Name: Five Glass Slippers
ISBN: 9780989447843

Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Emma Clifton

Elisabeth Brown

Title, subtitle, and statements of responsibility from cover.

A Collection of Cinderella Stories

Five Glass Slippers

Aleena Korell

I have a tendency to stay away from anthologies and short stories because you never know what you're going to get. But I rather liked the idea of five different retellings of the same classic tale, and I was promised a dark, circus-themed retelling at the end, (forever my weakness) so I picked it up.
As always, in an anthology, you get a bit of a mixed bag.
 
The first story, What Eyes Can See by Elisabeth Brown, was, in my opinion, the weakest. Out of the five, this one stays true to the sugary sweet tone of the original tale the most-- even with its interesting twist of the step-family being quite kind and supportive to Arella, and a stepsister being the main heroine. Everyone-- but particularly the prince, in a most unattractive way-- comes off quite clueless, and the tone is a bit childish. Two stars.

I enjoyed Broken Glass by Emma Clifton much better. This one has a bit of a twist on the initial angle of the tale-- Rosalind (our Cinderella) is mistaken for the woman that the prince is smitten with, and neither of them have any desire to marry each other... at first. It's funny and different, even if it's a tad predictable. And the epilogue sets up the beginning of another fairy tale, which brings my nerdy heart joy. Four stars.

My favorite retelling was The Windy Side of Care by Rachel Heffington. This one was a hilariously clever twist on the tale where the Cinderella character is actually secretly the true heir to the throne, and is plotting to retake the throne from the impostor prince. Which is easier said than done once she realizes that he's kind and good and... she loves him? Also this one has a fairy godfather and he's wonderfully snarky and fabulous. Five stars.

A Cinder's Tale by Stephanie Ricker was a fantastic sci-fi spin on the tale (nothing like Marissa Meyer's Cinder). The pacing was good, worldbuilding was solid and the friendships were prime. The prince becomes Karl, a worlds-renowned space explorer, and Elsa, our Cinderella, an ore miner. The "ball" is a station-wide party thrown for Karl and his famous father when they arrive to refuel. The characters were the best part about this one-- Elsa's friends and crew-- and what drove the story. Four stars.

Lastly, my most anticipated-- The Moon Master's Ball by Clara Diane Thompson. I was so ready to love this one. Give me dark circuses set in October and mysterious, cursed magicians any day... but this story was far too vague to keep me following. The main character-- and by extension, the reader-- didn't have a clue what was going on for 3/4 of the story. Such potential. Three stars.

Overall a pretty solid anthology-- maybe I'll try another.

Five Glass Slippers A Collection of Cinderella Stories

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