I was surprised how much I liked this one! Fairy tale meets horror in this retailing of Cinderella from the older stepsister's POV. Rather than Cinderella not going out of the house because she is made to clean and serve her step family, in this version, she is kept locked away for the safety of everyone else as she has a monstrous secret. I liked the ties to older, darker versions of Cinderella as well, like her stepsister cutting off her toes to fit Cinderella glass slipper. Very well written and the narrator was great to listen to. A perfect spooky season story!

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the audiobook!

A Gripping Reimagining of Cinderella

This book offers a wild and captivating twist on the classic Grimms’ fairytale of Cinderella. We’ve always believed the stepsisters were the wicked ones, but what if we were wrong?

The story unfolds through the eyes of Eunice, Cinderella’s sister, revealing a chilling truth: Cinderella, beautiful yet sinister, harbors a darkness that must be kept hidden. As the sisters grow together, the tension mounts, and the intensity increases. No one—and no creature—is safe as Cinderella unleashes her wrath with terrifying ferocity.

What I loved most about this book is its vivid imagination and the way it reinterprets a familiar tale. The twists and turns kept me engaged from start to finish, blending elements of dark fantasy and suspense seamlessly. If you’re a fan of traditional tales reimagined with a dark twist, of horror and thrills this is a must-read. Highly recommended!

Just in time for spooky season this Cinderella retelling is twisted and will keep you creeped out for days!

Publisher's summary
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. For years, Eunice has faithfully done so. 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 break free.
When her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to care for Cinderella, Eunice grabs her chance to dance the night away-until Cinderella escapes. With her eldritch powers, Cinderella attends the ball and sweeps Prince Credence off his feet, leaving behind a trail of carnage and destruction as well as a single green glass slipper.
With Cinderella unleashed, Eunice must determine how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to stop Cinderella.

Thanks to NetGalley & HighBridge for the ALC of this book!

We Kept Her in the Cellar
By: W. R. Gorman
Narrated by: EJ Lavery
Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 09-24-24
Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A new addicting and creative twist to the Cinderella story. Cinderella is an evil fae thing who abides by very strict rules and word play. Her step sisters are painted as villains' because they would rather be seen as villains' then to have the world find out about what their step sister is. I did this book as an audio book thanks to Netgalley, and for me the narrator did it perfectly. She was able to instill the emotions needed for the scenes and wasn't overly breathy. She is definitely someone I could listen to more audio books with. Story wise however I had some issues. I don't want to give out spoilers but at 2 separate times in the story the decisions made had me baffled. At what point is keeping a secret better than telling the truth. The king was the absolute best villain and I have some bad words to say about the stepsisters momma, that woman was crap. Overall though I enjoyed this new version, even with the plot agitations, and it is a very creative reimagining.

This book was a dark and twisty reimagining of Cinderella and I ate it up.
I loves all the nods to the original Cinderella fairytale with sinister twists that felt straight out of a HP Lovecraft world.

This story is from the POV of Eunice, one of Cinderella's stepsisters who finds that Cinderella isn't what she seems.
This was gory and gruesome and completely unexpected. I loved how unrelenting the horror was. No punches were pulled and it really makes you wonder if the original Cinderella story is accurate or not.

I was given an ALC and the narrator did a wonderful job of giving emotion and panic to the story when needed. It made the story that much more engrossing. I'm going to recommend this to all my reader friends for spooky season.

I am skeptical about fairy tale retellings. There are so many, and I completely understand that oversaturation is a result of initial success of a trope/genre. So, I went into this one with some reservations.

The book, however, surprised and delighted me. It takes the Cinderella story and turns it inside out which is definitely the mark of a good retelling. But, what I liked most was that it was horror. It's gruesome and gory and Cinderella's unfathomable nature and tentacle affinity was a delight.

The story is full of frustration and devastation and really lets that horror sing. It's marketed as fantasy and Cinderella is presumably part fae but we can't ignore the cosmic nature of her design.

This book is a dark reimagining of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, transforming the sweet fairytale into something more terrifying and sinister. Eunice, the older stepsister, keeps Cinderella and her dark powers from devouring the staff or her younger sister. Cinderella is not a mistreated heroine but a monster hidden from the world. Eunice is bound by family duty and rules to keep Cinderella’s monstrous nature from others. Eunice will pull at your heartstrings. Her life is not her own; she is commanded to care for something made of her nightmares. She faces her fears every day to navigate the dangers of her home. Her desperation to break free from this dreadful life adds emotional depth. By chance, she meets Prince Credence, who represents hope and normalcy for Eunice, though it quickly unravels as Cinderella is freed from the cellar with deadly consequences. Eunice must choose between personal freedom and stopping Cinderella’s rampage. The final confrontation with Cinderella tests her limits and loyalty to her family.

