Defiant: A Cinderella Retelling: Tales of Cinder, Book 1

Tales of Cinder #1

by M.J. Haag

A dark, twisted Cinderella retelling that fans of Sarah J. Maas and Melanie Dickerson are sure to enjoy.

Magic can have deadly consequences.

When the sudden and suspicious death of Eloise’s mother points to forbidden magic, Eloise is determined to bring her mother’s murderer to justice. She will stop at nothing to find the killer...even if the clues lead right to the palace gates and the prince’s manservant Kaven. He is irrational, volatile, and prone to knocking women off horses. Given his personality, it should be easy to find the proof she needs to place him in irons.

However, when dark magic is used, nothing is as it seems, and Eloise is about to learn that nightmares often hide behind fairy tale lives.

Fans of the Beastly Tales will not want to miss this new addition to the same world. Filled with magic, unexpected foes, and brooding, impossible men, this Tale of Cinder is sure to leave you burning for more!

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Magic, Fairy Tale Retellings, Young Adult

Audible Audio

First published August 1, 2019

About the author

MJ Haag is the bestselling author of the Beastly Tales and the Resurrection Chronicles. Writing as both MJ Haag and Melissa Haag, she has sold more than three hundred thousand copies worldwide and authored several other series, including the Judgement of the Six and Of Fates and Furies.

She thinks bios written in third person are hilariously pretentious and doesn't take much in life seriously, including her author photo.

She lives in Wisconsin with her three children and husband.

Connect with the Author:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Check out her YA books at melissahaag.com

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK but after reading the beastly tails I was expecting more, really didn't connect with these characters so not going to finish the series.

Happy Reading 📕📚📙📘📒📓📗📚📕📙📘📓📗📔📚📕📙📘📓📙📕📚📔📖🕯️

[Tink Magoo is bad at reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was as good as usual for this author and was easy to read but the story itself was very slow and it was only until the last 10 pages that anything exciting happened. I'll probably read the next two books eventually but I'm not excited like I was with the Beastly Tales or Resurrection Chronicles series.

[Mrsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for all three books:

I didn't enjoy this anywhere near as much as I had her Beauty and the Beast series. I felt that this was very slow moving. Nowhere near enough romance. The Heroine seemed to go through SO MUCH and I felt that it... not quite washed off her... but I didn't feel the emotional consequences going through such trials would have on someone.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This world is one of my favorites that this author has created. I wish I could never stop reading, even if these weren’t fairy tale retellings! This fresh take on this Cinderella retelling is full of surprises. It even sets up a Snow White retelling too.

It starts off setting up the scenes and story so brilliantly. The world just sucks you in leaving you wondering what exactly is going on. The mystery behind the scenes is enough to make you gasp and tremble in shock when everything unravels and is finally revealed. Then you finally get to truly see why this is indeed a Cinderella retelling.

I found it interesting that we got so much background on who “Cinderella” is before she actually became “Cinderella”. The next book is really going to be right in the thick of this tale and I cannot wait until it comes out!

[Genieinachanelbottle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Mystery N Magic!
Defiant is wickedly dark N delicious a terrifyingly twisted Cinderella Story! U will be captivated from the first page to the last N dying for the next book!

Eloise N Kellen make the perfect Cinder N Snow the bond between these sisters feels so really N strong, they add humor love N mischief to this dark Fairytale!

M.J. Haag has a way of pulling U into her stories like no one else!

5 Stars all the way.. I need more plz!!!

[Jericho McKraven]

I'm so sad 😭 I LOVE M. J. Haag and I LOVE retellings. What went wrong?! Why is it all about shopping and hiding true feelings?! Where is the action? Where is... anything that resembles a story that's going somewhere?! 😭

I never thought this would be a DNF for me but it is. *sigh* I'm glad others liked it. ☺ I just couldn't. 😢

[Amanda White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic

I really enjoyed this book. Part 1 and I’m already hooked and eagerly awaiting book 2. The twists just kept coming, and the take on the Cinderella theme was really well done. Loved the writing style, the characters, the world building, everything. Five stars.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so mad at this book. It is so deathly dull. Nothing happens. All the fillers until the 75% mark of the story were inconsequential to the plot. I mean like, COME ON. You've got a nice premise, good worldbuilding coming... BUT NO. You spent all of those words on dress shopping, pig walking, going to their mother's grave, thinking about stuff, assaulting the king's servant with your mindless accusations...

