In this book, Cinderella is a monster. Told from the point of view of the eldest stepsister. The story contains many elements of the fairy tale, just twisted into something very dark. I will never think about the Disney cartoon in the same way again. The author was very creative. I didn't really connect with the main characters but, then again, they just wanted to survive.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

I adore retellings of fairy tales, and this one stood out for its innovative take on the original tale's darkness.

This story is told from the perspective of Eunice, Cinderella's elder stepsister. With her evil abilities, mutilated mice, and forbidden gaze between midnight and three in the afternoon, Cinderella is not your usual girl. Eunice is in charge of taking care of Cinderella and defending the household from her. But when Cinderella receives an invitation to the ball, everything goes terribly wrong and becomes a struggle for survival.

This imaginative retelling of what is likely the most popular fairy tale was really well done. The atmosphere in the book is unsettling, with a strong whiff of mold and rot. There were a few extremely graphic scenes at the end.

It's such a wonderful twist to make Cinderella the villain; her monstrosity was both delightful and horrifying. The "evil stepsister" stereotype was given new life by Eunice and her sister, who made for an excellent main character. I believe the story really shines on this theme, but I was also captivated by the language from the first page on, and I found myself practically staring at the pages till the end.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark retellings of fairy tales or violent horror in general. Definitely not for readers with a weak heart.

We Kept Her in the Cellar was fantastic! This was my first time reading this type of book , but will not be my last! It was dark and gory and I loved the writing style. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was so gross. I did enjoy the creativity and Cinderella is horrifying! There are some elements from the fairy tale like the stepsisters, the mice/rats, Cinderella's beauty. But that's about it. The rest is just a gruesome nightmare. There is no happy ending in this one--for any character. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

What a great twisted Cinderella! Aaaagh. Threw everything on top of its head. Loved the tale - so much fun. At times it was skimmable - things just continued and we're easily skipped. Would have liked the prince' character (who actually had a brain) to be fleshed out more. Also, what.the.hell.is.wrong.with.the.parents???? RUN!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W. R. Gorman is a first person-POV eldritch horror reimagining of Cinderella. When Eunice’s mother becomes engaged to Cinderella’s father, Eunice isn’t too pleased but willing to make an effort because her younger sister, Hortense, is excited to have a new sister. That is, until Cinderella bites Hortense during their first meeting and it’s revealed that she’s a nightmare in a pretty package.

This was such a creative spin on what is probably the most retold fairy tale in the Western world. It’s never made clear exactly what Cinderella is and all we really know is that her mother was also a bit odd and she’s bound by three rules, including the rule that she must listen to family. Maybe she’s part fairy, but maybe not. The use of rats later on was disturbing and a real twist to the 1950s Disney film that many of us are familiar with.

Eunice is trying so hard to do what is right by herself and her family and Cinderella isn’t really helping her but neither is Hortense. Hortense never forgives Cinderella for the bite and said bite leading to Cinderella siphoning off Hortense’s life force until the wedding, leading to Hortense and Cinderella in a constant cycle of ‘she’s not my sister’ followed by Cinderella feeding off of her and then Hortense gives in. And the one stuck forcing them to make-up is Eunice, the middle sister of this blended family. Because Eunice was the oldest sister until the wedding and essentially becomes Cinderella’s caregiver, this feels like a book for all the sisters who had to keep the peace.

The atmosphere is quite creepy, focusing on the scent of mold and rot and how Cinderella’s green eyes look like a green apple left out too long when her true nature is shown. There’s dark, heavy doors, information left out, and tentacles and so many teeth. And top all that off, Eunice tells Cinderella what to do in highly specific ways to act normal and yet Cinderella still cannot resist finding ways to not act normal. In short, the prose is very effective and evocative.

I would recommend this to fans of Cinderella reimaginings and horror, readers looking for a eldritch spin on fairy tales, and those looking for a darker Cinderella story from the step-sister’s POV

This book was such a fun read! When I saw Cinderella, but she is an eldritch monster I thought yes! Sounds amazing! And luckily this story did not disappoint.

This story is told from the point of view of Eunice, the elder of Cinderella's stepsisters. I loved how it felt like a children's story at first, how it is YA feeling (which makes sense as it is a fairy tale/told from a teenager's POV), but it gets really gross. It does have most of the things you would associate with Cinderella, the mice, the chores, the pumpkin turned stagecoach, etc but they are all so wonderfully disgusting I loved it. There were a couple of parts towards the end that were so gross I turned away for a moment which I don't know that I have done before. I was amazing.

