Book Review: Five Glass Slippers

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Title: Five Glass Slippers: A Collection of Cinderella Stories

Author: Elisabeth Brown; Emma Clifton; Rachel Heffington; Stephanie Ricker; & Clara Diane Thompson

Series: Rooglewood Press Fairy Tale Collections #1

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Historical/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Audience: Young Adult

~ MY REVIEW ~

**5 stars**

Goodness, what a passel of incredible authors! I was surprised and delighted again and again by their imagination, cleverness, humor, thoughtfulness, and skill. These are definitely not Cinderella  retellings to be missed!

Five Glass Slippers is a collection of five stupendous retellings of the heartwarming fairytale of Cinderella, below is a synopsis and little review of each.

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WHAT EYES CAN SEE by Elisabeth Brown. The Prince falls for shy, secretive Arella, but she refuses to return his most ardent attentions. Prince Frederick won't give in, but neither will stubborn Arella. Meanwhile, stepsister Anastasia longs for a love of her own, and stepsister Drusilla calmly watches this all go on, even while holding secrets in her own heart.

An altogether adorable story ... a perfect Cinderella tale with a lovely twist. What Eyes Can See kept me guessing and wondering; and always smiling! It was so gentle and sweet, I believe it makes my favorite of the whole collection! The storyline was engrossing, the characters splendid. I love how Elisabeth Brown made them grow. A sweet, heart-warming story, but with a firm realness and thoughtful lessons. Delightful!

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BROKEN GLASS by Emma Clifton. Rosalind is not going to marry the crown prince; who cares if she fits the slipper! She is in love with his younger brother Henry! Marius is not too fond of her either. But add in shadowy, middle brother Darcy, an ill mother, and stubborn father ... and what's a young woman to do? Rosalind and Marius decide to take matters into their own hands ... which isn't always the greatest idea, they find.

This was definitely meant to be the humorous tale. I quite enjoyed it, despite Rosalind's occasional snootiness. *smiles* There was a rather unusual and fun array of characters, and their stories ... whether bewildering, sweet, or wicked ... drew me in. A witty, imaginative tale, it was fun to read! *smiles* I really liked how Emma Clifton tied another fairytale into the end of this Cinderella story ...

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THE WINDY SIDE OF CARE by Rachel Heffington. Lady Alisandra knows that she is heir to the throne. But as for how to go about proving who she really is ... she is rather at loss. With the help of a fellow maid and  a “fairy godfather”, she is just gaining ground when she meets a dashing young man, who unintentionally causes quite a bit of trouble. Will she ever get the throne? Or are some things more important?

I really liked The Windy Side of Care, with its snappy wit, sweet moments, and life lessons. Rachel Heffington proportioned things pretty nicely, and I suddenly find myself eager to read more of her work, namely Fly Away Home. This story was a little reckless, in a good way. *smiles* It made me smile humorously, sigh happily, and straighten in surprise. Rachel has a slightly different, but fun writing style. Though Alisandra tends to cause a lot of purposeful mischief, the story was quite sweet altogether. Mischievous but sweet, that's this tale!

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A CINDER'S TALE by Stephanie Ricker. Elsa is a cinder, mining the planet of Aschen. With her fellow miners, Bruno, Gus, and Jaq, plus a fay named Marriane, she does her daring space work, even while longing to go on adventures consisting of exploring more galaxies. Then a legendary ship arrives, along with the King of Stars, and Elsa's life is about to get more exciting than she ever thought!

Crazy, imaginative sci-fi isn't my usual pick of genre, but I have to admit, this tale caught me up and held me in for a wild ride! *smiles* Cinders, coaches, and pumpkin patches, clones, cyborgs, and fays, it was an interesting story to be sure. Elsa was really a sweet girl; I very much enjoyed her character. Also, all the “Cinderella themes” Stephanie Ricker wove throughout were charming. —Especially Gus and Jaq. *smiles A crazy, but touching and heartfelt story ultimately.

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THE MOON MASTER'S BALL by Clara Diane Thompson. In a quaint, little village, Tilly Higgins works faithfully for Lord Hollingberry. She never could have imagined all the magic swirling around, or that her benevolent employer would ask her to return to the place of her worst fears. But people need her help, a warden and even a little rodent. The time has come to face her nightmare ...

What a tale! This has to be the most thrilling story of the whole collection! Written flawlessly, The Moon Master's Ball kept me turning pages until I reached the end. Tilly was a lovely character; the suspense, the surprises, the spooky touch, kept me well entertained. Truly a delicious work, though it did have a darker theme. Unlike the previous stories of this collection, The Moon Master's Ball did have an evil villain. Evilness is definitely not my preference, but Clara Thompson did pretty well to keep it subdued to levels I'm okay with. Though not the usual sweet Cinderella tale, this story came about beautifully, and I just have to say ... it was superbly captivating.

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So there you have it, five, unique and wonderful Cinderella tales. Though there were some stories I didn't enjoy quite as much as others, I think Five Glass Slippers as a whole deserves five stars. Good job, ladies, for creating a memorable collection!