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DIDN'T DO? Taking action!

Going from reading Eve Dallas to this really ticks my nerve. GAAHHHHH!!

[Sarah Quilt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this first in the trilogy, and if I hadn't gotten to attached to Eloise and invested in the story I'm not sure I would have been able to get through the other two books. The warning at the beginning of this tale did not prepare me for what was to come. In THIS book however we got to know Eloise and Kellen and a little bit of Kaven. We met Maeve and while there was some heartache and loss, it really felt like an interesting start to a Cinderella reimagining.

Some people complained that this was too slow, but I didn't mind the pace. If this hadn't progressed the way it did, I wouldn't have been so invested to be able to get through the rest of the trauma.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ rounded up

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was as interesting as I expected it to be!

So I knew this was a Cinderella retelling but I didn't expect Snow White to be in this. Or at least not till the last book since I know there is a novella with the both of them in it.

Regardless, I liked it a lot and can't wait to start book 2.

4 stars

[CJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's unrecognizable as Cinderella (or Snow White, for that matter) until the last two chapters. Even then, it's tenuous at best. Looking back at what I read, I realized I wasn't sure what had actually occurred. I couldn't have told you what the events of the plot were. Things happened, and then it ended.

[Katie D]

This was boring. I wanted to like it. I love retellings, but the first half of the book was Cinder and her sister "Snow", walking back and forth from town trying to figure out where their housemaids disappeared to. The love interest, or who I think the love interest is, only appears like twice in this time. Also I'm not sure why this is a retelling of Cinderella? As far as I could tell it was about a girl who lived with her sister, dying mother, and father and after her mother's death her father (possibly?) abandoned them and left them with their mother's cousin.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as dark as I was anticipating and the reveal at the end felt fairly obvious.

[EmmiK · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to reach the end. Her writing style was superb, as per usual with the author's books, but somehow this one didn't quite hold my attention like the other books of MJ Haag.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Cinderella retelling but with a very big twist. In the beginning of the book she’s already a teenager believe she’s like 17 or 18 her mother still alive but her father is always traveling because he sells things. She has a sister and her and the sister look completely different the way they described her sister and reminds me of Snow White. And she’s described just like Cinderella as far as looks. The Cinderella is a Town boy they get a gift from the mother that they think it’s from the father it’s an emerald necklace the mother dies she later Fonzie found find out that the necklace had magic and killed her mother. In the specific kingdom magic is outlawed so she’s trying to investigate who killed her mother her sister let her find out what she’s trying to do. Her father goes on another trip and leave them alone right after their mothers death and the lady shows up saying that that’s her mothers cousin there to help them get through the transition. The reason why I did not give the star this book 5 stars is because I already knew who the villain was and who was the one causing all the misfortune. Two servants I have lived with them forever they both die and one of the servants starts turning on them that’s never turned on them before. At the end of the book they find out that it’s the lady that came to their house saying that is their mothers cousin. The book ends on a cliffhanger with her being tied up to the stove and the lady is some sort of which looking forward to book too. But I do have to say this reminded me hardly anything of Cinderella the only Cinderella similar similarities that this has at least in this book is that she’s a young girl her mom dies her dad is traveling leave her alone with this lady she looks like Cinderella and that’s it. Because when her and her sister go to town and the boys pick on her they bully her she fights right back and Cinderella Alice in the fairy tale came off to me a bit more submissive than that. Also on this one there’s no little talking mice

[BlueBug · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an imaginative and dark retelling of the Cinderella story. It begins with mystery and keeps us shrouded within throughout the entire story. And the ending had me begging for the next chapter in the tale.

When Eloise’s mother dies suddenly, she finds herself taking the blame and wonders how she and her sister are to survive. But magic is abounds, and when the worst kind darkens their door, her entire world it turned upside down. Enter a handsome stranger, who is a servant to the prince, and a cast of quirky characters, some as dark as night, and she’s faced with a caldron full of intrigue mixed with fear and uncertainty. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story changes course. Eloise is left wondering who she can trust, how she will protect her sister, and how she’s going to survive what is yet to come.