Really this is the story of if there was a reason why the stepsisters/stepmother did everything they did for a good reason. There are rules for Cinderella and oh, it was wonderful. I loved how it ended as well. This is the author's first book so I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Blending families after a remarriage is always difficult and Eunice is right to be worried when her new stepfather and stepsister arrive at the beginning of the harrowing new novel from W.R. Gorman, We Kept Her in the Cellar. Eunice doesn’t just have to worry about her mother’s attention being split three ways instead of just two or differing disciplinary styles because it turns out that her sister, Cinderella, really is a monster.

Shortly after the new family members arrive, Cinderella bites Eunice’s younger sister, Hortense, before anyone can say a word. Eunice’s stepfather whisks his offspring away to a cellar room with metal doors that has been specially prepared to house Cinderella. Over the next few days, Eunice learns the rules: Eunice must believe that Cinderella is her sister, otherwise, Cinderella will eat her; Cinderella must be kept occupied with busy work; Cinderella must never have access to mice or rats; and, under no circumstances, is anyone to be alone with Cinderella between midnight and three o’clock in the morning. Eunice hardly needs any more proof of how dangerous her new sister is when Hortense’s wound refuses to heal.

The plot of We Kept Her in the Cellar really begins to race after events jump ahead some seven years. Cinderella and Eunice would be old enough to make their debut among the aristocracy if it weren’t so dangerous for anyone to find out about Cinderella…except, that’s exactly what happens. Before Eunice can catch her metaphorical breath, a prince shows up and invitations for a ball arrive. A monstrous version of Cinderella’s helpers turn up to break her out of her cellar room and take her to the ball. And Cinderella’s stories of being kept in a stone cellar and made to do menial tasks, fed on rotting food, only help her worm her way into the palace.

I was delighted by the way that Gorman was able to take elements from the original Cinderella story and twist them into this tale. The color of the glass slippers hints at the way Cinderella relishes in rot and decay. Her beauty is a skin-deep cover for an eldritch shapeshifter. Gorman really flipped that fairy tale on its head. Readers who enjoy horrific, imaginative retellings of classic novels will find a lot to enjoy in this book. (The only reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because there are some jarring word choices and occasionally juvenile dialogue.)

WE KEPT HER IN THE CELLAR - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eunice lives her life by three simple rules: One, always refer to Cinderella as family. Two, never let Cinderella gain access to rats or mice. Three, never look upon Cinderella between the hours of twelve and three a.m.

Cinderella has dark and terrifying powers. As her stepsister, Eunice is expected to care for her and keep the family’s secret. Her childhood flew by in a blur of nightmares, tears, and near-misses with the monster living in the cellar. But when she befriends the handsome Prince Credence and secures an invitation to the ball, Eunice is determined to attend.

When her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to care for Cinderella, Eunice grabs her chance to dance the night away… until Cinderella escapes. What follows is an unsettling, macabre swathe of terror—headed straight for the throne.

🐁🐁🐁

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump recently. WE KEPT HER IN THE CELLAR ripped that slump to bloody little shreds.

Don’t let the cover fool you; this isn’t YA. (Seriously, imho, the cover does this book *such* a disservice. When I first saw it, I fully thought it was YA and almost skipped it over.)

From the first stroke of midnight I couldn’t look away. Eunice’s complex relationships with her family members (yes, including Cinderella) paired with my particular cup of eldritch body horror tea means this book is one I’ll be recommending for any fairytale horror-fantasy lovers. (Seriously, the body horror here is not for the faint of heart. The second (yes, there are two) foot scene literally dropped my jaw. I loved it.)

I believe that this is Gorman’s debut novel, and I’m looking forward to see how she will grow as an author (especially if she chooses to write more in WE KEPT HER IN THE CELLAR’s world; I’d love to see Eunice return!!).

WE KEPT HER IN THE CELLAR publishes 24 September 2024! Thank you to @crookedlanebooks for providing an eARC via @netgalley. As usual, all opinions here are my own!

An interesting twist in the Cinderella story. I found it quite dark. I felt for the characters and what they were going through

3.5 Stars

It’s difficult for me to decide for which audience to recommend this book. Most of it reads as if it was written for teenage readers, but the graphic violence and gore makes it more suitable for adult readers. Hmmmm.

Anyways, “We Kept Her in the Cellar” is a very unique and dark take on the classic fairy tale, “Cinderella”. As I’m an absolute sucker for dark and twisted retellings of much-loved fairy tales, the cover, title, and book description had me excited to delve into this novel.

