I was all-in on this Cinderella retelling until I got 3/4 of the way through the book. I was ready to forgive the underdeveloped magic system and the confusing political plot because I was thoroughly enjoying Aislinn/Ash as a badass protagonist and loved seeing her relationship with her stepsisters and other side characters change and develop. But after one particularly momentous occasion--which I won't list here, because spoilers--the plot started to deviate wildly, and there's some romance that seems like it's trying to emulate a certain series from Sarah J. Maas (though, I'll admit, the chemistry is solid and both characters suit one another really well).

It's still a fun read, and the narrative drive is powerful enough to have made me ignore those plot holes, but...it still irked me.

I wish this was book one in a series, there were a lot of really interesting worldbuilding tidbits and plot points brought up, and I wish they’d had more time to develop. I think this was a really fun take on the Cinderella story but things felt a bit rushed.

I’m usually not a fan of retellings (which admittedly, is odd considering I’ve requested a bunch of retelling ARCs. I digress.). But a Cinderella retelling that is also a political minefield? Sign me up.

In this story, Cinderella (Ash) isn’t innocent and doesn’t need a savior. She’s a tenacious player in a political long game and working with her stepmother, using magic to bend others to their will.

While Ash is in the palace at the beginning of the book, there are dual timelines of the present and how she got there via the ball.

Ash’s family includes lineage from neighboring Eloria, a country conquered by Solis, the country where she resides and of the Prince she is betrothed to. While in the palace, she has plans to try to change treaty negotiations between the two countries while also trying to seem innocent to her betrothed. Throw in the “hostage prince” from Eloria and it makes everything that much more complicated and dangerous.

While the beginning half of the novel we the setup and a bit too long, the second half picked up. I enjoyed this twist on the fairy tale. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC. Thief Liar Lady is out now.

I quite enjoyed this retelling of Cinderella. In this book, Cinderella is not an innocent young girl, victimized by her stepmother and stepsisters, who is only saved by marrying the handsome price. Here, Cinderella is a con artist who works with her stepmother and stepsisters to use magic to manipulate the prince into marrying her.

The plot has lots of twists and turns, interesting characters, political intrigue, romance, magic--my kind of book! I like a nice complex plot, but I think my only complaint with this book is that it's maybe too complex, resulting in some inconsistencies and being a bit too rushed in some parts.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This book was so unbelievably good! I was enjoying quite a bit, but then the story took off and I could not devour the pages fast enough! It was such a unique Cinderella retelling. There are so many twists and turns it keeps you flying thru the pages. Thanks to #NetGalley for this magical story!

I am not sure what in the world this author thought they were trying to do with a kind of retelling of a thief Cinderella but this was I don't even know what to even call this one. But the story felt like an info dump and just way to much back story. I felt like I had been dropped into a story already going on. I kind of wish this would have been a book two. So one story could have been all about the story we know with the changes of Cinderella then this one could be going forward.

I enjoyed this fresh take on Cinderella--a welcome change from the usual fairytale retread.
My library did purchase the title.

Oh my! This book was fantastic. I loved everything about this book. I think it could have been considered a young adult book. I thought the suspense and conning from everyone was great. I will enjoy reading more books by this author. I loved the dynamics between Ash and Rance and Ash and her stepsisters.

Thank you #NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are my own.

Thank you to Del Rey (Penguin Random House) and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this ebook!

To find out what happened after the Prince put the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot, author D. L. Soria’s semi-sequel to the classic fairy tale adds a twist: what if our heroine was a conwoman all along? The shine of this creative premise unfortunately dulls after 63 chapters of weak political intrigue, underdeveloped supporting characters, and confusing magical rules (why does no one else use “lustre” to manipulate those around them?) I think with some heavy editing this could have worked better as a YA fantasy, but as it is “Thief Liar Lady” was not for me.

This high stakes Cinderella retelling exceeded my expectations. It was different than any other Cinderella retelling I’ve ever read! I loved that the story wasn’t a wholesome love story, but instead a high stakes novel where our Cinderella is fierce, independent, and has amazing tenacity, aaaand is maybe a little morally gray in her own way. I also enjoyed the slow burn romance that was plotted throughout the book (I’m a sucker for tension, the more the merrier!). The only qualms I had were these: it felt a little drawn out and slow around 1/3 of the way and maybe could’ve been cut back a little, but it picks up pretty good around 1/2 way. I also felt like the modern swearing was a little awkward and forced, but not enough to impact the story too much overall. Would definitely recommend to anyone who loves retellings!