This retelling of the young woman who lost her glass slipper in search of her Prince Charming is much darker and, I found, reminiscent of way the Grimm brothers may have told it than anything Disney would produce. Though dark and frightening at times, the story has a silver string of good magic threaded through it. There is also some trademark humor and an eccentric character or two that kept me thinking. The world this author builds is from that part of her I love to see best, and it has me looking forward to the rest of the story along with that of Eloise’s sister.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a mysterious ride! This book sets up what is going to be an amazing series, combining favorite fairytales into one amazing world. If you’re expecting this first book to follow the typical path that Cinderella takes, you will actually find yourself intrigued with an unknown adventure. This book was so hard to put down, because what I thought was the obvious answer, I found myself questioning what was actually going on the entire story. Who do you trust? I’ll tell you, I was totally surprised with the ending and I’m not normally surprised. I knew there was something going on with certain characters, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly it was and how it all fit together, because this doesn’t follow what you know from childhood tales...or does it? I still don’t know.

Now, I will say, if you’re expecting this to be a hot and heavy love story, you will be disappointed. I still don’t know what is going on there, but know Melissa is doing what she does best, a slow build to the ultimate love story. She’s not gaining it all away in one fell swoop, which is what love about her. This book is ALL about building the world we are getting ready to be submersed in for the rest of the series. Lots of information, lots of mystery and lots of magic. Can’t wait for more Cinder and Snow.

[Ira · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a captivating -and sinister- take on the tale of Cinderella! This dark retelling of the story kept me turning the pages, reading, waiting for the next thing to happen, the next mystery to occur, while furiously trying to find out each and everyone's role, their potential fate, trying to find out if I should (or rather could) start to care for someone or....well, there's no use starting to care for someone who might be the next victim, right?

So many theories, so many things that I want to know - I really can't wait for the next book to come out to find out more and to see where the story takes us.

I loved how this is Cinder's story, though Eloise, our Cinder, is not the only heroine, there's also Kellen, her twin who is also called Snow which leads us to another possible story set in the world of the Beastly Tales. First, though, I'll have to learn more about Cinder and her potential love interest, the prince's manservant Kaven, if that's who he is... And, of course, I'll have to learn more about the Lady Grimmoire who....well. The Lady Grimmoire, right.
Well written, captivating and intense, I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait for the next book, Disdain, to come out. SOON!

[Dayzee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and yet so Beautiful!
Do you ever find yourself finishing a book and gasping oh no!? what? I need more! Yea, this one will do this to you!.Is not the Disney fairy tale version but instead more of the original Cinderella retelling. It’s dark, twisted, heartbreaking with a splash off “enemies to lovers” romance…maybe. I’m still not sure. Is too early to tell but I do love those small moments the main heroine Eloise (Cinderella) had with her potential love interest. The best part is the sisterly love with Kellen (Snow). This is the story with Cinder and Snow!! How far would you go to protect the people you love? Eloise is smart and strong and she’s on a mission to find out what or who killed her mother. Everything points to magic; something that is forbidden and a big taboo if you get caught is death for sure. Abandon by their father, their aunt who they never met before has taken guardianship to a new level. Death bodies are piling up and the killer is getting closer! Can’t wait for the next book in this series Tales of Cinder and Snow. There is a prequel “disowned” that follows her mother’s life before this events. I highly encourage it! You will appreciate and love it more!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do I always do this to myself? Defiant is yet another great take on a fairytale story. This isnt the story you grew up with though. No. This one is more sinister and with twists and turns you wont aee coming.

Gah I cannot say how much I loved this book. It has that fairytale feel, but with some very dark and twisty corners. I am freaking hung over after reading this book. I stayed up much too late reading every single last word.

The characters are so dynamic. It feels like you are really there with them. They make you want to laugh and cry right along with them. I loved each and every one.

The heat in this book is there as an added bonus. This book was all about world building. The author did a great job transporting us to this world and building up these characters. She leaves you dying for more.

In conclusion, what an amazing flipping story. It has been days and I am still digesting each word. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Heat: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

[Naia Pard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem was that both the close sister and the main love interest had names that were really similar: Kellen and Kaven. At times, in the reading flux, it became tricky to distinguish them (I had to search for gender pronouns to find out if is the she or is the he).

It is a retelling of Cinderella (pretty obvious from the title of the series), that is quite pretty (i mean the story is pretty). It begins with Eloise, a happy girl that lives with her mother and sister whom she loves, their father is a merchant and frequently absent from their lives. Everything goes smoothly until one day the mother dies.