However, it took a very long time for me to really get into the story. It did not really pull me in until about halfway through. I found it hard to connect the youth-lit-like prose with an evil Cinderella. I was also put off by the sheer amounts of angst throughout the story. It was simply too much for my liking.

But in all honesty, those are really my only complaints. As much as I didn’t enjoy this book as I was hoping I would, I think that it will certainly attract a lot readers and appeal to the tastes of fans of horror literature. It really has a lot going for it.

Even though I feel the prose isn’t what I’m used to finding in books for more mature readers, there is nothing else “wrong” with it. The descriptions of the characters and the world they inhabit are thorough and done skilfully. There are a few plot holes, but they’re easy to overlook once you really get into the intense parts of the story. The gore and graphic violence will make any horror fan’s heart beat a little faster, and getting to see this fairy tale from one of the stepsisters’ point of view, makes it a must-read.

Two things I really loved about this book:

The first is that the author did not shy away from putting her main character, Eunice (the stepsister telling the story) through the wringer. I love it when authors don’t treat their MCs with kid gloves, and trust me on this, Eunice didn’t have it easy. The second is the magnificent ending. It was absolutely the best way to end Eunice’s story, but at the same time it’s enough of an open ending to turn this into a series down the line if the author so wishes.

I can easily see this being made into a horror movie and the creators going wild with the CGI. Even though this fairy tale retelling wasn’t quite what I had expected, I can say with certainty that the author shows a lot of promise if she keeps coming up with such unique ideas as the one for this book, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she’ll surprise us with next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an eARC of “We Kept Her in the Cellar”.

I found the book to be somewhat lukewarm. It had its moments of interest, but overall, it felt rather ordinary. The characters were decent, and the plot moved along at a steady pace, but there was nothing that truly captivated me or set it apart from other reads.

What a fun take on a classic. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns. Making Cinderella the evil stepsister is such a great change, and her monstrosity was truly terrifying and delightful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

A eldritch, body horror retelling of Cinderella, you get exactly what you pay for. This is gnarly, no one is safe from Cinderella. I loved how the author fit each aspect of the story into her twisted world. A little slow at the start, but once it got going, I couldn't put it down.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6666767838

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/03f0cacb-37d6-433e-ad57-8d8c57aa31b0

Check out this review of We Kept Her in the Cellar on Fable. https://fable.co/review/daa2070a-ea0f-4a8a-9342-b6032bb45687/share

Oh the creativity! And the excellent Horror! The creativity! Delicious. Brutal.
Upon their parents' marriage, Eunice must help maintain Cinderella and the family connection. Especially as her younger sister, Hortense, renounces all connection consistently - resulting in long, mysterious illnesses.
Because in this world Cinderella wears the perfect skin - blond, lovely, oozing charisma. As you get closer, those multiple rows of teeth push through the mirage.
Excellent retelling! Cannot wait for more from this author.

I am so happy I was able to read this ARC! I started it when I laid down for bed and couldn’t stop! Well three hours later I finished! It is such an amazing horror twist to the Cinderella story. I loved how she used the mice in the story as well. If you are a fan of horror, you will love this one!

I need to see this book made into a season of American Horror Story!!!
WR Gorman writes with such vivid detail, from the setting to the characters and their development throughout the book. The gore and carnage is truly disturbing and fitting.
Thank you net galley for providing me with this arc.

4.5 stars rounded down - this was absolutely great! I loved the brutal horror of this reimagining of Cinderella as a Cthulu-esque eldritch horror. It had sine sincerely disgusting scenes. My only criticism is that I feel like the ending kind of trailed off without a sense of closure. I understand that leaving things open ended may feel more terrifying, but it also was a bit unsatisfying to me.

Was this the best book I have read all year? Absolutely! I may never recover from the part with the foot.
I love creepy reimagined fairy tales but this was better than I ever could have expected. Just so perfectly creepy and wonderful.

Definitely a favorite of the year! This reminded me a lot of T. Kingfisher's horror fairytales. Eunice was a great main character, and she and her sister really breathed new life into the "evil stepsister" stigma. The writing immediately drew me in, and my eyes were pretty much glued to the page until I finished the book. I loved the depiction of Cinderella so much. She's a complicated...whatever she is. This book kept pretty closely to the original Cinderella story (at least, as well as it could when Cinderella is an murderous eldritch being), but I was still continually shocked by plot twists. This is Gorman's debut, and I really hope that they continue to write this kind of thing. They've definitely become an auto-buy author for me.