STEPSISTER

STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly

LAUREN'S LITERARY LIFE - This post is written by my college age daughter, Lauren.

This story happens after the fairy-tale ending. Well, the fairy-tale ending for Cinderella and her prince. For Cinderella’s stepsisters, Isabella and Octavia, their nightmare continues. The whole town now knows how they treated Cinderella, and they are hated for their actions. They are seen as only the ugly stepsisters destined to ruin while Cinderella enjoys every luxury. But war is coming to the kingdom, and the lives of the whole town could rest in Isabella’s hands. Fate is determined to carry out Isabella’s map toward her unhappy ending, while Chance battles to give Isabella a choice – the choice to be more, to be better, to maybe right some wrongs. But everyone knows only pretty girls get the happy endings, right?

 I personally really enjoyed reading this story. I like it when books go deeper into the characters in fairy tales and make them seem more human without negating the wrongness of actions. This book makes both the stepsisters and Cinderella more human. They are people who make mistakes and have to learn to forgive and try to be better. The story can spark some interesting discussion into the power of words, the true definition of beauty, and the courage it takes to stand up to others.

HEADS UP-

 While this book is relatively clean, there are a few things to be aware of. There’s a handful of cuss words, but no f-bombs. One of the stepsisters mentions being eyed up and down by a previous suitor and says that a suitor tried to put his hand up her skirt during dinner. The stepsister doesn’t go into detail.

 The main heads up is the magic content. Fate and Chance are personified as humans in this book. Fate is an old crone that writes out the maps of people’s lives. Her description reminds you of a witch (she even has a raven that can transform into a girl), and she gathers ingredients in the forest to brew various inks for her maps. Chance also brews various inks to try to rewrite the map and give Isabella a new path. The story of Cinderella is not complete without her fairy godmother, who is shown as a fairy queen in this story. She’s a little creepier in this book and does give magical gifts based on the heart’s desire – like Cinderella’s gown and carriage.