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20 reviews for:
Five Glass Slippers
Elisabeth Brown, Stephanie Ricker, Clara Diane Thompson, Emma Clifton, Rachel Heffington
3.58 AVERAGE
20 reviews for:
Five Glass Slippers
Elisabeth Brown, Stephanie Ricker, Clara Diane Thompson, Emma Clifton, Rachel Heffington
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are some very clever retellings here. The five authors here have such creative imagination.
The stories are a little on the long side though they are very well written.
I found myself constantly trying to work out how each one fitted the Cinderella story. The tales may have worked better if they had been in other collections so that we only realise at the very end that they retell the Cinderella story.
I did enjoy the book on the whole and would be happy to read more from any of these writers.
I really wanted to like this a lot. And parts of it I did. A Cinder's Tale was GREAT. By far the best story in this collection, and I'm happy to discover that Stephanie Ricker is writing a series of novellas based in that universe so I can spend more time with these characters. I also enjoyed The Moon Master's Ball.
But the first three stories...two were okay, one I didn't even finish because every character in it annoyed me. So overall I found it rather disappointing.
But the first three stories...two were okay, one I didn't even finish because every character in it annoyed me. So overall I found it rather disappointing.
Five Glass Slippers is a collection of short stories all themed around Cinderella. . Each story differs from the other ones, but contains the core elements of a Cinderella story: a girl, a generous benefactor or fairy godmother, glass slippers, a ball, and a prince.
Of the five stories, I really enjoyed two: “A Cinder’s Tale” and “The Moon Master’s Ball”, In a Cinder’s Tale, Elsa is a space miner, mining cendrillon from a gas giant. She’s been a miner for years for the high pay and the ability to see the galaxy. She’s also found her little family among the other Cinders, as the miners are known. She’s happy, and befriends a fay woman, who loans her a beautiful dress (and glass slippers) for a ball. There, she meets the son of one of the most famous space explorers known, and they hit it off.
I enjoyed this one a lot because it was completely different from all the other stories. The rest are largely Regency era stories, with carriages and serving maids, and this one’s all modern and fun. Elsa is content with her life, with the family she’s made with the other miners. The world she’s in is interesting, yet still relatable (the miners have pasta for dinner). The “prince” in this story is a down to earth guy who happens to be related to someone famous. The big event that risks tearing Elsa’s world apart is believable, within the context of the world. So I really enjoyed this story.
I didn’t know if I’d like the Moon Master’s Ball when I started reading it. It’s one of those Regency era stories, where Tilly works as a maid for Lord Hollingberry, who was kind enough to take her in when her parents died. At the start of the story, a new head housekeeper has been brought in, and Tilly’s upset about it. Turns out her upset is reasonable, as the head housekeeper is a nasty woman, and her daughter isn’t any better. They’re only in the house a day before an annual event happens: Bromley’s Circus. It appears out of nowhere and sticks around for a week every fall. And every fall, Tilly spends the week in her room, hiding away. She had a bad experience years before at the circus, and refuses to go.
All of that changes when Lord Hollingberry asks her to deliver a letter to the Moon Master. This sets a course of events in motion that changes many people’s lives. Tilly goes from being a timid maid to someone with a spine, and in the process, saves someone who’s stuck under a curse. There’s a decent mix of magic and realism that comes together for this story, which I enjoyed. The only drawback is the circus reminds me of the one in The Night Circus.
As to the other three stories, I could leave them, and not miss them. They’re ultimately what drags down my rating of the book (3 stars on Goodreads). The first story stays pretty close to the original tale’s events, except that everyone’s personalities are inverted. Arella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, all of whom treat her nicely. She’s treated as a daughter in the household, not a drudge. But, she hates being the center of attention, and since she’s gorgeous, she often is. She’s taken to being a shut in to avoid attention. Of course, the prince is instantly smitten with her at the ball, and does everything he can to woo her into marrying him. Desperate to not be forced into marrying him, Arella concocts a plan to escape. Ultimately, she’s too whiny and too much of a doormat for me to sympathize, and the personality flip of Arella’s family is a bit much.
