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Black Trans Fairy Tales #1
Cinder Ella
Ella is transgender. She's known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She was happier in skirts than trousers, but that was before her stepmother moved in. Eleanor can't stand her, and after Ella's father passes she's forced to revert to Cole, a lump of a son. She cooks, she cleans, and she tolerates being called the wrong name for the sake of a roof over her head. Where else can she go?
An opportunity to attend the royal ball transforms Ella's life. For the first time, strangers see a woman when she walks down the stairs. While Princess Lizabetta invited Cole to the ball, she doesn't blink an eye when Cinderella is the one who shows. The princess is elegant, bold, and everything Ella never knew she wanted. For a moment she glimpses a world that can accept her, and she holds on tight.
She should have known it wouldn't last. Dumped by her wicked stepmother on the farthest edge of the kingdom, Ella must find a way to let go of the princess and the beautiful life they shared for an hour. She'll never find her way back. But it's hard to forget the greatest night of her life when every rose she plants is a reminder.
An opportunity to attend the royal ball transforms Ella's life. For the first time, strangers see a woman when she walks down the stairs. While Princess Lizabetta invited Cole to the ball, she doesn't blink an eye when Cinderella is the one who shows. The princess is elegant, bold, and everything Ella never knew she wanted. For a moment she glimpses a world that can accept her, and she holds on tight.
She should have known it wouldn't last. Dumped by her wicked stepmother on the farthest edge of the kingdom, Ella must find a way to let go of the princess and the beautiful life they shared for an hour. She'll never find her way back. But it's hard to forget the greatest night of her life when every rose she plants is a reminder.
62 pages, ebook
First published June 24, 2016
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2301 people want to read
About the author
Tami Veldura
135 books145 followersTami Veldura is an enby/aro/ace author of queer fiction. Their pronouns are they/them/Mx. They love romance, fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal stories that push genre limits. Their work has been nominated for the M/M Goodreads Reader Choice Awards and they have been nominated and placed in the Rainbow Awards.
Website: Failure To Communicate
Twitter handle: tamiveldura
Email: tamiveldura@gmail.com
Website: Failure To Communicate
Twitter handle: tamiveldura
Email: tamiveldura@gmail.com
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February 6, 2022She got to define her own self. And no one was going to stop her. “Ella,” she said quietly.
Spoilers and discussion of transphobia follow.
So What’s It About?
Aight, I’m not going to explain the basic premise of Cinderella to you, but what you should know for this re-telling is that Ella is trans and her stepfamily refuses to acknowledge that she is a woman. She dreams of a future where she can be acknowledged for who she really is, and when a princess invites her to the ball it seems she must decide between this dream and the new one that arises when she sees the beautiful princess…
What I Thought
Cinderella is not one of my favorite fairy tales but, given that the premise involves the importance of mistaken identities and transformation, I think the idea of trans Cinderella is a pretty brilliant one, and I was sold on the idea pretty much as soon as I heard about this novella. The actual execution turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, I think, for reasons that I’ll outline now.
I’m usually pretty judgmental of how the stepmother and stepsisters are handled in Cinderella retellings, but I think that in this case their characterization sheds a great deal of light on the way that women can come to hate and abuse other women, perpetuating the prejudice and oppression that they themselves experience and claim to fight against. They are by no means feminists in this story, but I think the kind of hateful rhetoric and abuse you see them hurl is exactly the kind of “discourse” that TERFs spew in real life – this gatekeeping of womanhood, this vitriolic hate and cruelty. The integration of transphobia into the stepfamily’s treatment of Ella is very well presented in all its suffocating pain and, while it is very difficult to read about, it makes the latter part of the story even more cathartic and wonderful once Ella finds people who love and accept her.
This is the main thing I loved about Cinder Ella – the underlying message that if you are trans and you are not accepted for who you are, your struggle will not always be the same. There will be people who hate you for who you are, but they will not always be the people who dominate your life: you will also meet good people, who know who you are and respect that. They will accept you unconditionally and you will know love and happiness no matter how miserable things are in the present. It’s a message that needs to be shouted from the rooftops and I loved seeing it so emphatically conveyed in this story.
