What if Cinderella was a thief,the fairy godmother evil,...and the prince only wanted to marry to get his revenge?


The premise of this book instantly hooked me and it did not disappoint!
Strom creates such a magical and ghosty city full of dark secrets and corrupt royalty. IN this story Vanya is a lowly street thief trying to pay off her mothers debt to their abusive step-father with her twin Lumi. Until one day they get an offer that would set them free and all they have to do is steal a glass crown. But everything goes wrong after Vanya is mistaken for the Princess arranged to marry Dimitri, the prince of Tal. Dimitri was exiled and now that he is back he has a plan to bring his father down. He does not want the crown and couldn't care less about Tal's future, he only wants revenge. Until he meets Vanya, who slowly but surely creeps into his heart. But what happens when all the lies are revealed and new secrets come to light?


This was an adventurous, fast-paced story that weaved a magnificent story of royalty, magic, secrets and betrayals. The plot really intrigued me and I loved how the author took inspiration from Cinderella but still made the story so unique! Plus I absolutely love the hidden identity trope and the reveal always breaks my heart but they can work through this! I believe it! Also all the little hidden side plots that slowly add up to this overarching plan made it so intriguing to read about.

The characters were also written SO well, they both had their flaws but were extremely entertaining and I loved their banter and how they slowly opened up to each other and each were influenced to adjust their view of the town.
There were also so many different side characters who were sketchy and I kept on trying to put together the pieces but could never have predicted that twist ending! I need the next book so I can get more information!

Really this book is for those who love elements of the classic Cinderella but really want more action and emotional turmoil along with a corrupt royalty and rebelling city! Not to mention magical abilities and Spirits of the dead that roam the town. It has a sweet slowburn romance from hate/indifference to love, hidden identities and betrayals!


Thanks so much to Netgalley and SM Press for the eArc, this did not affect my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

It was a good and quick read. I liked both main and side characters. Also it's great that some side characters will have their own books, too. This story wasn't too similar to Cinderella. I loved that fact, because there are many retellings and some books feel the same. In Stealing Glass, there're tween sisters, evil fairy godmother, stepfather and his daughter.
I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Stealing Glass by Liv Strom is a dark retelling of Cinderella. Vanya and her twin sister are thieves working to pay off a debt to their stepfather, so they can escape Tal, the city of the dead. When Vanya is tasked with stealing a glass crown from the castle, the prince discovers her and confuses her for the princess he is to marry, but had never met. Vanya is then tasked with playing the part of the princess as part of a plot to kill the prince. Meanwhile, the prince is only planning to marry the princess so he can exact revenge on those who hurt him in the past.

This was truly a *dark* retelling of the fairytale and took me a little bit to get into it since it had a darker tone than something I would typically read. But once I got through the world building, I was hooked and I couldn’t put it down! There are several twists and turns along the way that honestly let me gasping out loud. I cannot wait for the sequel, Claiming Glass, comes out in February! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytale retellings!

I received this digital ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

#StealingGlassCinderella #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually a huge fan of retellings as there are so many out there but I actually really enjoyed Liv Strom's take on this cinderella gone bad story! It was a really good fast page turner fantasy romantasy book and OMG the cliffhanger how dare you! Really looking forward to reading the next book in the series (hurry up!! haha)

I have read many a retelling of this and other fairytales and even though it can be very hit or miss, in this instance it was a hit! Would recommend for y/a fantasy readers.

I hope I'm not the only person who was so confused by this story. It took me a while to get the names and plot line to make sense. I loved the dark theme surrounding the story and I can see the Cinderella aspect of the story.

**Edited after some more thought**

Stealing Glass is an excellent fantasy romance with lots of intrigue. The plot is very interesting and sucks you in immediately. The world of Tal itself is well developed, and the reader is able to discover lots of little pieces of information throughout the novel. I did feel as though some parts were not explained well enough: like the Griffins and also the magic system used in the story, and it could have used more explanations. With that being said, some areas of the book, especially at the start, had almost too much information, and it was hard to keep track of certain names and events.

Unfortunately there were a lot of loose ends in the plot and many things that did not make sense. Certain events seemed out of place and used only to serve the author and not the plot itself. I also feel like some character's fates were completely unnecessary and out of nowhere. Not only that, but it did nothing to forward the plot in any way.

The main characters, especially Dimitri, are well developed and interesting. I really enjoyed Vanya and Dimitris banter and interactions between them, but at times Vanya's behaviors towards him made no sense and at times became frustrating. I will say I felt like some of the characters lacked some development. For example, I found it quite hard to understand Lumi's behaviours and reasons for doing the things we did. While the plots and characters picked up halfway through the book, it became a struggle to finish towards the end due to the confusion of behaviours.

Overall, Stealing Glass had a great foundation, but the execution and plot points were lacking and I wouldn't recommend this book to read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I actually really loved how well the story of Vanya and Dimitri was told in a way that we got to know who they were and why they were that way without the book dragging on or feeling like there was too much backstory.. I love twisted fairytales so the unique way this book transformed Cinderella was amazing. Where this book was strong in character building it fell a bit flat in world building. Some scenes muddled together and got hard to follow. Overall a decent book.