The second story is more fun than stories one and three, but not nearly as good as the last two. In it, Rosalind is being forced to marry the prince because some girl wore her shoes to a ball. Yeah, I know. The prince danced with this girl and adored her, and when she ran away, she left a shoe behind. The Prince ordered his servants to find the girl, and they bring him Rosalind, who is the owner of the shoe, but not the one he danced with. The girl he danced with is a cinder girl, one of the girls who stokes the fires in the factories to keep the machines running. It’s a sort of a steampunk world, with steam carriages and the like. The plot gets convoluted, as the Prince’s younger brothers are involved: one’s a schemer who wants the throne, the other is a doormat, and courting Rosalind. Add in a fake death, magic, and a fairy godmother, and it’s quite the plot in a small package.
I don’t know if the third story is my least favorite, or if it just ties with the first for that honour. In it, Alis is part of the traditional Cinderallas tale: dead father, evil stepmother, annoying stepsisters, spends her time as a serving girl. The twist is that she believes she’s the true daughter of the king and queen of the realm, and she was switched at birth with the boy who’s there now. She looks just like them, their son does not, and there’s no record of her father anywhere. She enlists other servants to help her prove the claim. She obtains a fairy godfather in the form of a Lord, and he is willing to help her prove her claims. What she didn’t count on is falling in love with the Prince. Once in love with him, the plot to fake his murder and run away, but things don’t go as planned. I didn’t like this one because Alis is an annoying character, all sharp tongue and no grace. And, she falls in love with the prince right off the bat. Seriously, she’s in love with him after the second meeting. I couldn’t suspend disbelief enough for that.
Of the five stories, I really enjoyed two: “A Cinder’s Tale” and “The Moon Master’s Ball”, In a Cinder’s Tale, Elsa is a space miner, mining cendrillon from a gas giant. She’s been a miner for years for the high pay and the ability to see the galaxy. She’s also found her little family among the other Cinders, as the miners are known. She’s happy, and befriends a fay woman, who loans her a beautiful dress (and glass slippers) for a ball. There, she meets the son of one of the most famous space explorers known, and they hit it off.
I enjoyed this one a lot because it was completely different from all the other stories. The rest are largely Regency era stories, with carriages and serving maids, and this one’s all modern and fun. Elsa is content with her life, with the family she’s made with the other miners. The world she’s in is interesting, yet still relatable (the miners have pasta for dinner). The “prince” in this story is a down to earth guy who happens to be related to someone famous. The big event that risks tearing Elsa’s world apart is believable, within the context of the world. So I really enjoyed this story.
I didn’t know if I’d like the Moon Master’s Ball when I started reading it. It’s one of those Regency era stories, where Tilly works as a maid for Lord Hollingberry, who was kind enough to take her in when her parents died. At the start of the story, a new head housekeeper has been brought in, and Tilly’s upset about it. Turns out her upset is reasonable, as the head housekeeper is a nasty woman, and her daughter isn’t any better. They’re only in the house a day before an annual event happens: Bromley’s Circus. It appears out of nowhere and sticks around for a week every fall. And every fall, Tilly spends the week in her room, hiding away. She had a bad experience years before at the circus, and refuses to go.
All of that changes when Lord Hollingberry asks her to deliver a letter to the Moon Master. This sets a course of events in motion that changes many people’s lives. Tilly goes from being a timid maid to someone with a spine, and in the process, saves someone who’s stuck under a curse. There’s a decent mix of magic and realism that comes together for this story, which I enjoyed. The only drawback is the circus reminds me of the one in The Night Circus.