If it was somehow unclear, this is a Cinderella retelling. I've read several takes on her story and figured this would be a nice, light read to add in between some heavier things and an easy way to mix in more fantasy. "Thief Liar Lady", though, was like Cinderella but make it Game of Thrones, and I was into it.

Ash is about to marry Prince Everett after meeting at the ball and having a whirlwind romance. Their love story has captured the hearts of a nation on the brink of war in desperate need of fairy tales and sent her from life as a scullery maid to living in the palace. She's having some trouble adjusting, but not because of the culture shock. Because she seduced the prince using magic as part of a scheme with her stepmother to infiltrate the palace, and the part of the demure lady she's playing is just that: a part.

Ash may have used her stepmother's plan to get here, but she has her own schemes on how to influence the nation and it's enemies and alliances now that she's in a position of power. If only the hostage prince, Verance, a royal ward as a condition of a peace treaty, would stop being so observant and distracting ...

I enjoyed the political scheming in this book and that it wasn't afraid of getting a little dark, in what felt like a realistic way when it came to getting and keeping political power. The first 2/3 of the book were set-up heavy, and bounced back and forth between timelines to explain how Ash got to the palace, where she was already living in chapter 1. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but I wish the last 1/3rd had been as fleshed out--as I got closer to the end I kept being worried that I'd missed this being a series because it felt like there was no way things could wrap up that fast. They did, and I liked the ending, but I wish it hadn't been so quick. A lot happened, and I wanted the chance to see everything play out and all the characters react fully.

That being said, this was a fun surprise, and I'd love to see more retellings from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book made it an immediate request. A scam/thief version of Cinderella? Sign me up!

I really enjoyed this retelling and it was so much fun to see Cinderella and her stepsisters be secret masterminds. The magic system is a bit confusing but I really loved the storytelling.

It would be fun for the author to do more retellings with this twist!

The ball is over. The slipper fit. The prince was won. Now the real work begins. Ash and her step family have worked for the chance at an opportune wedding for Ash and her step sisters and Ash has secured an engagement to the Prince. But that is not Ash's only goal as she placed herself within the court during treaty renegotiations between Solis and conquered Eloria. Unfortunately, Everett's childhood friend and hostage prince of Eloira, Rance, makes an already complicated situation that much more dangerous for Ash and all of her plans.

Soria was ambitious with this continuation of the Cinderella myth in her layers of colonialism and what it takes to survive. Ash is desperate to hold the balance of expectation from every side in order to be what she has to be and almost never is that person who she is. Soria captures that mindset and that exhaustion incredibly well. To sell this as simply Cinderella conned the prince feels disingenuous in hindsight because of the breath of elements at play within this book. However, because of all those elements the pacing in the plot felt a little disjointed, especially in the second half as there was enough material to expand into a duology rather than a stand alone. As such, some of pieces feel rushed or set aside for the sake of version of a happily ever after that I am still reflecting on.

The Summer of Scandal continues, and in this review we're taking the downstairs to the top of the house. I love a good fairy tale retelling, and I love a good con, so I was extremely excited to get a gift copy of Thief Liar Lady to read. (Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine!) The story follows Ash, a lovely lady who met her prince at a ball, and is all set to achieve happily ever after...

But in Thief Liar Lady, things are more complex than they seem. Ash is embroiled in a variety of political intrigues - in fact, she's orchestrated this whole marriage to begin with. And time is running out to make a bunch of people happy - family, political allies, and a pesky hostage prince who's distractingly interesting. If Ash fails, it'll be a scandal, a political incident, and likely a matter of life or death. A new version of a tale as old as time - but how well does it stack up?

Not the usual Cinderella Story

Thief Liar Lady is a retelling of the Cinderella story, with a twist, or two or three. Aislinn, known familiarly as "Ash", has followed all the fairy-tale beats. She turned up at the ball and stole the Prince Everett's heart. He chased, she waited, he found her. Happily ever after?

But the story's not that simple - because unlike the Disney version, Ash has a plan. In fact, Ash has multiple plans, all stacked inside each other. She's got duties to her stepfamily, and her blood relations. The kingdom is embroiled in war, and Ash is deeply invested in the outcomes. And she's reluctantly befriending a hostage prince, who seems to distract more than help. This version of Cinderella has a lot more to fight for, and a lot more to lose.

