Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

5 stars!!

A magical page-turning tale set in Victorian times.  Captivating and charming re-imagining of ‘Cinderella,’ from an Ugly Stepsister’s point of view.

When Kat accidentally tears a page of the hardcover copy of ‘Cinderella’ in her attic, she is magically transported to the beginning of the story, and finds herself in the body of the uglier of the stepsisters. This excellent YA fairy tale is 445 pages of beautiful world-building, vivid descriptions of places and attire, and a story that didn’t want to end any more than you or I wanted to put it down.  Devoured in a few short sittings, I wish the tale hadn’t ended and I look forward to reading any future entries in the Unfinished Fairy Tales series by Aya Ling.

This is a different spin on ‘Cinderella,’ including some unexpected plot points involving themes of children’s’ rights and workers’ rights movement in old-fashioned Story Land.  Equal rights for women and an involved governing body that looks out for the impoverished are also touched upon.  These plot additions made the tale more enjoyable for me, as it sets Ling’s work apart from the other, stricter re-tellings.

Currently part of the Kindle Unlimited program.

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