As to the other three stories, I could leave them, and not miss them. They’re ultimately what drags down my rating of the book (3 stars on Goodreads). The first story stays pretty close to the original tale’s events, except that everyone’s personalities are inverted. Arella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, all of whom treat her nicely. She’s treated as a daughter in the household, not a drudge. But, she hates being the center of attention, and since she’s gorgeous, she often is. She’s taken to being a shut in to avoid attention. Of course, the prince is instantly smitten with her at the ball, and does everything he can to woo her into marrying him. Desperate to not be forced into marrying him, Arella concocts a plan to escape. Ultimately, she’s too whiny and too much of a doormat for me to sympathize, and the personality flip of Arella’s family is a bit much.
The second story is more fun than stories one and three, but not nearly as good as the last two. In it, Rosalind is being forced to marry the prince because some girl wore her shoes to a ball. Yeah, I know. The prince danced with this girl and adored her, and when she ran away, she left a shoe behind. The Prince ordered his servants to find the girl, and they bring him Rosalind, who is the owner of the shoe, but not the one he danced with. The girl he danced with is a cinder girl, one of the girls who stokes the fires in the factories to keep the machines running. It’s a sort of a steampunk world, with steam carriages and the like. The plot gets convoluted, as the Prince’s younger brothers are involved: one’s a schemer who wants the throne, the other is a doormat, and courting Rosalind. Add in a fake death, magic, and a fairy godmother, and it’s quite the plot in a small package.
I don’t know if the third story is my least favorite, or if it just ties with the first for that honour. In it, Alis is part of the traditional Cinderallas tale: dead father, evil stepmother, annoying stepsisters, spends her time as a serving girl. The twist is that she believes she’s the true daughter of the king and queen of the realm, and she was switched at birth with the boy who’s there now. She looks just like them, their son does not, and there’s no record of her father anywhere. She enlists other servants to help her prove the claim. She obtains a fairy godfather in the form of a Lord, and he is willing to help her prove her claims. What she didn’t count on is falling in love with the Prince. Once in love with him, the plot to fake his murder and run away, but things don’t go as planned. I didn’t like this one because Alis is an annoying character, all sharp tongue and no grace. And, she falls in love with the prince right off the bat. Seriously, she’s in love with him after the second meeting. I couldn’t suspend disbelief enough for that.
WHAT EYES CAN SEE: This is definitely the most traditional of the collection, but it's unique as well in its way. I liked that the "wicked" stepfamily wasn't actually wicked, and I could certainly relate to Arella's shyness. It was a sweet story and a good beginning for the collection.
BROKEN GLASS: Eep! This was awesome! All the characters were such fun, and I loved the dialogue, particularly that between Rosalind and Marius, and all the scheming. The ending was great as well; Emma should write a sequel. Finally, it was steampunk, which I really liked. The world needs more steampunk fairy tales.
THE WINDY SIDE OF CARE: This was definitely my favorite story in the collection. It was absolutely delicious, every bit of it. The characters, the plotting, the way everything tied together in the end, the wry twist of humor- it was all wonderful. It also reminded me a bit of [b:Entwined|8428195|Entwined|Heather Dixon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1279037245s/8428195.jpg|13291399] in certain ways (mostly the accents and some of the humor).
A CINDER'S TALE: This was a very unique story. The setting was my favorite part, and I'd like to see more stories/books set in the same world.
THE MOON MASTER'S BALL: This wasn't quite what I thought it would be from what I'd heard, but I really liked it! The mystery and the magical, eerie feel enchanted me, and I liked how certain plot elements tied together in the end.
BROKEN GLASS: Eep! This was awesome! All the characters were such fun, and I loved the dialogue, particularly that between Rosalind and Marius, and all the scheming. The ending was great as well; Emma should write a sequel. Finally, it was steampunk, which I really liked. The world needs more steampunk fairy tales.
THE WINDY SIDE OF CARE: This was definitely my favorite story in the collection. It was absolutely delicious, every bit of it. The characters, the plotting, the way everything tied together in the end, the wry twist of humor- it was all wonderful. It also reminded me a bit of [b:Entwined|8428195|Entwined|Heather Dixon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1279037245s/8428195.jpg|13291399] in certain ways (mostly the accents and some of the humor).