As perhaps evident, Sofia has given Ash a lot more agency than we're used to seeing in Cinderella stories. At times, it feels like she's making fun of the simplified version of the tale. (Everett's exaltations of her bravery kept bringing me back to "have courage and be kind" from the latest Disney remake. Given that Everett's not the most perceptive... hard not to see it as a direct jab.) In theory, this should be completely exciting for a girl raised on sweet Disney princesses.

But... somehow, this was a bit of a tough sell. Perhaps it's because Sofia only reveals Ash's motivations relatively late in the novel. Or maybe it's because Ash's competing motivations make it difficult to see what she wants. I found her a little tricky to "see" as a character, despite her multitude of actions...

Magic and machinations

...due in no large part to the complexity of the plot and the setting. Thief Liar Lady takes place in a world with soft magic - Ash can use lustre powder to influence others' thoughts and feelings. Then there's the war, ongoing, between Solisti and Eloria. There's Ash's complicated relationships with her family, both step and real. And there's the palace politics - who likes who, and why their support matters. All of this requires a reasonable amount of exposition, without necessarily adding depth. This will certainly be a matter of preference, but I found that it was too much for my taste.

All that exposition meant, too, that I got to spend less time actually watching the characters. There were hints of deeply interesting people, but less of a sense that it was "turtles all the way down". Whether it was Ash's stepsisters or her grandmother, the narration constantly alluded to rich experiences without describing them. That exposition extended primarily to the time around the ball and the plan for it, not further back - but that's where it felt all the great questions lie. Forget Ash's plans for attracting Everett's attention at the ball - I want to know how she learned all her skills. And like so many stories that spice up the Stepmother character, I found myself wanting to know her story at least just as much.

What makes a good retelling?

I've read a lot of fairy tale retellings in my time. I had a whole phase in high school where I massively abused the inter-library loan system to read every single one I could get my hands on. And, in my opinion, the best retellings love the work they're based on. That is - they capture the core values and heart of the characters, not just the plot beats.

For me, Cinderella is about someone who does good, who maintains her positivity in the darkest of times, and comes out the better for it. Cinderella creates beauty and joy even in squalor, and others support her in large part for that trait. Sofia's Ash has some of those qualities - she's perseverant, she's caring - but somehow it feels like she gets lost in all this plot. It's a fun retelling, but it maybe misses some of the qualities that make Cinderella distinct, turning her into a Modern Heroine instead.

Reader's notes & rating (⭐⭐⭐)

Thief Liar Lady is a fun way to immerse yourself in an entirely different world from the one we inhabit. If you're looking for an escape into a world or romance and intrigue, this is a great pick. (I was, at the time of reading.) A great potato-chip book - you keep wanting to read each chapter, and in the right mood, it's quite satisfying. But maybe a pass if you're looking for a more nourishing literary meal. Three stars.

Read this if...

You're excited about a Cinderella retelling that gives her some agency

You're intrigued by the idea of multiple, intertwined plots, but you don't have specific expectations for what that might mean

You're here for the fancy dresses and elegant affairs

Skip this if...

You want Hard Political Fantasy

You're not really into love triangles

You want your villains to have strongly-realized motivations

This is a twist to the Cinderella story that I like. She is good, though has her own plans for why she went to the ball to get the prince. I like her relationship that she has with her stepsisters who are usually much more maligned and evil. Lustre is interesting and a pretty cool magic. And there are so many different sides to the people in this story. More like real life and I like that. Aislinn (or Ash as she likes to be called) is a nicely strong character and I do like the ending she got. This was a good story.

What if Cinderella was actually a con artist? A unique twist on a fairytale that's had a million different retellings at this point, even if the execution was a bit lacking.

This book starts a few weeks after Aislinn (or Ash) has secured the bag, so to speak, and the plot takes a while to get going as she's recounting how she tricked the prince into falling for her. There's a lot of international politics and magic dust at play, and Ash's true motives are revealed slowly, which made things confusing. It was also a bit too long, in my opinion. One particular scheme at the end there could have been cut and nothing would have changed.