In this respect I think the underlying messages of love and the presentation of overcoming transphobia are this novella’s strengths. It also features a number of weaknesses, and I think a few of them can be articulated by simply stating that its length does it a disservice. It would be a much stronger story as a whole if it were more fleshed out and less shallow across the board – many characters only make one or two appearances including the fairy godmother. One of the reasons I dislike Cinderella is that it always rates highly on the instalove side of the fairy tale romance spectrum unless you deliberately change several aspects of the story, as Levine did in Ella Enchanted. Cinder Ella does not do this, the romance between Liz and Ella consists of three fairly brief conversations before the happily-ever-after.
On a more personal note, I was disappointed that the shoe fitting part of the original tale was not incorporated here, because at one point Lynn explicitly notes that Ella is ashamed of her big feet. I think that saving the princess find her again because the shoe only fits her would have been an amazing inversion of the original tale and a great message – instead of being ashamed of her shoe size as an alleged invalidation of her womanhood, it could be part of the way that she finds her happy ending!
There were a couple of other things that didn’t quite sit right with me – there is clearly transphobia in this world, and at one point the stepmother tells Ella not to embarrass the family. She then promptly decides to dress up Ella in a dress and garish makeup to humiliate her at the ball, but I fail to see how she could embarrass Ella in this way without also bringing some kind of shame and judgement down upon her family as a whole. There were also a couple of moments that struck me as a little bit essentialist and reductive in this sense of “boys do X and girls do Y and YOU do Y so therefore your womanhood is valid.” I personally identify more with the idea that anyone of any gender should be able to express themselves in any way whatsoever without their inherent sense of gender identity being cast into doubt, but I also understand the other side of the coin and why these moments were important to Ella.
Spoilers and discussion of transphobia follow.
So What’s It About?
Aight, I’m not going to explain the basic premise of Cinderella to you, but what you should know for this re-telling is that Ella is trans and her stepfamily refuses to acknowledge that she is a woman. She dreams of a future where she can be acknowledged for who she really is, and when a princess invites her to the ball it seems she must decide between this dream and the new one that arises when she sees the beautiful princess…
What I Thought
Cinderella is not one of my favorite fairy tales but, given that the premise involves the importance of mistaken identities and transformation, I think the idea of trans Cinderella is a pretty brilliant one, and I was sold on the idea pretty much as soon as I heard about this novella. The actual execution turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, I think, for reasons that I’ll outline now.
I’m usually pretty judgmental of how the stepmother and stepsisters are handled in Cinderella retellings, but I think that in this case their characterization sheds a great deal of light on the way that women can come to hate and abuse other women, perpetuating the prejudice and oppression that they themselves experience and claim to fight against. They are by no means feminists in this story, but I think the kind of hateful rhetoric and abuse you see them hurl is exactly the kind of “discourse” that TERFs spew in real life – this gatekeeping of womanhood, this vitriolic hate and cruelty. The integration of transphobia into the stepfamily’s treatment of Ella is very well presented in all its suffocating pain and, while it is very difficult to read about, it makes the latter part of the story even more cathartic and wonderful once Ella finds people who love and accept her.
This is the main thing I loved about Cinder Ella – the underlying message that if you are trans and you are not accepted for who you are, your struggle will not always be the same. There will be people who hate you for who you are, but they will not always be the people who dominate your life: you will also meet good people, who know who you are and respect that. They will accept you unconditionally and you will know love and happiness no matter how miserable things are in the present. It’s a message that needs to be shouted from the rooftops and I loved seeing it so emphatically conveyed in this story.
In this respect I think the underlying messages of love and the presentation of overcoming transphobia are this novella’s strengths. It also features a number of weaknesses, and I think a few of them can be articulated by simply stating that its length does it a disservice. It would be a much stronger story as a whole if it were more fleshed out and less shallow across the board – many characters only make one or two appearances including the fairy godmother. One of the reasons I dislike Cinderella is that it always rates highly on the instalove side of the fairy tale romance spectrum unless you deliberately change several aspects of the story, as Levine did in Ella Enchanted. Cinder Ella does not do this, the romance between Liz and Ella consists of three fairly brief conversations before the happily-ever-after.
On a more personal note, I was disappointed that the shoe fitting part of the original tale was not incorporated here, because at one point Lynn explicitly notes that Ella is ashamed of her big feet. I think that saving the princess find her again because the shoe only fits her would have been an amazing inversion of the original tale and a great message – instead of being ashamed of her shoe size as an alleged invalidation of her womanhood, it could be part of the way that she finds her happy ending!
