Cinder & Glass
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Blue Bloods series comes a lush, swoon-worthy retelling of Cinderella set in the lavish Château de Versailles.
“Lovers of royal drama and fairy tales with a twist will happily sink into this new ‘Cinderella’ rendition.”—Booklist
For this princess, winning the crown is no fairy tale.
Cendrillon de Louvois was poised to be the most eligible maiden in all of France. But the death of her father, the king’s favorite advisor, has left Cendrillon at the will of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters.
Dubbed Lady Cinder by the court, Cendrillon is forced to become a servant to her new family. But when she attends the royal ball, she catches the eye of the handsome Prince Louis and his younger brother, Auguste.
Even though Cendrillon has an immediate aversion to Louis and a connection with Auguste, the only way to escape her stepmother is to compete with the other girls at court for the prince’s hand.
As her stepmother’s cruelty grows, Cendrillon captures the prince’s heart . . . though her own heart belongs to Auguste. Cendrillon’s fate rests on one question: Can she bear losing the boy she loves in order to leave a life she hates?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
It’s time to see if the shoe still fits in this retelling of “Cinderella.” Hoping to escape her nasty stepmother and cruel stepsisters, 15-year-old Cendrillon de Louvois enters a Bachelor-style competition to win the prince’s heart. The problem is, Cendrillon is really in love with the prince’s illegitimate brother. And as the tension rises and the competition heats up, Cendrillon must choose between true love and a shot at precious freedom. Best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz throws us right into the glitzy glamour and shocking seediness of court life during King Louis XIV’s reign, with characters she based on real historical figures. With its strong female characters, luscious historical detail, and heartwarming relationships, Cinder & Glass offers a refreshingly modern take on a timeless classic.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1682 France, this progressive "Cinderella" reimagining from de la Cruz (the Queen's Assassin duology) takes inspiration from stories about Louis XIV's court. When le Marquis de Louvois and his 15-year-old daughter, Cendrillon, move from the country to a chateau near Versailles, Cendrillon hopes to follow in her late mother's footsteps and become a lady-in-waiting to royalty. Those dreams are dashed, however, when her father dies unexpectedly after marrying a virtual stranger. Cendrillon's new stepmother, Lady Catherine Monvoisin, fires every servant but seamstress Elodie, 15, and forces Cendrillon to cook and clean for her and her daughters. Desperate to improve her own situation as well as Elodie's, Cendrillon (posing as "Lady Cinder") accompanies her godmother to a ball thrown to find Prince Louis a bride. Louis chooses Cendrillon, while her stepsisters and 22 others vie for his heart in a The Bachelor–style competition, but Cendrillon's feelings for Louis's illegitimate half brother, Auguste, make concentrating on it difficult. De la Cruz offsets a slow start and slight plot with bold, self-empowered female characters, rich historical detail, and tender queer and straight romances. All characters cue as white. Ages 14–up.