A CINDER'S TALE: This was a very unique story. The setting was my favorite part, and I'd like to see more stories/books set in the same world.
THE MOON MASTER'S BALL: This wasn't quite what I thought it would be from what I'd heard, but I really liked it! The mystery and the magical, eerie feel enchanted me, and I liked how certain plot elements tied together in the end.
Nice collection of re-tellings. I liked some better than others, but they were all good.
3.5 Stars
Over all I found this collection pleasant to read. It was not my favorite collection of stories, but it was definitely the most unique, connected by a plot rather than genre or writing style. I found it a nice change of pace to read a collection with various genres (rather than all historical, ect.) My opinion ranged with the stories, however.
In What Eyes Can See, I was pleased to find that it did not end the way one would expect a Cinderella story to end. It was a nice change from the original story. However, I felt bad for Drusilla, and actually thought she deserved better than what she got out of the situation. I know I would have been livid if I were her... though maybe she is just more forgiving than I am.
Broken Glass had another interesting twist on the characters and who ends up with whom. But I found I was not completely pleased with how it ended as I didn't like Marius and felt a bit bad for Darcy, even if he was the villain.
The Windy Side of Care had to be my favorite of the stories. Though I would never describe Alis as an overly kind person, I found her remarks amusing, as well as thoughs of the other character. Her "godfather" was particularly humorous, though I found his reasoning strange.
A Cinder's Tale contained a vary well built world, especially for such a short story. I imagine that I will enjoy reading the book that goes along with it. However, the whole element of the "Prince" seemed a little forced and out of place in this world. I believe I would have liked it better if the story had skewed a little further from the Cinderella origin in that regard.
The Moon Master's Ball was by far the most unique of the stories. I actually enjoyed the circus setting a lot more than I had thought I would. And the slippers were really cool. I won't lie. Yet by the end, I found it hard to believe that Tilly was the only person who could save the Moon Master and that no one else in the town seemed to notice that there was something seriously off about that ball.
I applaud the creativity and originality that went into making each of these stories unique and hope to see work by these authors again.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Over all I found this collection pleasant to read. It was not my favorite collection of stories, but it was definitely the most unique, connected by a plot rather than genre or writing style. I found it a nice change of pace to read a collection with various genres (rather than all historical, ect.) My opinion ranged with the stories, however.
In What Eyes Can See, I was pleased to find that it did not end the way one would expect a Cinderella story to end. It was a nice change from the original story. However, I felt bad for Drusilla, and actually thought she deserved better than what she got out of the situation. I know I would have been livid if I were her... though maybe she is just more forgiving than I am.
Broken Glass had another interesting twist on the characters and who ends up with whom. But I found I was not completely pleased with how it ended as I didn't like Marius and felt a bit bad for Darcy, even if he was the villain.
The Windy Side of Care had to be my favorite of the stories. Though I would never describe Alis as an overly kind person, I found her remarks amusing, as well as thoughs of the other character. Her "godfather" was particularly humorous, though I found his reasoning strange.
A Cinder's Tale contained a vary well built world, especially for such a short story. I imagine that I will enjoy reading the book that goes along with it. However, the whole element of the "Prince" seemed a little forced and out of place in this world. I believe I would have liked it better if the story had skewed a little further from the Cinderella origin in that regard.
The Moon Master's Ball was by far the most unique of the stories. I actually enjoyed the circus setting a lot more than I had thought I would. And the slippers were really cool. I won't lie. Yet by the end, I found it hard to believe that Tilly was the only person who could save the Moon Master and that no one else in the town seemed to notice that there was something seriously off about that ball.
