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A review by diaryofthebookdragon
The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling
4.0
To attract me, a good fairy tale retelling needs to follow one simple rule: to twist the story a little bit. Aya Ling followed this magical formula and the result was The Ugly Stepsister – a fun retelling of Cinderella.
LIKES
* Interesting twist to the story. Cinderella is one of more popular fairy tales for girls. Aya Ling retells the story from the point of view of the ugly stepsister, or at least from the point of view of the modern girl who gets stuck in that role.
* Main character I could relate to. I could never imagine myself in a role of Cinderella: she is a big pushover. But I could easily imagine myself in Kat’s shoes and most of my reactions would have been similar. Kat blatantly ignores Victorian setting and fights for her rights.
* Bookworm heroine. What can I say, I always feel extra close to a character who can appreciate a good book. Going on balls or snuggling in a bed with hot chocolate and a book – Kat and I would make the same choice. ;)
* Realistic coming of age story. In the beginning Kat annoyed me with her shyness and stumbling when she meets cute boys. It was too similar to some popular cliches. But, I loved it how Kat grows up and gains confidence as the story progressed.
* Sweet romance. Like every fairy tale love story should be, the romance is so sweet and cute. Although there are a couple of steamy kisses, it mostly radiates that warm fuzzy feeling, the same when you watch your favorite fairy tale cartoon.
* It’s not only about the romance or about Kat going back to her family. Aya Ling wonderfully describes to us how lucky we are to live today. Victorian society is often romanticized in novels, but here Aya Ling bares it’s flaws for us. There are a lot of secondary characters whose tragic stories touched my heart.
DISLIKES
* Kat is sometimes illogically uninformed. Bookish Kat is dumbfounded and asks about the social calls, how to talk to servants, etc. I think that etiquette rules of polite society in Victorian time period should have been familiar to her, since she likes to read.
* Everything happens too easy, like in a fairy tale. The Ugly Stepsister is a fairy tale retelling and young adult novel, but it does not mean that it should be naive. Sometimes events unravel in just the way that suits Kat. It would have never happened in real life like that.
IN THE END
The Ugly Stepsister had everything I expected from a good fairy tale retelling (or a good young adult novel too): twist to make it interesting, like-able heroine and cute love story. In the end, I was left with a slight smile on my lips and a twinkle in my eyes, like every good fairy tale should do.
Aya Ling says that she might write more fairy tale retellings, and I am looking it. In the meantime I will definitely check out her other novels. I think i will start with [b:Princesses Don't Get Fat|18372538|Princesses Don't Get Fat|Aya Ling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377401747s/18372538.jpg|23691197] since its a Kindle freebie. ;)
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from author in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
LIKES
* Interesting twist to the story. Cinderella is one of more popular fairy tales for girls. Aya Ling retells the story from the point of view of the ugly stepsister, or at least from the point of view of the modern girl who gets stuck in that role.
* Main character I could relate to. I could never imagine myself in a role of Cinderella: she is a big pushover. But I could easily imagine myself in Kat’s shoes and most of my reactions would have been similar. Kat blatantly ignores Victorian setting and fights for her rights.
* Bookworm heroine. What can I say, I always feel extra close to a character who can appreciate a good book. Going on balls or snuggling in a bed with hot chocolate and a book – Kat and I would make the same choice. ;)
* Realistic coming of age story. In the beginning Kat annoyed me with her shyness and stumbling when she meets cute boys. It was too similar to some popular cliches. But, I loved it how Kat grows up and gains confidence as the story progressed.
* Sweet romance. Like every fairy tale love story should be, the romance is so sweet and cute. Although there are a couple of steamy kisses, it mostly radiates that warm fuzzy feeling, the same when you watch your favorite fairy tale cartoon.
* It’s not only about the romance or about Kat going back to her family. Aya Ling wonderfully describes to us how lucky we are to live today. Victorian society is often romanticized in novels, but here Aya Ling bares it’s flaws for us. There are a lot of secondary characters whose tragic stories touched my heart.
DISLIKES
* Kat is sometimes illogically uninformed. Bookish Kat is dumbfounded and asks about the social calls, how to talk to servants, etc. I think that etiquette rules of polite society in Victorian time period should have been familiar to her, since she likes to read.
* Everything happens too easy, like in a fairy tale. The Ugly Stepsister is a fairy tale retelling and young adult novel, but it does not mean that it should be naive. Sometimes events unravel in just the way that suits Kat. It would have never happened in real life like that.
IN THE END
The Ugly Stepsister had everything I expected from a good fairy tale retelling (or a good young adult novel too): twist to make it interesting, like-able heroine and cute love story. In the end, I was left with a slight smile on my lips and a twinkle in my eyes, like every good fairy tale should do.
Aya Ling says that she might write more fairy tale retellings, and I am looking it. In the meantime I will definitely check out her other novels. I think i will start with [b:Princesses Don't Get Fat|18372538|Princesses Don't Get Fat|Aya Ling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377401747s/18372538.jpg|23691197] since its a Kindle freebie. ;)
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from author in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.