The Rise of the Cinder Fae is an outstanding debut for this new fantasy series. Whitney creates a whimsical world of magic, royalty and plenty of pumpkins.

Despite technically being a Cinderella retelling much of the story is unique that no elements feel repetitive nor predictable.

The romance and relationship between our main characters is equally relatable ( so much bickering) as it is spicy. The live the characters share is more heartwarming than it is sickening.

The overarching plot isn't too simple l, yes we have to defeat the evil king. However we have to also free the fae, recruit the rebels, protect the town and did someone say hidden shadow daddy?!

I need the next book pronto!

Wow! This book was such an amazing, unique Cinderella retelling! I absolutely loved reading Finn and Elora’s story; enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, tons of witty banter… and things get really spicy in the second half of the book. There were also so many surprises and reveals. The ending was an unexpected shock to say the least! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend reading!

Thank you so much to Whitney Dean, Undying Raven Press, and Victory Editing for providing this ARC book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. 💖

DNF'd at 82%
Overall rating: 3/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

What to Expect:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Arranged Marriage
- Forced Proximity
- Found Family
- One Horse
- Spice (🌶️🌶️🌶️)
- Fae (?)

This is a dark Cinderella retelling. I really tried to love this book, and for the most part I did; however, I hit a point where the smut felt cringy and the plot got lost for me. I did my best to push through but unfortunately, I could not. I may pick this up at a later date and finish but for now, it is a DNF.
What drew me in was the title of this book (Rise of the Cinder Fae) and the premise of a Cinderella retelling. I think Whitney did a beautiful job at conveying the Cinderella retelling in a way that had the over arching premise of the fairytale while also adding her own unique story to it. Here is what I loved: Elora, Irina, and Finnian. The banter, the buildup and tension, and their growth as individuals and together was so well done.

Where I feel conflicted: I went in expecting more chaos or tension in regards to the Fae vs Human divide (a potential uprising or apparent conflict between the humans and fae?) but I never felt it was there - it was mentioned but just barely. The Fae felt like a forgotten side character rather than an important piece of the story. I would have loved an additional POV that brought the Cinder Fae into the story more. Secondly, I could not understand the obsession with the pumpkins? I love a good pumpkin dessert and drink but how are the pumpkins in this story anything special? I understand that the bridge held an important purpose but again, I was lost.

I think this book has a lot of potential but ultimately, this was not for me.

Rise of the Cinder Fae is a thrilling dark fantasy with dynamic characters and scenes that will have you not knowing what’s happening next. Enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, and way too much pumpkins for any sane persons tastes.

This was my first @authorwhitneydean read and I LOVED it. The dynamic between Elora and Finn is intoxicating. The secrets that are unraveling as we carry on will keep your interest piqued. And truly, this was a very well done Cinderella retelling.


Definitely a solid 5 ⭐️ read for 2024.

Thank you Whitney and #netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read an arc of this.

This is my first book that I read by Whitney and it definitely won’t be my last. I love reading Finn and Elora’s story. From there bantering back and forth to being enemies and then lovers I was completely hooked. Truly an amazing retelling of a classic that I didn’t want to put down. I’m thrilled that we will get more of these characters.

This book was 700+ kindle pages and I felt all of those 700 pages, for better or worse. 🫠 I really wanted to love this one! But ended up thinking it was just okay. 3.5 ⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️.5 (not really the type of the spice but the number and duration of spicy scenes throughout the book)

I loved and was initially drawn to the premise of the book: a Cinderella retelling with 2 of my favorite tropes- arranged marriage and enemies to lovers, in which it absolutely delivered in spades. I loved Whitney Dean's ability to draw inspiration from the "original" and still remained true to telling her own story.

I adored Elora and Finnian (separately, they were complex and likable characters), but I think this book can only be classified as a "slow burn" because of the novel's length. I'm the type of reader who loves the earlier stages of the budding relationship- the banter and tension- between the main characters more than the bits of the book where the couple are blissfully and disgustingly in love with each other. 🫢 I think Elora and Finnian spent more time in the latter. It wasn't for me, but I know a majority of readers will happily eat it up. If you like overprotective and obsessed MMC's, Finnian Alexander is your man.

A minor note: I think this book would have greatly benefited from any kind of map. And possibly edited down to 2 separate books. The world building for the first 10-15% of the book and then the last 20-30% almost took me out. The proximity to the kingdom of Pumpkin Hollow, Ashbury, Hogsfeet, and the mines(?) were probably important. I know there's a glass bridge with pumpkins underneath, was there a purpose to those besides an ode to Cinderella? lol 🤔 details, details, details that will haunt me.

thank you to Netgalley & Undying Raven Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts/review.