The novel is a fresh, grotesque take on the Cinderella story, blending horror with fairytale in an unsettling way. It’s a vile tale of monsters and what it means to live with darkness. It’s perfect for readers who love body horror and dark fantasy. I loved it and would read another book from this author.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and HighBridge Audio

The other day I said I wanted to read some good horror and the universe answered particularly with the horror part!

I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Netgalley and HighBridge Audio so I can leave my voluntary review.

Historically I have been disappointed with retellings of fairytales or classic stories but to be honest the cover kept pulling me in!! I had requested it and subsequently a friend listened to it and was speaking about it which got me excited to start it.

I also rushed to consume it as it got released today Sept 24th and I wanted to get a review up.

First the narrator was great! As is usual I had to speed it up a little just to make it comfortable to listen to as many books diction speed rate is so slow and this wasn’t any different. But easily fixed! The narrator EJ Lavery did a fantastic job.

This book makes Cinderella the villain of the story in the most feuding way. The author is a talented writer which made it easy to listen to. If you don’t like gore than this is NOT for you. But if you are? Run to pick it up!

My only criticism is I wish there was a little more plot. It payed homage to the original story and then twisted it but there could have been more in my opinion. Instead there was a lot of descriptive pages of what people or place etc. looked like rather than weaving plot points with the gory descriptions.

Anyway, this was a solid twisted retelling that O highly recommend!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Well, this book definitely deserves the title of a Cinderella horror. The darker versions that have the stepsisters chopping off toes and heels to fit the slipper pale in comparison to this bloody tale that adds in a healthy chunk of H.P. Lovecraft and will actually have you rooting for the stepsisters. This was a great retelling with a very interesting twist of why Cinderella was kept in the cellar and why she was treated the way she was. The first bit with Eunice telling the story of how Cinderella entered their lives and the rules she learned in order to remain safe and care for a very unique young woman with eldritch powers capable of wreaking great havoc and destruction if the rules weren't followed or if someone repudiated family connections. As, you can guess (because this tale does follow the timeline of the original story, mostly) everything really starts happening when the king throws a ball to find a wife for the prince. I do like the relationship Eunice ends up having with Credence, it is a nice touch of normalcy amid the chaos that is Cinderella.

The ending is definitely dark and bloody and has lots of chaos and destruction but I kind of enjoyed the nice little twist. I will say family connection is very very important and that person deserved what Cinderella did to them. And it was nice that Eunice ended up alright after all that and the seven years she spent taking care of Cinderella.

The narrator did a great job of making this Lovecraftian tale very real but still a mostly enjoyable story to listen to. Beware that there are zombie rats and dangling entrails in this book!

This is a unique fairytale retelling, that I adored. The characters felt fresh and unique, and despite knowing the original Cinderella story, I was still surprised by every twist and turn. I listened to this on audiobook and it fully held my attention every second. I don't normally veer towards horror but I enjoyed that Cinderella was a disturbing monster, but a consistent one. None of the scenes felt overdone, overpowered, or too gruesome and when it seemed Cinderella was aiming for shock value that was acknowledged. We also got to see more and more of the "true" Cinderella as the story progressed so it was like a mystery unfolding throughout the entire book.
The extra umph that pushed this book into 5 star territory for me was the complex relationship between Cinderella and Eunice, as well as Eunice's relationship with everyone else. There are interesting connections made between Cinderella's care and the way Eunice is treated, which is made extra clear once out of her family's home. Both are treated as tools, and as expendable, rather then with care or respect to their own autonomy. *Spoilers* In the end I love both of these characters as Eunice feels empathy for Cinderella and protects her from the control of the king, but also protects herself from Cinderella and the responsibility of her care. The only thing that bothered me in this entire story was the lack of accountability on the part of Cinderella's parents. They are not arrested or judged for their treatment of Cinderella, Eunice is. And while Eunice is implied to be agreeable towards her parents, it's clear that she's been forced to take on most of the care for Cinderella over the years. I'm proud of her for finding her own way out in the end.

Well I was certainly entertained!

This Cinderella retelling is a glorious horror mashup (very cosmic horror, I know some have mentioned it's very lovecraftian).

