Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz pens a
lush, swoon-worthy retelling of "Cinderella" set in lavish Versailles.
Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Selection!
1682.
The king sends out an invitation to all the maidens in France: their
presence is requested at a number of balls and events that will be held
in honor of the dashing Prince Louis, who must choose a bride.
Cendrillon
de Louvois has more grace, beauty, and charm than anyone else in
France. While she was once the darling child of the king's favorite
adviser, her father's death has turned her into the servant of her
stepmother and cruel stepsisters--and at her own chateau, too!
Cendrillon--now
called Cinder--manages to evade her stepmother and attend the ball,
where she catches the eye of the handsome Prince Louis and his younger brother Auguste.
Even
though Cendrillon has an immediate aversion to Louis, and a connection
with Auguste, the only way to escape her stepmother is to compete with
the other women at court for the Prince's hand.
Soon, as
Cendrillon glows closer to Auguste and dislikes the prince more and
more, she will have to decide if she can bear losing the boy she loves
in order to leave a life she hates.
With Cinder & Glass, author Melissa de la Cruz pens a lush, swoon-worthy retelling of "Cinderella" set in lavish Versailles. The year is 1682, and Cendrillon de Louvois is the only daughter of Michel le Tellier, le Marquis de Louvois. The Marquis and his daughter are moving to Versailles where Louis XIV (The Sun King) advisors call home. The only problem is Cinder's father is soon dead, and she ends up with a woman named Catherine who fits the bill of the evil stepmother to a tee.
After Cendrillon begins mourning, she is forced to be her household’s main servant by her stepmother Catherine and stepsisters Severine and Alexandre and is no longer seen by those in court. Yes, this is a retelling of Cinderella, but with a twist. But things are going to change following closely in the steps of Cinderella. For the Grand Dauphin's 18th birthday, the King decides to send out invitations to all the maidens in France, and elsewhere.
With help from her godmother, Lady Francoise, Cendrillon finds herself at the ball, dancing with Auguste, the Kings bastard son, as well Prince Louis. During the ball, the King announces that 25 women will participate in a selection process and will be narrowed down until only one woman is left standing. Cendrillon, going by the name Cinder, is one of the 25 chosen along with her stepsisters, but quickly flees the ball before her evil stepmother finds out that she left to attend the ball.
Much to her dismay, as well as Catherine's, Louis seems intent spending more time with Cinder than the rest of the women, including her stepsisters. As Cinder continues in the competition, she grows closer to Auguste, the prince's brother, and finds herself disliking Prince Louis more and more each day. For the most part, Cinder & Glass sticks to the original script. That is until the author decides to do a Bachelor type contest where the Prince spends time with the 25 before eliminating one by one until only 1 is standing.
I will say that there's quite a difference between stepsisters. One takes after her mother and is pure rotten to the core. One, Alexandre, ends up being more than her mothers daughter. She even finds love with one of Cinder's best friends and isn't all that rotten when it comes to stopping Cinder from finding happiness. Another great change to the story is the setting of 17th century France, with all the intrigue of the French court and the expectations of young ladies to go with it. Yes, Cinder is quite young (15) when the story begins, but she grows in character by the time the story is finished.
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The king kept talking, but I couldn’t hear him over the rushing of blood in my ears. A cold sweat broke out on my skin as I sat frozen in place. My limbs felt so heavy and sluggish I didn’t think I could move them even if I wanted to.
I had only danced with Prince Louis once, and we barely talked for more than ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Just because I had a pretty dress and nice manners didn’t mean I was important, or that I would make a good queen. It didn’t make any sense. Why would the king allow the dauphin to put my name on the list?
But more important—did I even want to marry the dauphin? He was handsome and much more charming than when last we met, and he could offer me a life of luxury and security. He was the heir to France! The king’s word was law, and if I was his queen, my word would become law too.
I couldn’t stop the thoughts racing through my head. Marrying the dauphin would mean that Lady Catherine would no longer have power over me. But I didn’t need to marry the dauphin to escape my fate; I had Lady Françoise now…
And if Louis chose me, what about Auguste? How would he feel about this turn of events if he knew I was Lady Cinder?
It was ridiculous to worry about what Auguste thought. We were only friends. But it was best to avoid the drama entirely and live a peaceful life with Lady Françoise. When I had fully recovered and gotten my bearings, then I could consider coming back to the palace. But I had no interest in courting—much less marrying—the spoiled dauphin.
“The clock nears midnight, and the first day of the dauphin’s birthday celebration draws to a close.” The king’s voice cut cleanly through the excited chatter that had risen up after the reading of the list. “Before we depart to get some much-needed rest in preparation for the events to come, I would like the twenty-five maidens to come to the dais so that they can be introduced to the court. And to me. I’m sure we would all like to meet you before courtship proceedings begin in earnest tomorrow.”
Panic—sharp and icy—stabbed my stomach. The mass of courtiers undulated as girls began to emerge and climb the dais to speak with the king and the dauphin.
I couldn’t do it. Alexandre and Severine would be there. Lady Catherine would see me. Maybe if my godmother was with me I would know what to do, but I was too confused about how I wanted to proceed to even think about enduring a confrontation with my stepmother. I decided I would not present myself. It would be better if the king and the dauphin forgot all about me…
The courtiers were pushing forward to crowd around the dais, leaving this end of the hall increasingly empty. A particularly large group of nobles hurried toward the dais, leaving a wide-open path from my bench to the archway leading to the Salon of War. An opportunity like this couldn’t go to waste.
I stood up and jumped from my seatto the parquet floor below. Pain radiated from my ankles up through my legs when I made impact with the floor, but I ignored it. Gathering my voluminous skirts into my arms, I dashed from the Hall of Mirrors, as fast as my slippers could take me.
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