This was such a cute, fun, and super quick read for me! Was it a bit cheesy at some points? Absolutely. But I really liked it!

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐀 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐲 (𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬) 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚, 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫! 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒 𝒮𝑜𝓁𝑒𝒾𝓁, 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒶, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance audio-copy of Cinder Luna in exchange for an honest review.
Marie Soleil's 'Cinder Luna' offers a modern take on the classic Cinderella tale, blending gaming and romance in a PG-rated package.

Set in the world of online gaming, the story follows Cinder Luna, a talented gamer who dreams of winning a prestigious tournament. However, her stepmother and stepsisters make her life miserable, forcing her to work as a maid for their gaming team.

Cinder Luna is a relatable and determined protagonist, while her love interest, Prince Charming, is a charming and supportive hero. The supporting cast is well-developed, with both likable and unlikable characters.

The romance between Cinder Luna and Prince Charming is a central focus of the story. While it's a bit predictable, the chemistry between the characters is undeniable. The romance is sweet and clean, with no explicit content.

The writing is engaging and easy to read, with a good balance between dialogue and description. The audiobook features both male and female narrators, who do an excellent job of bringing the characters to life.

'Cinder Luna' is a great choice for younger readers and those who enjoy light and fluffy romances. It's also a good option for those looking for a quick and easy read.

While 'Cinder Luna' may not be the most groundbreaking retelling of Cinderella, it's a fun and enjoyable read that will leave you smiling. It's a perfect book to pick up after something heavy or when you just need a bit of escapism.

This was a 3.5 Star read for me!

Cinder Luna had an interesting premise and kept me engaged, but it left me with mixed feelings. Some dialogue and scenes felt forced, especially the "who hurt you?" line and the Cinderella elements. The story seemed like it should have been the third in a series, with relationships that felt like they were introduced in previous books.

Luna, promoted to first class on a train, meets her favorite online gaming partner, Mr. Perfect. While this setup was intriguing, the execution fell short. Luna acted more like a teenager than an adult, and the chemistry between the main characters was lacking. The story started too quickly and then dragged without much plot development.

The narration was also disappointing, with the female narrator's voice being grating and the male narrator's voice just okay. Despite these issues, there were enjoyable parts, and it might appeal to a younger audience, but it didn't work for me as an adult reader.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cinder Luna is a modern day Cinderella retelling, and a cute, easy read.

Up front, it was a bit too cheesy for my taste, and Luna’s saccharine nature felt a bit repetitive after a while. However I can see it being really enjoyable for someone looking for a romantic, light adult (clean) fairytale, and a quick read. The video game storyline was a neat upgrade to bring the story into the modern day, and I enjoyed the small town setting.

The narration was fun, and really well done. All characters were animated and well dramatised. The alternating POV and dual narrators added character and interest to the story. I loved the snarky drawl of the twins!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audiobook. Opinions expressed are my own.

A Cinderella retelling set in the modern era, sign me up!

Our girl Luna is searching for her break in animation. Our prince Henry is creating his own video game. The two are online gaming friends but little do they know who the other is. Little do they know they've already met previously on a train where sparks were flying.

This was the book I didn't know I needed!! It was so unbelievably sweet and I found myself gushing at how simple and cute it was. I love the Cinderella fairytale so to see it morphed into a current day setting was pretty amazing. I listened to the audiobook of this one and it felt like it just flew by - the narration was top notch with the story flowing seamlessly. Read this if you want a book to put a smile on your face.

Cinder Luna was absolutely amazing. The narrators did such an incredible job portraying the characters and I loved everything about it.

I received a copy of this audiobook for my honest review.

This is a modern retelling of Cinderella, where our FMC is an unemployed video game animator and our MMC is set to inherit his fathers company and is also trying to open a new branch for video games. The two have secretly known each other for years through a discord friendship, but they never gave their actual identities - just acknowledging each other by their game handles. But one random day, as our FMC is moving to a new town to help her friend for her wedding, she gets an upgrade on the train, and her seatmate happens to be our MMC. This instantlove meeting is perfect - except they don't exchange names. He was a bit easier to determine his identity as her local friends know about his famous family - while she stayed a mystery. He visits a local festival and finds her, where they reconnect and exchange numbers. The relationship starts to blossom, but both feel a little guilty because of the online friendship that they haven't disclosed. While talking online he lets her know he has created a new video game, and she offers to help him with the graphics so that he can be a reference for her. Things are going great until she realizes her online friend, is her in person crush. Nervous that he won't see her the same if he knows the truth, she keeps her identity hidden, but plans to reveal herself at the ball to unveil the game.

