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A review by jlynnelseauthor
The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling
3.0
I'm a bit torn with this one. I like the concept and I think the characters were very well done. Kat is thrown into a storybook world after an old book crumbles in her hands. She cannot return home until the happily ever after is attained. So Kat works tirelessly within her new social constraints to make Cinderella's happily ever after come true.
A couple issues I have is (1) Kat goes out of her way to try and find the fairy Godmother and get Cinderella's happily ever after. However, logically, if she just follows through with the storyline, the happily ever after should happen on its own. So why does Kat get it in her head that she has to force it? She's in a book in which all she has to do is follow the plot. And wouldn't a good person in a situation where she has to be cruel to return home be a very compelling plot line as well? How far can she go? Is there a truth behind standing up versus following along with the roles social constraints assigns to you? So I felt there were other more fascinating ways to explore this plot.
(2) Why does Kat never question if her family is missing her? She never asks how her being in the fairytale world affects her family back home. I'm not sure why she never asked that. Something to acknowledge the fact she's spending months in story land? Why doesn't that ever bother Kat? The time she's away from home? She just kind of 'goes with it.'
(3) The pop culture references got to be too much! The massive amount of references to Google almost made me wonder if they were a paid sponsor. It just felt out of place.
(4) The ending has been the most torn.
Overall, interesting and well-written. I was compelled to keep reading. I had some gripes every now and then, but I liked the characters and the pacing of the plot.
A couple issues I have is (1) Kat goes out of her way to try and find the fairy Godmother and get Cinderella's happily ever after. However, logically, if she just follows through with the storyline, the happily ever after should happen on its own. So why does Kat get it in her head that she has to force it? She's in a book in which all she has to do is follow the plot. And wouldn't a good person in a situation where she has to be cruel to return home be a very compelling plot line as well? How far can she go? Is there a truth behind standing up versus following along with the roles social constraints assigns to you? So I felt there were other more fascinating ways to explore this plot.
(2) Why does Kat never question if her family is missing her? She never asks how her being in the fairytale world affects her family back home. I'm not sure why she never asked that. Something to acknowledge the fact she's spending months in story land? Why doesn't that ever bother Kat? The time she's away from home? She just kind of 'goes with it.'
(3) The pop culture references got to be too much! The massive amount of references to Google almost made me wonder if they were a paid sponsor. It just felt out of place.
(4) The ending has been the most torn.
Spoiler
I get that it would be easier on her heart to forget, but really? Everything and everyone? I'm glad she came out better for it, but she has no memory of what happened? I don't know, I just felt it was a way to lessen the emotional impact and was a bit of an easy ending.Overall, interesting and well-written. I was compelled to keep reading. I had some gripes every now and then, but I liked the characters and the pacing of the plot.