4.5 Stars!

This book really took me by surprise, despite seeing all the already great reviews. I am not normally a romance reader, and this book is definitely more romance than fantasy, but the romance is amazing and I loved all the fantasy elements. Despite the story being a bit long, Whitney Dean can write! There is so much depth to these characters and I cannot wait to get to know some of them more in the next book. I thought the pacing was great, and while I wouldn't really classify it as a true "enemies to lovers" I enjoyed how the relationship between Finn and Elora developed.

The way this book ended set this series up so well, and I am very excited to see how this world expands in the next book! I immediately went and purchased an upcoming special edition!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an E-ARC for review.

Rise of the Cinder Fae was an enemies to lovers, fairytale retelling of Cinderella. With a fantasy twist, an arranged marriage, found family, and one horse, this book will take readers on a magical journey!

My heart was instantly pulled in by Elora. With an evil stepmother and two evil stepsisters, who used her as their personal maid, I couldn’t help but feel for her. She should have been a princess. Yet instead she slept in the attic and didn’t seem to have much freedom. So when Elora was taken in a pumpkin carriage to the ball to meet a dashing prince, I was so excited for her! Yet this Cinderella retelling had so many fascinating elements mixed in. There were the cinder faes, an arranged marriage, a King who was disgustingly horrific, and a future mother-in-law and sister-in-law who I absolutely cherished!

The kingdom Elora was from, suffered greatly. And as she set her sights on the prince, she hoped that she would be able to save her kingdom. I adored that we not only got this story from Elora, but from Finnian too. He was the dashing prince. I loved their enemy vibes from the start. And I loved how they both saw each other, because I just knew their growth would be fun to watch. From the moment they smashed pumpkins together, I was smitten. Especially during the cleaning up afterwards. Elora and Finnian were at the start of a beautiful relationship! So by the time they were dancing where she grew up, I was in love.

My absolute favorite in this story was Irina! She was Finnian’s sister, and a princess. She was bold, hilarious and just made my heart melt with happiness. Her taking a liking to Elora, and helping her every step of the way just made me love her that much more! I would hope that she gets her own book too, or is super prevalent in the next book.

While this story was slow to start, I adored the first half. I didn’t care that it was long, I was fully absorbed and obsessed with every single word. Yet the latter half of this story dragged for me. Even with some interesting twists, I couldn’t help but find myself skimming from time to time to hurry it along. Also, there were some scenes that had me questioning what the characters were thinking, like the river and small room scene. But as the story kept unfolding, I realized that I couldn’t ever find the love I had for this story. Which made me so sad.

This story ended with a bang, and will leave the reader excited for the next book. While I’m unsure whether I’ll read the next story in this series, I absolutely loved how unique this retelling felt. So if you’re looking for a spicy retelling that also has fae mixed into the story, then definitely give this one a try. Here’s hoping you love it more than me!

This dark Cinderella retelling grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go. I love Elora and Finnian. The Cinder Fae are so great and fun to read about. The plot is twisty enough that I actively HAD to keep reading to know what happened next and was surprised a couple time. The enemies to lovers was done well and I liked the banter between our main couple. Also would love a whole book about Irina. 10/10. Go read this!

I thought this was a very interesting book at the start. The world building was fun, also love a having a crazy psycho king. The FMC was cute and bold. The MMC was a survivor, it was nice to see him grow a spine through out the book.

DNF @ 15%

cinderella retelling with ACOTAR x once upon a time vibes, but not executed well.

starting off, the info dumping was confusing and the writing reads more like a younger YA fantasy rather than new adult.

i know this is a cinderella retelling, but it feels so passé in 2024 to have the bad characters pointedly described as being ugly. the references brought up for a high fantasy read feel out of place - aphrodite and bohemians? in a middle age inspired high fantasy setting?

i started to get interested when the MMC enters the story (with the awful name finnian) but unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me going. too many things didn't make sense with the scheming plot, the fae, scenes that don't really add much to the story except for roundabout ways to give the reader background information.

off the bat 700 pages is far too long from what i read. i think if this was edited down to deliver information more concisely, tighten up scenes, and get to the action faster, i would've kept reading.

this was an honest arc review <3

I cannot believe this book is over! I need the next one immediately! At first, I felt like the book was hard to get into, but once you started to understand the characters it was amazing. I loved Finn and Ellie’s love so much. I cannot wait for their story to continue. This book is a Cinderella retelling but honestly so much more. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and the spice was spicy in this book! This was a great romantic fantasy read!

Thank you so much to Whitney Dean, NetGallery and Undying Raven Press for giving me an eARC of Rise of the Cinder Fae in exchange for my honest review!

Rise of the Cinder Fae is a dark and spicy retelling of Cinderella.

Elora has preserved through years of neglect and abuse at the hands of her Stepmother, but remains kind hearted and selfless. Her sole desire is that circumstances will improve for those living in the kingdom of Ashbury, which has fallen into disrepair at the hands of the King.

Finn, the King’s son and heir to the throne, is unaware of Kingdom’s circumstances having spent as much time as possible away travelling.