Thank you, Netgalley and Dreamscape Team, for providing me with this advanced audiobook copy of Cinder Luna!

I really enjoyed the voices played by both characters, though I wished that when Luna was speaking, it would be her voice all the time, and vise versa for Henry. For the most part, I felt the voice expression played very well for Luna but at times felt Henry's voice was just stoic. Maybe it was supposed to be that way? There were minor hiccups with the audiobook not working after I listened to it in the car. At first, I was worried I had gotten a bad copy but then I noticed a pattern after every time I listened to it in the car it would just stop working. Not sure why it wouldn't play after one chapter of listening to it in the car.

The story overall is a classic love at first sight and very fairytale-y. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. Super easy and quick. The beginning, where they met on the train, reminded me of Frozen when Elsa confronted Anna about falling in love instantly. I guess, when you know, you just know. To me though, it did feel kind of too fast... because they had just MET. Cute storyline, love the gamer names, it was very clever for sure. However, that bonus chapter at the end had me very intrigued with Adam.

So. Much. Fun! I’m fan-girling over a new-to-me fairy tale rom/com series AND a new-to-me author! And what a wonderful introduction to both!

The Cinderella set up is priceless — all kinds of familiar only with new, modern twists that are quite brilliant. Classic rom/com tropes — hidden identity, instant attraction — paired with humour and heart made this read (or listen) fly by. Includes an emphasis on family as well.

I’d categorize ‘Cinder Luna’ as primarily for a Young Adult or New Adult audience, but it’s also perfect for fairy tale retelling aficionados no matter their age! And this is pure romance all the way through! Have your toe-curls and swoons on standby.

I listened to the audio edition narrated by Renee Dorian and Joe Jameson. Love a dual narration in a romance — especially a rom/com — and this was excellently done. I especially appreciated the Disney Princess buoyancy Renee brought to Cinder’s character. 🙂

My thanks to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

I really don’t know how I feel about this book. The premise was good, I was invested in the story and did have enjoyment for it.
But, I had sections or moments where I would just cringe at the dialogue or the scenes. The “who hurt you?” felt forced as well as the Cinderella storyline.
I also felt that this book wasn’t the first in a series and should’ve been a third. There were relationships that had their own storyline and how it was written felt as if they had been introduced in a previous book.
I have a feeling that the next book is about Henry Stone’s brother…but the reader only met him in a bonus epilogue and it makes no sense.
I also am not a fan of the title.
Whilst I’m picking apart this book, I promise that I actually was invested in it and do think it has good parts. It made rating this book quite hard for me, but I think my overall enjoyment mostly out-ways the flaws.

I really enjoyed the story and narrator. Fun Cinderella twist. Predictable but entertaining. It was relatable and also not believable mixed together. I could see how one relationship would work but had a hard time seeing the other one fall in to place in a real world.

Short and easy read.

Luna moved to a small town to help her best friend plan her wedding, and she met Henry in the train. Sparks fly instantly, but it seems fate is not on their side due to some unfortunate events. At the same time, they don't know that they're online gaming buddies for years.

I really love the concept of gaming in books, and this is half of the plot so I instantly know that I will love this book.

It's very insta-lovey but I don't really mind because their relationship took a slow and steady pace. The Cinderella retelling part is not cringey and I love reading some Easter eggs thrown in regarding the fairy tale. It's a good romance book, and I love my reading experience considering I read this in one-sitting for about 2 hours. The plot is not that high stake, so it's just all vibes and feels.

I listened to the first few chapters in audiobook format and I love the narrators.

This was such a sweet romcom and retelling of the Cinderella story! It’s short, fun and the perfect palette cleanser. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Luna moves to Brookhaven to help her best friend plan her wedding and on her way, she meets a guy on the train who she has an instant connection with. The only bad thing is that she forgot to get his name. Luna is a big gamer and her best friend online, MidKnight, seems to have a lot in common with the mystery train guy. Her sister will tell her to be brave but she is unsure if she can do that this time.

