Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz is an interesting take on Cinderella. Set in France and with magic produced by the people around you, this book reminds me a little bit of Ever After (movie). I like the representation of characters especially the relationship between her half-sister and friend. Other than that, it wasn't much of a hook.

Thank you so much for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Although the premise is unique and the setting was absolutely gorgeous, I unfortunately couldn't finish it. However, I think it's because I am not the intended audience, and I probably would have loved this if I was in high school, because it aligns better with my taste back then.

if you are a fan of the selection, I definitely recommend picking this up!

4/5. Interesting concept. Took me a bit to get invested in the storyline and characters but then I really liked it. The setting of Versailles was very interesting.

A mix between the classic fairytale and Kiera Cass’s Selection, Melissa de la Cruz’s new book is a fun retelling of Cinderella.

Cinder Glass starts before the stepmother arrives, when our protagonist’s only worry is her nerves about going to court. Without her mother, Cendrillon is nervous about becoming a courtier in court and is procrastinating her packing. Her solace comes from her godmother who comforts her, her friends who as her servants are always with her, and her father who loves her dearly.

Of course, since this is Cinderella, Cruz quickly starts picking them off. After Cendrillon’s father marries, he quickly dies and her godmother (who may have been in love with him) is nowhere to be found. Cendrillon’s stepmother quickly fires some of the servants, keeping only Eloise, the seamstress, who she only pays a pittance. And thus our Cinderella is born, forced to wait on her stepmother and siblings and become the main servant of the house. Her godmother makes a last quick appearance to get her to the ball before she dies and in doing so helps Cendrillon enter a contest to marry the crown prince, and the selection process begins!

Overall, this was a nice, quick read, but not my favorite retelling. It didn’t really have much that drew me in other than the original fairytale and those elements were lost in the selection process and Cendrillon falling for the wrong prince.

I barely finished this. I honestly don't even know what really happened because I ended up skimming so much.

I think the main problem was that I just went in with completely different expectations for this book, and I was just not the intended audience. This book has a very juvenile feel to it. The main character felt annoying, immature, and naive to me. But then I also remember she isn't as old as I thought she would be, so I can't really hold her to the same standard as I do for other main characters.

The plot was not unique nor interesting enough to keep me intrigued, so I ended up not paying much attention as the story progressed. The setting was nice though, though I do wish there some more fantasy aspect to it. it might have kept things a little more lively.

I appreciated the effort in some aspects, like the romance. I think I remember the romance being ok, although again, the main character just ruined it for me. The whole Selection parallel was not it either.

Overall, I think I would've absolutely devoured this if I had read it a few years ago. It's exactly what I used to love, and its an amazing beginner YA fantasy. Just not something I would ever choose to read now.

Initial Thoughts
I’ve read a bunch of Melissa de la Cruz books so I was super excited to see she was diving back into the historical fiction genre with this new book.

Some Things I Liked
Cinderella, but make it historical fiction. I really liked this retelling. I loved that it took place in France during the time of Louis XIV (The Sun King) and I also loved that it was pretty historically accurate. Some names were changed but it was not a story of magic or fantasy. I liked that this was a historical fiction rendition of a classic fairytale.
Subtle romance. I thought the romance was cute and understated.
Perfect for a younger YA reader. I think because of the subtlety of the romance and the age of the main character, a younger YA reader could really enjoy this book.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
Cendrillon was a little bit young for some of the things that went on. Now, I know it was the 1600s so it was a different time but I feel like she was allowed certain liberties that a young girl of her age wouldn’t have been. She also made some impulsive decisions which irked me a bit because she wouldn’t necessarily have been in charge of making those choices for herself (so I was annoyed that it didn’t feel 100% historically accurate in that sense).

Series Value
I would love to see this series continued in the form of other fairytales set throughout history. I thought it was such a cool premise.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. Huge thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an ARC in NetGalley!

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