There were a couple of other things that didn’t quite sit right with me – there is clearly transphobia in this world, and at one point the stepmother tells Ella not to embarrass the family. She then promptly decides to dress up Ella in a dress and garish makeup to humiliate her at the ball, but I fail to see how she could embarrass Ella in this way without also bringing some kind of shame and judgement down upon her family as a whole. There were also a couple of moments that struck me as a little bit essentialist and reductive in this sense of “boys do X and girls do Y and YOU do Y so therefore your womanhood is valid.” I personally identify more with the idea that anyone of any gender should be able to express themselves in any way whatsoever without their inherent sense of gender identity being cast into doubt, but I also understand the other side of the coin and why these moments were important to Ella.
June 16, 2021
This was cute! Although it only loosely followed the plot of Cinderella and some plot points were shaky (like having sushi at a medieval ball? lol), it was still a quick and fun read. I wish it were longer so that everything had time to be fleshed out, but the rural and quaint setting at the end was so fun and I liked rooting for this main character.
July 31, 2019
content warnings: transphobia, misgendering, dead-naming, forced outing, fatphobia (all contested)
rep: black trans wlw mc, wlw li
November 30, 2016
Every so often comes a retelling of the Cinderella story that I actually enjoy because the normally weak willed heroine is given a backbone, or at least traits that make me not want to give her a swift kick in the back side. I absolutely loathe the Disney version however, and doormat heroines drive me into a serious rage-fest.
With that said, I found myself reading Cinder Ella. Firstly, the cover. I don't know how many times I say this in my reviews, but representation truly matters. I love seeing characters of color on the covers of books. There's not enough of them. I especially love seeing dark skinned and natural haired Black women on covers (and given the scary amounts of colorism in the romance genre, this representation is even more important). I gave this story two stars just for the cover alone, bravo!!!
Second, this is a book featuring a Black transgender heroine. Again I point out that the mainstream LGBTQ genre has done a pretty crappy job of representing its members of color. This erasure is a part (there are other reasons if course) of why some groups still believe that LGBTQ/non binary is a "White people's thing".
This retelling is far from perfect. It's too short for one thing. I would have enjoyed reading more about Ella's (Cole's) earlier life with her father. Granted, the first part is full of the typical Cinderella tropes, namely the wicked stepmother and stepsisters. And there's the prerequisite fairy godmother, because you can't have a long suffering yet beautiful girl who dreams of going to the ball without one. And instead of the handsome prince utterly smitten by the mysterious girl of cinders and ash, there's an opinionated Princess who would rather talk about breeding dogs and growing flowers than making nice with boring nobles.
It's the second half of the story that I found I enjoyed the more. Cinder is on her own after a huge family jealous meltdown. She's got her own place, her own source of income and new friends. This Cinder is the one I would have loved to have read rather than the suffering doormat.
The transgender aspect was, in my opinion, treated as a matter of fact. Ella was Ella, despite her stepfamily's refusal to acknowledge her gender. Because this is a fantasy story featuring magic tailors and the fae, there's no deep discussions of the whys and wherefores of why Ella was not Cole. I'm good with that. There are other novels which delve into trans issues on a deeper level and I love those as well. However, at the end of the day, this was a sweet fantasy love story with a happily ever after.
I struggled between three to four stars, and even after all this time there's still no way to award half stars. So I'm rounding up because of the PoC representation and strong female friendships.
With that said, I found myself reading Cinder Ella. Firstly, the cover. I don't know how many times I say this in my reviews, but representation truly matters. I love seeing characters of color on the covers of books. There's not enough of them. I especially love seeing dark skinned and natural haired Black women on covers (and given the scary amounts of colorism in the romance genre, this representation is even more important). I gave this story two stars just for the cover alone, bravo!!!
Second, this is a book featuring a Black transgender heroine. Again I point out that the mainstream LGBTQ genre has done a pretty crappy job of representing its members of color. This erasure is a part (there are other reasons if course) of why some groups still believe that LGBTQ/non binary is a "White people's thing".
This retelling is far from perfect. It's too short for one thing. I would have enjoyed reading more about Ella's (Cole's) earlier life with her father. Granted, the first part is full of the typical Cinderella tropes, namely the wicked stepmother and stepsisters. And there's the prerequisite fairy godmother, because you can't have a long suffering yet beautiful girl who dreams of going to the ball without one. And instead of the handsome prince utterly smitten by the mysterious girl of cinders and ash, there's an opinionated Princess who would rather talk about breeding dogs and growing flowers than making nice with boring nobles.