I applaud the creativity and originality that went into making each of these stories unique and hope to see work by these authors again.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What fun! I so enjoy re-tellings and these ladies have done a fabulous job re-imagining Cinderella. I was quite impressed with their writing! They obviously had lots of fun sending Cinderella on so many different adventures. All the way into outer space even! :) Each short story has it's own feel and atmosphere, making it easy to get swept away. They were all delightful in their own way, but I confess to enjoying What Eyes Can See the most. By shining the spotlight on someone atypical of the Cinderella storyline, I really enjoyed watching it all unfold. But that's not to say the other's weren't entertaining! I'd never thought to imagine Cinderella in all the places these ladies took her, yet still staying true to the original story. You might not recognize her name, you may not recognize her situation, but the triumph of love and the importance of staying true to oneself are clearly visible. And how can you help but enjoy the bickering in The Windy Side of Care, the eerie yet irresistible Moon Master in The Moon Master's Ball, the friendships and fun of Broken Glass, and the camaraderie and heroism of A Cinder's Tale? All five stories are charming and I closed the book well satisfied that these "Cinderella's" had found their happy ending. I look forward to seeing what these ladies will write in the future! :)
The short version: three terrible stories, one very good one, one pretty good one - averaging about 2.5 stars. Rounded up.
This is a collection of – in case it's not obvious – five stories inspired by or riffing on Cinderella. Usually a collection of stories, whether by one author or several, is hit or miss… unfortunately, this one is pretty much "miss". Well, no – four-fifths miss. I did really enjoy #4.
What Eyes Can See – Elisabeth Brown – "the romance of this collection". "delicate writing style". "She writes characters you cannot help but like…" – A painfully shy Cinderella, with absolutely lovely stepsisters and stepmother… Or is she painfully shy? The story's ending casts some doubt on that, for me. I've been painfully shy all my life, and I wanted to shake Arella. All the elements of the fairy tale were referenced, kind of, but … far from having to go to great efforts to get to the ball, this Cinderella has to practically be dragged, and once there has to practically be nailed to the ballroom floor. It wasn't awful. I just didn't like it. Two stars.
Broken Glass – Emma Clifton – "a side–splitting comedy" – I guess I don't have the genes for most fiction which is intended to be funny. Because if this was a side–splitting comedy, I … this was a side–splitting comedy? Someone borrowed Rosalind's glass slippers and lost one at the ball, and now because of that she is apparently being forced to marry the heir apparent – although she is actually being courted by his younger brother. She is strident and obnoxious; younger prince Henry is a milquetoast (to the extent that I don't understand why they even tolerate each other, much less want to marry; I give it three months), and I hated it so much I couldn't finish. And for some reason it's steampunk. Sort of. I'm not sure what that was all about. I did skip to the end and read the epilogue, and approved, but – too late. One star, DNF.
The Windy Side of Care – Rachel Heffington – What is it that makes people think "strident" is funny? Cinderella is a litigious serving maid trying to prove she's a noble. The writing was rather worse than that of the other two, and I hated everyone in the story, and again refused to finish. One star, DNF
A Cinder's Tale – Stephanie Ricker – Here, now. This is something else. This is a scifi retelling, in which our heroine is Elsa, a "cinder" – miner of cendrillon on a planet of boiling lava, an occupation which tends to leave its workers smudged with soot. Score. "Pumpkin patches, so named because the superheated lava puffed out in large bubbles" – score. Fairy, or fay, godmother – score. Wicked stepmother, or supervisor – score. It didn't take long to realize this was something else entirely.
The way that everything in the fairy tale – from pumpkin patches to Jaq and Gus to Perrault himself to the need to fit an article of clothing to the corresponding body part to identify the girl – was lovely. I'm glad I started this review while I was reading the book (although I then promptly forgot about it); I am glad to be reminded of this author. I'd like more from her. Five stars.
She gave him a shy smile. "I suppose I must seem like an odd bird out of air."
Jaq attempted to translate the mashed idioms. "Er, a fish out of water."
She cocked her head at him. "I don't think that's an accurate metaphor. A fish out of water would be dead."
We should be celebrating, not sitting around looking like someone kicked our frog."
"Dog," Jaq said absently.
"Close enough," Marraine said dismissively.
The Moon Master's Ball – Clara Diane Thompson – And then back to the not-so-great. It was confused, and confusing, and once again filled with unlikeable characters and muddled writing. By this point I think I can just say that all the positivity in my rating goes to "A Cinder's Tale", and leave it at that.
