cinderella does have a prince who gives her a shoe at midnight, spinning into the path of the happily ever after, but if you're going to preface the book by saying it's a retelling, why would you assure the reader there's going to be a prince? I'm also a little terse that the book centers around Pin AND Shoe, but only Pin is mentioned in the summary. C'mon.
The book also starts out with a super creepy fortress where our main character is thrust into the role of a seamstress. She's kept on a very rigid schedule, is barely fed, and treated like a prisoner. All of the prisoners have no concept of before the prison, they only have the concept of Now. There is also no after. They can't remember anything about the Before. They spend most of their days sewing in harsh lights and have no recollection of a world before. There are also separate groups of people who make supplies for, reasons. One day, a shoemaker visits to clarify an order, and our main character makes eye contact with them across the way. The shoemaker summons our main character, and upon them meeting, they ask for each other's names. THEN, the main character reveals they don't remember their name and selects Pin to go by. The shoemaker ever so cleverly chooses shoe. Through a series of careful plotting, assembling of supplies, and meeting the other trapped groups of people; Pin & Shoe escape the fortress. Oh, and Pin has a magical thimble for unknown reasons (she doesn't remember anything).
Pin & Shoe go racing through the forest to escape the Godmother and her trackers, but during their escape Pin has a cut on her wrist from the bramble wall that refuses to stop bleeding. Realizing this will lead the trackers right to them, Pin runs towards their pursuers after convincing Shoe to keep running away from them.
Pin is captured, the Godmother removes her memories, and she is now Lady Penelope, but to what end? Perhaps she'll have a nickname soon enough... dun dun dunnnnn
Shoe escapes with the help of a Huntsman, and the plot only continues to pick up steam.
That's enough summary.
I really enjoyed the world building and character development. I think Pin/Lady Penelope serves as a strong-ish female character whose weak moments can be explained by other aspects of the story. I also liked Shoe a lot (but you're pretty much supposed to).
I didn't really care for how we got first person Pin/Lady Penelope, and third person Shoe perspectives. I think the book would have been fine/better off by sticking to one perspective. There was only a handful of times it seemed particularly useful to see both narrators, but overall, not so much.
I did like the different concepts introduced into the Cinderella, and well, fairy tale mythology as a whole. It was a little neat to see the whole genre become a little bit twisted.
Overall, I think there were some story elements that were revealed a little too late, and I think some of the late stage characters could have come forth a little earlier to make the story a tad more compelling. I did enjoy reading the book though, so props for that.
Happy reading!
Pin & Shoe go racing through the forest to escape the Godmother and her trackers, but during their escape Pin has a cut on her wrist from the bramble wall that refuses to stop bleeding. Realizing this will lead the trackers right to them, Pin runs towards their pursuers after convincing Shoe to keep running away from them.
Pin is captured, the Godmother removes her memories, and she is now Lady Penelope, but to what end? Perhaps she'll have a nickname soon enough... dun dun dunnnnn
Shoe escapes with the help of a Huntsman, and the plot only continues to pick up steam.
That's enough summary.
I really enjoyed the world building and character development. I think Pin/Lady Penelope serves as a strong-ish female character whose weak moments can be explained by other aspects of the story. I also liked Shoe a lot (but you're pretty much supposed to).
I didn't really care for how we got first person Pin/Lady Penelope, and third person Shoe perspectives. I think the book would have been fine/better off by sticking to one perspective. There was only a handful of times it seemed particularly useful to see both narrators, but overall, not so much.
I did like the different concepts introduced into the Cinderella, and well, fairy tale mythology as a whole. It was a little neat to see the whole genre become a little bit twisted.
Overall, I think there were some story elements that were revealed a little too late, and I think some of the late stage characters could have come forth a little earlier to make the story a tad more compelling. I did enjoy reading the book though, so props for that.
Happy reading!
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