He is initially perceived as the villain and Elora’s enemy, so when a plan is put in place for her to marry him and regain the wealth her kingdom needs to prosper, Elora makes the decision to sacrifice herself for the good of her people.

Yet things are not as straightforward as they seem and Elora finds herself falling in love with the man she had sworn to hate.

I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down. It’s extremely well written, keeping you hooked to the storyline with its many twists and turns. Whilst the supporting characters are well rounded with their own intriguing back stories.

I especially loved Irina. Her history of feeling like an outsider, whilst managing to find the love she deserves in unexpected places, was truly touching. She’s also funny and strong, playing a major role in the found family theme that develops in this book.

The romance between Elora and Finn was perfection, a wonderful example of enemies to lovers, with the passion, tension and witty remarks to go with it. Plus, the spicy scenes were delicious.

Elora and Finn both grow significantly during their time together, each overcoming hurdles from their past traumas, allowing them to both save the kingdom and create a future together.

The book ends on a small cliffhanger, which is enough to entice you to read the next book, whilst leaving you satisfied with the ending.

Rise of the Cinder Fae is definitely a new favourite of mine, so I definitely be picking up a physical copy and am excited for the next book.

I want to start out by saying how grateful I am for NetGalley, Undying Raven Press, and Whitney Dean for allowing me to read Rise of the Cinder Fae. A shoutout post is currently posted on my Instagram, ReadWithMegh and a review is currently published on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Net Galley, and Good Reads. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this was not a hit for me. I honestly felt very lost throughout most of this book. The world building was confusing to me, the relationship felt forced, and the fae/fantasy aspect was just a very small portion of the story.
I will say I liked the portrayal of Irina and Elora’s relationship quite a bit. I also found myself enjoying Finnian’s POV chapters a lot more than Elora’s.

There were so many rave reviews for this book, and I really wanted to love it. I gave it an honest shot but finally had to DNF at 70%.

Whitney Dean you absolutely turned my life upside down with this book! I was hooked from the first chapter. Elora and Finnian are such well rounded characters and I could not put it down I needed to see what happened next! The spice was absolutely perfect and I already can’t wait to read this again! Thank you Whitney for creating such a wonderful world to get lost in. I’m so beyond in love with Rise of the Cinder Fae!

I would rate this between 3/12 stars to 4 stars.

Overall I did enjoy this book as I do enjoy a retelling with a twist, although I feel the world building was a little confusing and the Cinder fae did feel more like a side plot. The pacing feels a little uneven and this story does feel longer than necessary. The plot picked up towards the end, however considering how long the book was the ending felt almost rushed which leads me to believe it might have worked better as two more concise books. I did enjoy seeing Elora's character growth and her banter with Finnian was fantastic and their chemistry was great.. I like a good slow burn and normally I love it when it finally breaks, however, sometimes the spice felt a little unnecessary to the story.

One of my favourite characters was Finnian's sister Irina. She was a source of encouragement for both Elora and Finnian. She was a character that was confident in herself and was always supportive of Elora and Finnian. I think the book was a good story in itself, if only a little long.

Thank you net gallery for the ARC.

Just WOW!!
This book was such a roller coaster but it was so beautiful, and an absolute fun read.
It had such amazing writing, the plot/characters/world building just flowed so well together.
I love this book so much. I wish I could rate this all the stars in the world!!!!!

Oh my goodness, this was my very first book by this author and it definitely will not be my last. I couldn’t stop reading!

Thank you so much to Whitney Dean, NetGalley, and Undying Raven Press for the opportunity to review Rise of the Cinder Fae!

This is a spicy Cinderella retelling with some unexpected twists and turns.

You can tell that a lot of heart and soul was poured into Elora’s character. She has been molded by years of neglect and abuse, believing her life to be of little value. It allows her to be easily manipulated and overly selfless. Similarly, Finn has had to close off his emotions and harden his exterior in order to cope with his own situation. I feel for these two.

I enjoyed the pace of this book and thought there was a nice ebb and flow between plot events and the romance. The side characters were awesome - I loved Irina to pieces, and she was easily one of my favorites. I hope we get to see more of them in the future books.

I had to adjust my rating after posting because when I immediately finished, I felt like the book was great, but after some processing time, I realized a few things fell short for me. I felt confused by some of the pacing and character actions - there were quite a few moments that left me going - "wait, what is happening?" I was also a little disappointed that the story is more fae adjacent than prominently featuring fae based on the blurb and title.

The ending was a crazy cliffhanger-ish moment. I will probably be reading the next book.

Wow… I loved this book so much. Coming off of an SJM high, I didn’t think there would be anything that would be able to satisfy my reading needs, but this did it. The enemy to lovers trope was phenomenal. Elora and Finnian have great chemistry and I’m so excited to see where their story leads. Irina and Honora are great side characters that contribute a lot. I loved every bit of this book!