All that said, I did think this book made some fun and unexpected choices, and I enjoyed Ash's inner voice. Her dynamics with both her foolish Prince Charming and unfoolish(?) Prince Hostage were what kept me reading. And I do always love a thief liar lady!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into the writing style and premise of this book. I DNF the book pretty early on

Thief Liar Lady by DL Soria

400 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey
Release Date: July 11, 2023

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Fairy Tall Retelling, Cinderella

This is a retelling of Cinderella with a twist. The Solis kingdom took over Eloria and kept their prince Rance as a hostage to keep unity within the lands. There is a birthday ball for prince Everett. Seraphina, Ash’s stepmother, plans for Ash and her daughters, Cecile and Adelaide, to attend the ball. Ash is presented as Aislinn and with the magic of luster powder, Everett falls in love with her. What they don’t know is Aislinn is a part of the underground rebellion. She needs to break into the dungeon and release Jameson Cross, the infamous leader of the Elorian rebellion. Things do not go to plan when Jameson kidnaps her and he is caught and sent back to the dungeon. The king and the rest of the royals suspects that she was involved with his escape, but they cannot prove it.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the first person point from Ash/Aislinn. I love the twist on the original fairy tale because instead of being an orphan girl who cleans cinders, she is a fighter in the rebellion. She reminds me of Princess Leia of Star Wars. If you like magical fairy tales with sneaky characters and twists, you will enjoy this book.

Thief Liar Lady is a retelling of Cinderella meant to tell the true story of how Ash became Lady Aislinn and married a prince. As Ash prepares for her wedding to Prince Everett, she dismisses the rumors of pumpkins and true love to reveal the complicated story of how she ensnared a prince.

There is romance and magic, but the political intrigue is what make this retelling interesting. Soria provides a detailed backstory of the kingdom along with current events to set up Ash's motivations to become a princess. Magic is a critical component, but I wish the system was explained better.

I mostly enjoyed this retelling. I moved quickly through the story, but sometimes it felt like nothing was happening. However, as the ending neared, there was a torrent of events. The resolution also seemed rushed. I almost wanted the book to be extended to provide a more satisfying political resolution.

This is one to consider for fans of retellings and political affairs. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

I have read and enjoyed two of Soria's YA novels, so when I heard she was releasing a Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is a thief and a liar, it immediately became my most anticipated book of the year. All this to say my expectations were sky high, and that could be part of the reason Thief Liar Lady did not work for me.

The idea here was great and I could see the vision Soria had for the world and characters. Unfortunately, the execution of that vision fell flat. We are thrown into the story after Ash has already been engaged to the prince for a few weeks and see her backstory and their whirlwind romance through flashbacks only. This leads to too much telling and not enough showing. Ash's motivations are unclear for far too long. What is driving her to volunteer for such a dangerous mission? Why is she so compelled to carry out her stepmother's plans? What kind of relationship does she have with her stepfamily? We don't know any of these things until too late in the story. I think it would have worked better to start the story earlier and show some of these aspects.

As it was, I never came to care for or believe Ash as a character. She was nowhere near as competent as the story needed her to be, and this is where some pacing issues came in. For much of the book, Ash just wanders around the castle not taking any action, and I was bored. She was passive and only reacted (poorly) to situations that arose instead of taking any action of her own. For someone who is constantly telling the reader about the rigorous training she's been put through, she didn't put any of that training to use.

I also encountered several plot holes and anachronisms which took me out the story. I get this is a fantasy world, but it seems to be set in a time similar to the 16 or 1700s. Yet we have men wearing suits and ties, people drinking cocktails, and women talking about their lipstick. The magic system, which uses a magical dust called lustre, is never fully explained. It's mentioned there are different categories of spells that can be done with it, but Ash seemed to be able to use it for whatever she needs at the moment. She was apparently trained to detect and resist the influence of lustre, but uses it liberally on the royal family and guards. If it's possible to detect and/or resist lustre, I find it hard to believe that the royal family and their guards would not have received this kind of training. There are also multiple instances where Ash secretly visits the dungeons to carry out part of her mission. What she does there is a huge deal that many people get questioned about, but she is never discovered. On a later visit there, her accomplices are made to wait outside so they're not seen by prisoners. Upon seeing Ash, the prisoners make an uproar. How was she never seen by prisoners and found out previously? There are a couple other things that left me scratching my head, but I'm trying not to give spoilers, so I'll leave it there.

Overall, I was left pretty disappointed in this one. I think it could have been improved with a little more editing and attention to detail. I will still pick up Soria's next release since she always has great ideas and I've enjoyed her work in the past.