I really enjoyed this from start to finish. The weird stuff was gloriously weird and there were some impressively gruesome horror moments. I liked the tie-in to the original fairytale and how things came to past. There wasn't a moment that I wasn't invested in the ending.

I did think that some of it was a little too detached narration-wise, hence the lack of a star in this rating. I didn't realize this was getting a YA label on it, and maybe that's where I noticed the slight disconnect.

A Lovecraftian fairytale retelling. Definitely graphic horror.

You know the story but imagine the stepsisters being the victims of a monstrous disgusting evil shapeshifting putrefying creature.

Cinderella, a cosmic horror.

I loved Eunice and the description of the monster and the havoc she creates.

Spooktober is looming. Great story to add to your TBR!!

Thank you NetGalley & HighBridge/Recorded Books.

This fairytale made me smile. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have been in a horror mood lately and can't get enough. We kept her in the cellar intrigued me right away. I binged it in a day, and enjoyed every minute of it. It is a twisted retelling of Cinderella written from the step sister's prospective. I enjoyed how Gorman kept elements from the original tale as well as putting twists on things. The pacing of the story was also pretty good, I didn't find my attention wondering at any point. I very much enjoyed the ending and how there was less focus on romance. It was the perfect read for the spooky season.

Thank you net galley and author for an advanced copy of this book

We all know that there are always two sides to every story and we all know Cinderella’s POV, but what if the stepsisters’ POV was a horrific tale and Cinderella a true monster?!

If that sounds like your kind of fairytale, then We Kept Her In The Cellar is a must read! I loved this horror take on the Cinderella fairytale. It was scary and a bit gory. I thought the narrator on the audiobook did a fantastic job. I highly recommend adding this to your spooky season TBR list.

Thank you @highbridgeaudio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website.

I want to start by saying that I really enjoyed this story! I really enjoyed the twist on a beloved fairytale. I think this touched on a lot more than I anticipated, like the eldest sibling dynamic, where parents put a lot of pressure on one child to take care of the others. There was a level of manipulation and abuse inflicted by the “parents” for allowing these kinds of dangers into their home. Try as I might, that is just one aspect I cannot get past.

Told from the POV of Eunice, who was hesitant even before her new stepsister Cinderella arrived. She is thrust into the role of protector to her little sister, while also having to bridge the gap with the very mysterious and terrifying Cinderella. A lot of pressure is put on Eunice, but as she learns the ropes of her new life, she also learns more about her stepsister.

Cinderella in this… was just… so freaking awesome. I wasn’t expecting her to be so monstrous. I love a good baddie and Cinderella is one of those enigmatic characters that you love to hate (though I never hated her)… With a story like this, a lot of expectation to reality has to be set aside. It was definitely a unique experience and I am excited for more.

A dark and completely Grimm re-telling of Cinderella, where out heroine is definitely not what she appears to be. This is something that her new step-mother and step-sisters will find out the hard way. Upon first meeting, Cinderella is delicate and beautiful and poised. But after she nearly bites off the hand of poor 5-year-old Hortense, Eunice and her mother come to understand some very ugly truths about their new family member. 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. For Cinderella is not a normal girl. And this Ball won't end so happily ever after.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Wow. I love fairy tale retellings, but I feel like this is almost its own genre. It’s a bit like Wicked meets H.P. Lovecraft a perfect blending of horror with just a touch of fantasy. This story is told from the perspective of Eunice, of of Cinderella’s two stepsisters but what if Cinderella wasn’t mistreated because of her new family’s cruelty but to contain the monstrous nature of Cinderella? Eunice is 11 when her new stepfather and stepsister arrive and she quickly needs to learn the rules. She lives her life to help keep the secret of Cinderella and keep everyone safe by following the rules. But nothing stays the same for everything and the night of the ball will change everything. This book was creepy and wonderfully horrific and I definitely will want to read more from this author. I hope they tackle more fairy tales, bringing even more horror than the original tales. I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it.

Hands down one of my favorite retellings of Cinderella. It's dark, twisted and not at all what I expected. And that ending, makes me wonder if more is to come.


5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I absolutely loved this twisted fairy tale. Perfect for spooky season, and fun to boot. I will definitely be impatiently waiting for a sequel.

Cinderella's beautiful exterior hides an absolute monstrosity and if the rules aren't followed, everyone's in danger.

Told through the POV of one of her stepsisters, this retelling delivers on the horror, with a twist at the end that I never saw coming.

The pacing is great. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job giving life to the story.

It is definitely worth the read of you're into horror and not squeamish. It was creative and well written.