Description

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Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince meets Jennifer Donnelly's Stepsister in this fairytale reimagining about a kingdom on the brink of ruin, and one wicked stepsister’s journey to become the heroine of her own quest.
 
Aralyn has lost everything - the coveted glass slipper, the prince's hand in marriage, and her only chance to save her mother and sister from destitution. Now she spends her days sweeping the cinders and washing dresses as her stepsister Ellarose once did, plotting her revenge against the girl who robbed her of her future.
 
But when Ellarose, now the princess, comes to beg her help with saving the kingdom from ruin, Aralyn sees the opportunity to seize everything she's ever wanted. She discovers a prophecy, an ancient blade from the original fairy godfather of the kingdom of Novador that could restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. She's determined to find the missing pieces of the blade and use its power for her own gain, even if it means dragging her bumbling fairy godmother and an annoying lady knight along with her.
 
But as Aralyn has to put her trust in others to survive the challenges of retrieving each lost piece of the blade, she begins to question everything her mother has taught her about surviving in life. Maybe the prince was never the key to her future, and maybe she'll have to fight to find her own happily ever after.

About the Author

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Jenny Elder Moke is a young adult author of HOOD and the Samantha Knox series. When she is not writing, she’s gathering story ideas from her daily adventures with her two rapscallions and honing her ninja skills as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Jenny lives in Denver, CO.

Praise For…

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An adventure for those who haven’t yet found their fairy-tale ending. Now that Cinderella has married the prince, her older stepsister, Aralyn, has been forced to take on the household chores. Cinderella, now going by Princess Ellarose, seeks out Aralyn, who has had the benefit of an extensive education, for assistance with troubling diplomatic matters. The two discover a royal coup is brewing. When Aralyn’s ambitious mother decides to cut her losses and take her younger daughter, Divya, to a neighboring kingdom in pursuit of a suitor, abandoned Aralyn makes a desperate wish and meets her own fairy godmother, Lyra. Tall, fur-clad, and purple-skinned, Lyra reveals the existence of an ancient fey weapon that may be powerful enough to save the kingdom and get Aralyn back in good social standing. Aralyn and Vee, Ellarose’s loyal knight, set off together to find the three scattered pieces of the weapon, traveling through the danger-filled Mortel Mountains, ominous Silent Forest, and the Impassable Sea. At first mutually antagonistic, the two young women realize their overly demanding, abusive parents have given them similar outlooks on life. The worldbuilding is so expanded that the story’s fairy-tale origins add little; still, this is an interesting journey of self-discovery with plenty of magic, action, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and a strongly developed theme of becoming your own person despite your origins. Main characters are cued White. An entertaining jaunt. (Fantasy. 13-18)- Kirkus (Apr 15, 2023)

In the aftermath of Prince Fael’s search for a girl who fits a glass slipper, the chosen bride's stepsister seeks revenge for a number of slights, both real and imagined. When the new princess, Ellarose, is crowned, she finds that the royal family seems uninterested in actually running the kingdom of Novador, and she needs help to ensure the castle and the kingdom’s subjects don’t starve. Ellarose turns to her stepsister Aralyn, who was trained by the best diplomats money could buy, and Aralyn agrees to help while secretly plotting her revenge. Things become infinitely more difficult when Aralyn’s long-lost fairy godmother appears, and they learn that Divya, Ellarose's other stepsister, is intent on marrying a prince in a deadly rival kingdom. The godmother sends Aralyn and a captain of the royal guard off into the mountains to find a magical weapon that could solve all of their problems, but is it even real? This unusual take on the Cinderella story will appeal to fans of the popular Twisted Tales series. Grab it for any collection.— Stacey Comfort- Booklist (Apr 15, 2023)