Publisher: 7th October 2020 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA
Pages: 552 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: teens, young adult, fantasy, sci fi
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
Once Upon a Time meets Game of Thrones in book two of New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter's magical, romantic dark fantasy series, in which the fairy tales we know and love are prophecies of the future. Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil, where villains may be heroes and heroes may be villains...it all depends on who you ask.
Ashleigh Ansklelisa may be called the Glass Princess due to her weak heart, but Saxon, king of the Avian, knows she is more dangerous than broken glass, in this Cinderella retelling that sweeps readers into the magical land of Enchantia, filled with treacherous enemies, unexpected allies, forbidden love, and dangerous magic! Can destined lovers find their way to each other, or will evil win the day? Everything changes at the stroke of midnight as one determined princess fights for her legacy, her love, and the crown that is her destiny.
My Thoughts
Okay ... I am a sucker for fairytale retellings. Here is one that is reimagined in a totally modern way - intrigue, drama, action and romance. This particular retelling is Cinderella as you never could have imagined. The Glass Queen is the second book in The Forest of Good and Evil series, however, readers can easily pick up and quickly get up to speed. It almost reads as a standalone.
‘I wasn’t just Cinder. I was a mother of dragons, the fated one of Craven, a designer of spectacular weapons, and a slayer of wicked phantoms.’
Maybe not so much Game of Thrones but definitely traces of Once Upon A Time are evident here. Fun modern twists on traditional classics. Ashleigh is quite the Cinder - brave, strong and very determined. I love the fact that in this world of reincarnation, no one is truly sure what fairytale role they will fulfill in the prophecy. There are loads of characters here that bring much to the story and the whole concept of working through lives to reach your destiny is clever.
‘The second I remembered I stood in the presence of an enemy, I shot around, facing her again. I jutted my chin. More than anyone else in Enchantia, I knew the devastation this girl could cause. I knew the cruelties that lived in her heart.’
The few issues I had concerned some of the dialogue which was far too cheesy for me (but that might just be my age! LOL!) It is questionable whether this is ‘teen’ and rather more young adult due to the sexual content (my age once again!) It was also rather long and could have been edited to lose some of the scenes that added little to the storyline eg. What was happening in the tournament? Who cares!
As fairytale retellings go this was a winner for its unique and action packed twist. This is a great world created by the author and I look forward to what she has in store next for this series.
“You know as well as I that the tales are symbolic rather than literal. The obvious is never the answer. What seems to be right is always wrong. What seems to go this way always veers that way. But I would take care, if I were you.” His voice turned menacing. “The king who despises his daughter has a queen who dies far too soon.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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