Ash Charming's life was anything but charming. He often felt like his name: Ash. Destined to be nothing. Forsaken to be no one. But a small voice in his head told him otherwise. The voice belonged to his late father, the greatest artist his small town had ever known.
His father's art had the touch of fae magic, or so they said. When he died in an unfortunate accident, all magic died in Ash's world. He was dumped into the cruel hands of his uncle.
Was Ash destined for a life of misery, insults, and destitution, or did fate have something else in store for him?
When the princess is kidnapped and taken to the fae realm, only Ash knows the way to get there as he discovers it in the sketchbook of his late father. What will Ash find once he gets there?
Destinies cannot be stolen, or in Ash's case, cannot be avoided. Greatness awaits young Ash Charming, whether he is ready for it or not.
The way this book starts out makes you feel that it's a reverse Cinderella retelling - Instead of the daughter with an evil stepmother who goes to the ball glamoured to meet the prince, it's the nephew (Ash) of a cruel uncle who goes to the masquerade ball glamoured to meet the princess (Iris). But that's about as much "like Cinderella" as it gets.
Iris is cheeky & stubborn with a huge heart and desire to help those in need. Her parents are fearful and worrisome and keep her restricted to her castle, but that won't stop her from reaching her goals as she plans away.
Ash wants to get out from underneath is cruel uncle and belittling cousin. They don't treat him well and he really doesn't have anyone left to go to except an odd friend named Myrtle who encourages him to go with her to her homeland. He, however, must fulfill his fathers dying wish to remain with his uncle until his will is read - not quite 18, Ash just has to wait it out.
Ash has only ever seen Iris once, without knowing who she was and was instantly drawn to her. With his uncle and cousin being invited to the ball hosted by Iris's parents to find her a suitor, they insist it will be Ash's cousin who wins her hand. When he realizes Iris is the princess he's been longing to meet, he, with the aid and help of Myrtle, makes his way to the ball on his own. A chance meeting with Iris leaves them both desiring more, but something happens that interrupts their time together and must separate.
After a while, Ash learns that his father wanted his will read shortly before his 18th birthday and coming sooner than expected, he learns his father left him behind something that'll change his life, but he doesn't know it yet. Exploration of his fathers gift leads him unexpectedly entering the fae realm and starts him on a journey to get answers. The Princess has made her plans and followed through to attain her goals, but gets kidnapped mysteriously. When Ash hears about this, he knows what he must do to save Iris!
With the fae realm and its many courts, magical creatures, and royal balls this book is easy to get sucked into. It was hard to put it down and kept me engaged the whole time. There is some action along with mystery and great worldbuilding with very unique twists and concepts.
‘Destinies cannot be stolen … or avoided’ Prince Charming will always be Prince Charming, but in this tale, he’s the one to attend the ball. And unlike in the original tale, this author sends our darling boy on a quest afterwards. [He’s busy doing something heroic rather than being kept busy by housework]
There are always many ways to describe the same thing. This is how Queen Gloria describes Princess Iris’s “golden cage’: ‘You live in an oasis, while others are wandering in the desert, desperate to get just a glimpse of this paradise.’ The former is about possessiveness and the later protectiveness. If you were the father of an errant princess, how would you make her behave? You don’t – you marry her off to someone else and let her be his problem!
Some sage dating advice from the author: Trust your gut. Trust your friend’s gut.
Fave line: A ball is ‘never about dancing’.
Guess I’ll read the books in another series by this author as well as ‘Sleeping Beauty No More’…because ‘The Sea Witch’s Debt’ (Prequel to The Stone Mermaid) is expected in March 2024.
‘Follow your light’ and do not heed the discouraging voices.
“Dreams make you who you are, long before you become who you want to be.”
If you like the classic fairytales you’ll love this Cinderella re-telling with several twists involved! I enjoyed seeing the different ways that Urooj changed this classic fairytale into something new & exciting! You get to experience different POVs throughout the story & and introduction into the Fae Realm. This is even great for young readers with an easy introduction into the Fantasy genre with no smut, just a light, sweet romance.
Cinder- fella meets Brave's Merida! An original retelling of a childhood fairytale, including twists and war against unknown evil. Will the fae and human world be safe again? Can the guy get his girl? Do dreams really do come true? Which fae realm will you choose to visit; air, water, earth, fire, light, or dark? This easily read story whisks you away in the blink of an eye to unceasing adventure. If you are a Cinderella fan, this is your jam and buttter!
This is the fourth book in the Fantasy Romance series by Aisha Urooj. It a gender swap fairytale retelling based on Cinderella. It has everything you’d want in a fairytale. Kings, queens, and handsome princes. It’s a safe read for any age. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This had everything that I was expecting for this series, it had the same great concept as the other three books. I enjoyed getting back to this fantastical world and characters. It does a great job with prince charming and just worked.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.