Stealing Glass Live Strom ARC Review
✩
A Cinderella retelling if Cinderella was a thief and the Prince was out for revenge.
This is not like any Cinderella story I have ever read....its 100% better with lots of intrigue. I could not put this book down, it was absolutely gripping. I was hooked onto this story from the very first line.
A poor motherless girl living with a sister, stepsister and her vile stepfather. Forced into a life of a thief to earn her and her sisters freedom from her stepfathers grasp. A prince that will do anything to acquire the revenge he so desperately needs.
Enemy to Lovers
Stealing Glass is a dual POV and I absolutely loved that. I felt that this connected me not only to the main female (Vanya) but also to the main male ( Dimitri). You got to know how each of them felt and what they were thinking. I hope this carrying on in book 2.
The plot of this story is so interesting it sucks you in and doesn’t let go. The character building is fantastic and so well developed. There is alot of characters in this book that you get introduced to but I found I didn’t get lost with who is who as each character is so deep and well written.
The world of Tal is extensive with its magic, social order, and of course griffins! I was left wanting to learn more about the magic system and griffins.
Overall, Stealing Glass is amazing and I highly recommend reading it! This story has all the main ingredients for a breathtaking fantasy series.
A big Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this amazing opportunity to read And review this amazing ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, Liv Strom and SM Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Promoted as a Cinderella retelling I was keen to read this one as I love a fairytale retelling, there is something about going back to the stories you loved as a child and finding new depths and story arcs as an adult. This was such a good read! Cinderella is a thief, Prince Charming is looking for revenge and the fairy godmother is evil.

That's just the broad strokes but this is a very rare book in the world of fairytale retellings where the author has managed to grow beyond the confines of the source material in a very realistic way. Vanya seems like such a world wery FMC at the start, but as the story continues though you realise the naivety she has to the real world outside of the bubble of Lowtown, seeing more of the grey in the world when she is removed from the environment she had fallen to following her mothers death.
Demitri is a cynical damaged MMC who is searching for revenge against his family and those that wronged him, constantly challenged by his best friend and “Helia”, his eyes are opened to the real world around him and his responsibilities.

Very good world build and overarching storylines here, I will be awaiting book 2 eagerly in Feb 2024!

Stealing Glass by Liv Strom is the first book of the young/new adult fantasy duology the Tales of Bones and Roses. This is a Cinderella retelling where the FMC is a thief. The beginning in the book seemed promising but as I read on it lost my interest. Unfortunately, the two main characters did not grasp my attention the way the universe did in the book. Thank you to net galley and the publishers for the arc.

The BLURB of the book hooked me. I loved how there were aspects of the original story yet completely transformed into a story that made me want to keep reading. The pull some characters have toward each other is juicy and I loved the harder aspects brought to life like - cinderella was abused by her step mother and being a retelling it feels so real and you feel the MC pain/trauma/struggles. The reader is going to want to pick up the next book up as soon as they finish book 1 because the ending left you wanting more - like omg don't leave me like this shit was just getting good haha... I'll definitely be reading the next book! Love Dimitri <3 Hate mostly everyone and I think that's okay its a group of oppressed people and will they have a better life one day? We shall see.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD...
...
...
...
I hope to get more perspective from the Vanyas twin. What happened to them seems still a mystery but you know it was horrific. I'm left feeling frustrated that her sister blames her for what happened to her and took years to forgive... Just seemed there's more to that story than we know or else i'm not sure why its vanyas fault. Also - I want everyone to get whats coming for them haha

📖 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 📖 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Stealing Glass
Author: Liv Strom
Genre: Romatasy
Release: 20th October 2023

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭...𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦?

𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯—𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘢𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴.

Okay so is it a strict Cinderella retelling no. The author has taken inspiration from the story and then run with it and I love the world Liz Strom has created, the corrupt monarchy and pseudo Russian vibes intertwined with magic. We have a FMC who is a dreamer and a bit naive, our MMC is misunderstood, and tortured. We have some of my favourite tropes (forced proximity, slow burn)

I think it took me awhile to understand the magic system and when it was introduced it felt a bit like it came out of nowhere. I also felt some of the relationships could have been explored/developed a bit more.

Buuut overall I really enjoyed it. There was some spice but definitely slow burn. Looking forward to book 2!!

Perfect if you love
👑 Slow Burn dual POV
👑 Forced Proximity ft Banter
👑 Mistaken Identities
👑 Classic retellings

Thank you so much SM Press and @netgalley for this ARC.

Book Review 📚
Stealing Glass by Liv Storm - 4/5 ⭐

A dark retelling of Cinderella?! I mean you don't really need anything more then that to sell you but I'll give it a whirl.

Vanya is our FMC and I adored her! I mean how can you not, she's your typical Cinderella girl and she's the kind of character you loving reading about. There is great character description from the get go which really helps set the scene.

