Waiting On Wednesday: Stepsister

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

This week the book that I'm waiting to be released is Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly- a Cinderella related tale, but instead of focusing on Cinderella the story is about the ugly stepsister.  I'm really intrigued by this book, and even though I've heard of other books by this author, I've never picked one up.

Released 28th May.

A startling, fiercely feminist re-imagining of Cinderella from the bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly.

Isabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood.

When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

Evoking the darker, older versions of the Cinderella story, bestselling author Jennifer Donnelly shows us that ugly is in the eye of the beholder, and uses her trademark wit and wisdom to send an overlooked character on a journey toward empowerment, redemption, and a new definition of beauty.

Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

An original addition to the beloved Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, Lost in a Book follows the lonely, bookish Belle as she finds an enchanted book in the Beast’s library called Nevermore that carries her into a glittering new world. There, Belle is befriended by a mysterious countess who offers her the life she’s always dreamed of.

But Nevermore is not what it seems, and the more time Belle spends there, the harder it is to leave. Good stories take hold of us and never let us go, and once Belle becomes lost in this book, she may never find her way out again.

Cover:  I love how magical this book looks, and just the colours on it are beautiful.

I love Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  It’s probably my favourite Disney film of all time, and when I was found out there was going to be a live action version, I was both massively excited, and scared.  But when I saw it, I fell in love with it.  I really feel the live action really was the perfect mix of the original animated movie, and the stage musical.  So I became a tad obsessed, and wanted to get hold of everything Beauty and the Beast related they brought out, including this book.

It’s set during the movie, just after the Beast gives Belle the library, and she comes across a magical book that transports her into its magical world, which Bella think is a brilliant escape from her imprisonment in the Beast’s castle, but what she doesn’t realise is that she’s a pawn in a deadly game between two sisters, Love and Death, and they are both determined to win.

I really enjoyed this little book.  It was nice to see an original story but with all the familiar characters I love.

It was a great little adventure and would recommend all fans of Beauty and the Beast check it out.

4/5 stars.