Eloise becomes a self imposed heroine, ready to take action and solve the misery surrounding her. I liked the writing and how the plot was devised. It is clear that the writer has thought this series through , before starting the first book. I like that the romantic part unfolds slowly.

I will read the next book.

[Alexandria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I HATED this book. Mostly because it strung me along with hopes of it being something good, but in turn, ended up being a massive disappointment.

Defiant had all the makings of a good novel. Decent characters. Amazing writing. But the story was sooooo bad. Every time I thought something significant would happen, it didn't. Everytime I thought the main character would do something pivotal or meaningful to help herself or her sister in their dire situation? Nada. Nothing. They just wandered around, being the worst investigators ever, spending the vast course of this novel learning little and doing little. I know they're essentially teenage girls in need of help and guidance, but the lack action in this book appalled me.

I could literally sum up the course of this book in a few short sentences. And to me, that's never a good thing for the makings of a good novel.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I saw the new series and the writer I felt elated! I am I love with the Beastly series and this series feels as promising as that one! I love the style, the wit and the darkness. I suspected the murderer but till the end its not revealed, as it should. However, the book ends in a frustrating way so I can’t wait to read the second part.
The romance bit is light so I’m hoping we’ll see some more in the following books.
The mystery keeps you guessing and wondering what’s going to happen next.
And so far, I have my suspicions as to who Kaven could actually be.
Totally recommended and I highly recommend the Beastly Tales, they’re up to date my favourite books with Beauty and the Beast retelling.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eloise and Kellen are twins with personalities to match their nicknames, Cinder and Snow. Eloise, aka Cinder, has a quick temper and the need to vent her anger compared to Kellen's ice queen persona, which gives her the nickname Snow.

After the death of their mother, mysterious things start happening near their home. Servants are disappearing and are later found dead, a pig with human qualities is left in their care, and a mysterious "neighbor" who may have triggered it all. Can Eloise figure out what is going on or will tragedy befall her as well? Read and find out! I can't wait until the next book in this series!

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved figuring out where this twists to connect the Cinderella and Snow White tales!

When the author announced that she was going to be creating a new series in the Beastly World, I couldn't have been more excited, and MJ Haag didn't disappoint. The Tales of Cinder and Snow are going to be dark and amazing if the prequel (Disowned) and the first book, Defiant, are anything to go off of. Eloise (Cinder) is determined to find out what happened to her mother, Margaret. And Kellen (Snow) attempts to unravel Margaret's history. Meanwhile there is something even more sinister happening. Can't wait for Disdain!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: Slow burn

Which if you've read anything by Ms. Haag at all, you know this is her preferred method of torture. These sisters are night and day, but together they are a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure what all I can say, there are some characters that have crossed over from her Beastly Tales. (I'm currently re-reading them now to suss them all out!)

I really enjoyed this book. It's building the world and the main character. While it is light on the romantic tension, I'm confident there will be spades of it coming real soon. So don't let that deter you from buying and enjoying the book.

[Pam Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gimme more!!!!!!!!

Defiant is the latest story by MJ Haag, this fairytale retelling is fantastic and unlike anything I’ve read in this genre before. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, the historical feel and wonderful use of language is a real treat for readers. I’d recommend reading Disowned as it’s the prequel to this series and also consider reading The Beastly Tales as well. Eloise is a great character, I enjoyed her feisty personality and kind heart. This tale is full of suspense and twists that kept me guessing. Very excited for book 2. Five stars.

[Noramid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Beginning for a New Series

Being a fan of Ms Haag’s Beastly trilogy, I was eager to read this new taking on Cinderella. It does not disappoint, however, it was a little slower to get into. My guess is, since there will be two other books, the pacing on this one was more restrained.

Other than that, if you love fairy tales retelling, this series is for you. The adventures of Kellen and Eloise as they discovered the secrets involving their family will guarantee to keep you guessing.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, yes and YES!! Ms Haag went from one of my favorite (must get everything she writes) authors to one I stopped reading because her stories started getting shorter, all action no buildup/depth type reads that left me feeling...meh... But this, this story is perfect. There's character building, story and setting development, it's a beautiful slow burn of a read that I am absolutely loving. In fact, reading this prompted me to re-read her Beastly Tales series because I loved what she did with that one as well. Marvelous work Ms Haag!! Loved books 1 and 2 and cannot wait for 3!!