This is a collection of – in case it's not obvious – five stories inspired by or riffing on Cinderella. Usually a collection of stories, whether by one author or several, is hit or miss… unfortunately, this one is pretty much "miss". Well, no – four-fifths miss. I did really enjoy #4.
What Eyes Can See – Elisabeth Brown – "the romance of this collection". "delicate writing style". "She writes characters you cannot help but like…" – A painfully shy Cinderella, with absolutely lovely stepsisters and stepmother… Or is she painfully shy? The story's ending casts some doubt on that, for me. I've been painfully shy all my life, and I wanted to shake Arella. All the elements of the fairy tale were referenced, kind of, but … far from having to go to great efforts to get to the ball, this Cinderella has to practically be dragged, and once there has to practically be nailed to the ballroom floor. It wasn't awful. I just didn't like it. Two stars.
Broken Glass – Emma Clifton – "a side–splitting comedy" – I guess I don't have the genes for most fiction which is intended to be funny. Because if this was a side–splitting comedy, I … this was a side–splitting comedy? Someone borrowed Rosalind's glass slippers and lost one at the ball, and now because of that she is apparently being forced to marry the heir apparent – although she is actually being courted by his younger brother. She is strident and obnoxious; younger prince Henry is a milquetoast (to the extent that I don't understand why they even tolerate each other, much less want to marry; I give it three months), and I hated it so much I couldn't finish. And for some reason it's steampunk. Sort of. I'm not sure what that was all about. I did skip to the end and read the epilogue, and approved, but – too late. One star, DNF.
The Windy Side of Care – Rachel Heffington – What is it that makes people think "strident" is funny? Cinderella is a litigious serving maid trying to prove she's a noble. The writing was rather worse than that of the other two, and I hated everyone in the story, and again refused to finish. One star, DNF
A Cinder's Tale – Stephanie Ricker – Here, now. This is something else. This is a scifi retelling, in which our heroine is Elsa, a "cinder" – miner of cendrillon on a planet of boiling lava, an occupation which tends to leave its workers smudged with soot. Score. "Pumpkin patches, so named because the superheated lava puffed out in large bubbles" – score. Fairy, or fay, godmother – score. Wicked stepmother, or supervisor – score. It didn't take long to realize this was something else entirely.
The way that everything in the fairy tale – from pumpkin patches to Jaq and Gus to Perrault himself to the need to fit an article of clothing to the corresponding body part to identify the girl – was lovely. I'm glad I started this review while I was reading the book (although I then promptly forgot about it); I am glad to be reminded of this author. I'd like more from her. Five stars.
She gave him a shy smile. "I suppose I must seem like an odd bird out of air."
Jaq attempted to translate the mashed idioms. "Er, a fish out of water."
She cocked her head at him. "I don't think that's an accurate metaphor. A fish out of water would be dead."
We should be celebrating, not sitting around looking like someone kicked our frog."
"Dog," Jaq said absently.
"Close enough," Marraine said dismissively.
The Moon Master's Ball – Clara Diane Thompson – And then back to the not-so-great. It was confused, and confusing, and once again filled with unlikeable characters and muddled writing. By this point I think I can just say that all the positivity in my rating goes to "A Cinder's Tale", and leave it at that.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
"Five Glass Slippers" by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Elisabeth Brown, Emma Clifton, Rachel Heffington, Stephanie Ricker, and Clara Diane Thompson is a collection of Cinderella retellings.
I would give "Five Glass Slippers" by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Elisabeth Brown, Emma Clifton, Rachel Heffington, Stephanie Ricker, and Clara Diane Thompson a 1-star review because, while I love fairytale retellings, I couldn't get into this one.
I would give "Five Glass Slippers" by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Elisabeth Brown, Emma Clifton, Rachel Heffington, Stephanie Ricker, and Clara Diane Thompson a 1-star review because, while I love fairytale retellings, I couldn't get into this one.