Read most of it... Skimmed the ending. I'm not a big fan of books that start sad, have a happy middle, and then end even sadder. It was a miss for me, but the writing itself wasn't bad. ( )

"Instead she got..." Anatasia's voice trails off as she raises her hands and then lets them fall into her lap. "Us."

This book was a gut-wrenching retelling of Cinderella but this is from the view of the two "ugly stepsisters - Anastasia and Drizella. Both girls are always poorly mistreated by their mother, Lady Tremaine, and expected to marry into rich families so that they can take care of her. She does not see them as her children but as a means necessary to elevate them into higher society. She even punishes them if they even step out of line just a bit. The girls are forced to be everything Lady Tremaine wants them to be - proper, young women who are meant to fall in line and treat their stepsister, Ella, like household help.

There are glimpses that we do see where they treat Ella better and there are moments where they have no choice in the matter. They could try in secret to do so but they fear their mother. Their mother whose husband ran away in the middle of the night taking everything with him including her wedding ring. Then, turning to marry Ella's father with the hopes of turning her life around, only to lose him in death.

I felt sorry for the girls. They do everything asked of them and yet Lady Tremaine is emotionless. There is no love for either of them as she sees both children as nothing more than charms meant to be sold off. The girls only see other as their salvation in this home and rely heavily on each other, but when their fortunes begin to change - meeting both Dominic and Madame Lambert. These two offer a chance to change their lives, but things end up backfiring and both are now at the mercy of their own mother.

This book was an interesting take on Cinderella taking the point-of-view from Ella herself to the two sisters. We see a different side of them and how their mother has impacted much of their lives. Their personalities are forced to bit by Lady Tremaine's whims and desire rather than those of the girls and it hits you - these girls have never had their own thought or decision because of her.

Now, how you will view the two girls will be possible of sympathy and sorrow. I won't lie but I did shed some tears during my reading. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. ( )

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This book serves as a prequel to the Disney movie, Cinderella, and explores how Drizella and Anastasia became evil stepsisters.

The plot was well executed. I liked that the book started off with a prologue in the viewpoint of their father, which helped set up the story and shed some light on Lady Tremaine and her motives. The rest of the book is told in alternating points of view between Drizella and Anastasia, with an epilogue in the viewpoint of Lady Tremaine. The story is fairly basic, but it works. It highlights how the sisters weren’t born being evil, they became evil.

The character development was also well done. The sisters are very likable in the beginning and you can’t help but root for them to pursue their dreams. By the time you reach the end, you understand how and why they became evil and why they dislike Cinderella so much.

I do want to note that there is bullying, abuse, and neglect in the story and there isn’t a happy ending. If you’re looking for a light hearted Disney read, this book isn’t for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this dark dive into the world of Cinderella. If you like villain stories, consider picking this book up! ( )

Drizella (Drizzy) and Anastasia (Annie) live with their cold, frightening mother and their stepsister/servant Ella in Ella's father's house. Drizzy and Annie's father left when they were young, and Ella's father died, leaving all three girls at the mercy of Lady Tremaine, who has none. She is determined that they will make a good impression at the prince's ball, but Drizzy can't sing and Annie can't play the flute (party due to an injury to her finger, inflicted by her mother). In the weeks leading up to the ball, both Drizzy and Annie find, separately, the hope and warmth they crave: a scientist, Madame Lambert, offers comfort to Drizzy and encourages her curiosity; an orphaned palace groom called Dominic falls in love with Annie.

The ball is a disaster, as the girls knew it would be, but Ella, who attended as their lady-in-waiting, sings beautifully, enraging Lady Tremaine, who throws her in the tower. Drizzy and Annie prepare their escape, but their mother has thwarted them.

Quotes

To them, life is a competition, and if you're not winning, you're losing. (Anastasia re Drizella and their mother, 28)

"Wanting something good to happen isn't the worst thing a person can do." (Annie, 24)

...and when you're used to losing people, you learn how to keep a tight grip on everyone who's left. (44)

Feelings are useless, she thinks. All they ever go is hurt you. (46)

...living in both physical splendor and emotional poverty. (72)

In her old storybooks from childhood, at least, all the homes felt that same way, like a place where you were happy to arrive instead of aching to leave. (118)

"We are more than what happens to us." (Madame Lambert, 126)

Drizella doesn't know what's worse: the guilt that it's happening to Ella...or the gratitude that it's not happening to her. (135)

"Your worth is not based on anyone else." (Madame Lambert, 220)

...determined to go toward her future even though she can't forget the past. (278) ( )