This story grew on me as time went on but the female narrator was just not it for me. I enjoyed how they had a friendship but I do wish Luna would have let him know she knew who he was a little earlier. I did like the extra chapter that alludes to a Beauty and the Beast Story next.

Cinder Luna is a fun meet-cute, clean romance that will leave your heart warm and giddy. It is impossible to dislike either of these main characters. Luna is the most wholesome kind hearted women out there and Henry might be the perfect Billionaire, video gaming prince for her. I did also love how this book did represent women in the video gaming field. I don’t play video games, but this is the typical way women are portrayed in all male dominated spaces. Even though, I don’t think too many “men” will read this book, I think every women could relate to some of the feeling Luna had throughout the book.

I enjoyed the pacing between each time these two characters met. It is a Cinderella retelling, but in a modern, fun, light hearted way. At the end of the audio book, there was a snip for book two. Do I hear a Beauty and Beast retelling next with the “monstrous” a-listed actor brother we heard so much back?! Say less and count me in! I can’t wait!

I received the audio book from NetGalley. The dual narration was great! Both narrators brought each character to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an arc of Cinder Luna!
3.5 stars!

🔘Gamers 🎮
🔘Cinderella retelling
🔘mistaken identity
🔘Friends-to-lovers

✨Thoughts✨
"Cinder Luna" is a modern retelling of Cinderella. While it does follow the fairy tale, it is modified in a way that doesn't feel forced.

🔸I was pleasantly surprised by the dual narration in this audiobook. Renee Dorian truly brought Luna's character to life. On the other hand, Joe Jameson, a new narrator to me, delivered a fantastic performance with his delightful British accent.

🔸Although the narration was superb, I couldn't help but feel that the story itself lacked a certain depth. The chemistry between the characters fell a bit short and didn't establish a strong connection. It seemed to me that the dialogue was geared towards a younger audience. However, despite these shortcomings, there were still some aspects of the story that I genuinely enjoyed.

✨All in all, if you have a penchant for closed-door retellings, then this audiobook is definitely worth considering.

Special Thanks to Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

This was a pretty cute audiobook! I breezed through the whole thing on audio in under a day.

Other than the gaming spin, this is a fairly standard clean, modern Cinderella retelling. Nothing revolutionary, but it's good for a breezy fun read.

It leans a teensy bit towards instalove, especially in the beginning- I think I would have preferred if Luna and Henry's friendship had been developed a tad more at the beginning. And I did enjoy the gaming / animation spin!

3.5

I love a good Cinderella-inspired story, and I love when a plot is very media-centric, so I ate this up.

Eu costumo evitar recontos da Cinderela porque todo o plot de enteada e madrasta malvada e afins me irrita um pouco pelo que a protagonista sempre sofre até chegar no seu sonhado desfecho, mas o plot de Cinder Luna me surpreendeu e além nesse e outros pontos mais!

A autora nâo só renovou os elementos comuns do original, de forma que só fui reconhecendo-os aos poucos com o passar da narrativa, como o fez de uma forma natural e dosada, sem forçar todo o clima de releitura, e juntando isso ao texto fluído, com direito a narrações muito bem feitas no audiobook, temos uma leitura que vale muito a pena!

Os primeiros capítulos de cara me ganharam e envolveram, em especial os da Luna que me cativou muito - ainda que o Henry também tenha sido uma graça! Recheado de personagens reais e cativantes - com uma ou outra exceção porque, né, faz parte - Cinder Luna é um daqueles clichês gostosinhos de se ler, que dá tanto pra devorar de uma vez só quanto aos poucos pra fazer a leitura durar mais enquanto já se aguarda sim pela sequência com o irmão do Henry. Gostei muito do tema dos games em torno dos protagonistas, e de como o lado clean do romance se desenvolveu, perfeito para quem procura uma boa história sem hot como eu!

Só não dou 5 estrelas totais porque senti algumas coisas correrem um pouco no desenvolvimento ou na conveniência, e aí destoava um pouco pra mim durante a leitura, mas não chegaram a atrapalhar no todo do da experiência, principalmente pelo modo mais ritmado com que o desfecho se deu, então, 4,5 estrelas é a minha nota e fica aqui minha recomendação dessa leitura que começa e flui despretensiosa, mas faz suspirar e divertir do mesmo jeito!