There is so much intrigue in this book, it's not your bog standard retelling and it sucks you in. There's a great story line with great characters and the whole thing was exceptional. Storm has nailed this one and I can't wait to see more.

Thank you to NetGalley and SM Press for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

I would rate Stealing Glass 3.5/5. If you enjoyed the Grishaverse or the locked tomb series and like fairytales or retellings then this is for you.

The premise of this story held a lot of promise and at the start of the book, I believed it would live up to it, but I was left disappointed. I would also say it's a stretch to call this a Cinderella retelling.

The world building needed to be expanded a lot more. The magic system and even the world politics were never explained enough for me to feel fully immersed in the world of Tal.

There were too many characters who were not developed enough, unfortunately this does include our two main characters. It felt like Vanya had little impact on the main storyline at all. Dimitri was thankfully a little more well developed and showed growth but it wasn't enough.

Overall, there was so much potential here and whilst Vanya's and Dimitiri's banter was at times interesting, it was not enough to pull the story to a higher rating.

This was a riveting and dark retelling of Cinderella. Bound to her step-family to repay an impossible debt, Vanya finds herself put into an even more impossible situation - pretending to be a princess to marry the prince. They can't seem to get along, and she's worried not only about her twin, but about whether or not she can pull it off.

I enjoyed it a lot, but it was a bit slow paced for me.

A poor girl named Vanya is the protagonist of the fairytale version of Cinderella called Stealing Glass. In order to save herself and her twin sister from the debt they owe to their evil stepfather, Vanya finds herself in a life-altering predicament where she must pretend to be a princess and the fiancée of Prince Dimitri, a prince who has returned from exile. Vanya learns more about herself and her family on this journey than she ever imagined she could, all the while falling in love with a man she knows she shouldn't.

I was eager to read this book as soon as I finished reading the summary. The synopsis seemed intriguing and entertaining. Considering how much I adore fairytale retellings, I really wanted to love this book. Sadly, I found myself putting the book down frequently and not always wanting to pick it back up. Character relationships occasionally felt hurried or lacking. Don't get me wrong; the story and plot are intriguing, and I did somewhat enjoy them. The world-building is excellent, but It wasn't a 5/4 star book for me. But I'm sure it will be for others. Most of the time, I was more interested in learning more about the second characters than the main characters because they seem to be more intriguing. In general, it's a fascinating book and I enjoyed the different point of views, and I do suggest it to fans of fairytale retellings. The book end on a brilliant cliffhanger that will make you want to snatch the next book up. When the second book is published, I will absolutely read it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stealing Glass: A Cinderella Retelling
By Liv Strom
⭐️ 4/5 🌶️ 1/5

What if Cinderella was a thief?
The fairy godmother evil?
And the prince only interested in revenge?

Trigger warnings: child loss, physical abuse

Summary: “A daring heist, a mistaken princess, and a love bound by glass in a city where only death is sure.

Vanya longs to escape Tal, the City of the Dead, and the suffocating debts weighing her down. As her stepfather's interest rate increases, she turns to thievery to secure her freedom. Her task? Steal the glass crown at the crown prince's betrothal ball before midnight, and she'll finally break free. But Vanya soon discovers she bears a striking resemblance to the missing foreign bride, and her employer desires not just the crown, but control over the one who wears it.”

Review: I was captivated by this dark fairytale retelling from the beginning! The author’s writing style is rich and descriptive, and she builds a unique world and magic system. I did get confused with the world building at times, but there is a helpful guide in the beginning of the book. The story loosely follows Cinderella, but gives the characters more depth and growth. The tension between Vanya and Dimitri is top tier and I am eager see how their relationship continues to evolve. I will definitely be reading the next book in this duology, which is scheduled for release in February 2024!

Read this book if you enjoyed:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Fate of Wrath & Flame by K.A. Tucker

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the opportunity to review!
Honestly, this book was a very entertaining read, however it was just not for me. There were a lot of places where the plot was very slow. You learn a lot about the magic system and what is happening politically, but it happens so breadcrumb-y that you kind of forget why the information is important. There was also a lot going on that felt important to the plot but the reasons behind why and how it was happening didn’t feel fully developed. It is also such a major build up to a wedding and an event you think will happen by the end of the book and it doesn’t. It will happen in the second.
The things I absolutely loved about this book were the city it takes place in: Tal is essentially a city that celebrates the dead and worships the Goddess of Death. Necromancers or Death Keepers are the highest revered religious people. The magic system is super cool - where it seems like only the noble houses are blessed with magic yet something is happening to them that is highly suspicious. Our main character Vanya and her twin Lumi were thieves living with their “stepfather” and got wrapped up in an evil plot of thievery and regicide.
I think I would have liked it better if Vanya and Dimitri were portrayed as more mature characters. Their personalities needed a little bit more depth. Also, I think I would have enjoyed the story if it was multi-POV more. I would have loved Mariska’s pov and Alexei’s.

Don’t skip it! It’s definitely good - If cities of death and Cinderella retellings are your thing, this will fit your vibe.