It's the second half of the story that I found I enjoyed the more. Cinder is on her own after a huge family jealous meltdown. She's got her own place, her own source of income and new friends. This Cinder is the one I would have loved to have read rather than the suffering doormat.
The transgender aspect was, in my opinion, treated as a matter of fact. Ella was Ella, despite her stepfamily's refusal to acknowledge her gender. Because this is a fantasy story featuring magic tailors and the fae, there's no deep discussions of the whys and wherefores of why Ella was not Cole. I'm good with that. There are other novels which delve into trans issues on a deeper level and I love those as well. However, at the end of the day, this was a sweet fantasy love story with a happily ever after.
I struggled between three to four stars, and even after all this time there's still no way to award half stars. So I'm rounding up because of the PoC representation and strong female friendships.
May 17, 2020
'“My Cinderella.” The way Lizabetta said it changed the word entirely.'
This story held so much magic within its pages, so much depth to Ella's character despite it only being a short story and I loved that the main focus was truly on her, her journey, her acceptance of herself, and her road to healing. Therefore, the romance to me fell a little flat though it was still cute and I loved the twists to the original version and that it didn't pretend to be the usual 'they lived happily ever after' - there's still much room for the romance to bloom and flourish and that is left to the reader's imagination.
also a big thank you to Anique for giving me the chance to read this!
January 9, 2019
Poor or nonexistent editing on any of this, even on a simple proofing level. A character goes from being Elise to Elisa and then back in the span of a few pages. Another character introduces themselves as the "Heir to the vonKarl Diocese" (capitalization and all). Diocese? Huh? My bookclub's best guess was that they meant duchy. Those are... two very different words.
When not plagued with basic vocabulary errors, the rest of the writing is just as bad, from the pedestrian plodding of the opening—where nothing happens but a listing off of actions devoid of style or interiority or anything that justifies the visual transcription going on for pages—to the teenagerish worldbuilding. This is an old-timey fairytale world where there are carriages and castles, but also sushi buffets, characters running to the indoor, gender-segregated public restrooms in said castles, designer-label gowns, modern makeup, and dialogue wittering about "sugar rushes" and "crushes". I want to believe this was an attempt at evoking a fun, A Knight's Tale anachronistic vibe? But it comes off as inept instead of clever. The story doesn't work particularly well grafted onto this mishmash of modern and old-fashioned, either: Liz(abetta) wrings her hands over the expectation that she marry a man, but no one gives a shit when she dances with Ella in front of the entire party? Ella's wicked stepmother misgenders her and relegates her to household drudge, but if everyone sees Ella as a boy, why isn't "he" the lawful heir of "his" deceased father's fortune instead? The worldbuilding is as inconsistent here as it is everywhere else.
My running theory is that the author had noble intentions in not wanting to trigger trans readers by bringing up Ella's assigned gender too often. And I love fantasy worlds where being LGBT+ isn't an issue, I'm not saying I want queer stories to be horrible suffering all the time, I do NOT, but if the premise is "Cinderella is trans and she Suffers Nobly because people don't see her true self" then that premise must be dealt with, or else the story reworked so being trans/queer/a woman isn't a point of contention. The rules of when this stuff matters and when it doesn't are thrown away whenever it's convenient, much like everything else in this story.
Trans Cinderella is an amazing idea that I was looking forward to reading. This novella didn't do it any justice. To top off the insult, it's 62 pages long and cost $5. For that price I'd at least expect someone to have proofread it, you know?
When not plagued with basic vocabulary errors, the rest of the writing is just as bad, from the pedestrian plodding of the opening—where nothing happens but a listing off of actions devoid of style or interiority or anything that justifies the visual transcription going on for pages—to the teenagerish worldbuilding. This is an old-timey fairytale world where there are carriages and castles, but also sushi buffets, characters running to the indoor, gender-segregated public restrooms in said castles, designer-label gowns, modern makeup, and dialogue wittering about "sugar rushes" and "crushes". I want to believe this was an attempt at evoking a fun, A Knight's Tale anachronistic vibe? But it comes off as inept instead of clever. The story doesn't work particularly well grafted onto this mishmash of modern and old-fashioned, either: Liz(abetta) wrings her hands over the expectation that she marry a man, but no one gives a shit when she dances with Ella in front of the entire party? Ella's wicked stepmother misgenders her and relegates her to household drudge, but if everyone sees Ella as a boy, why isn't "he" the lawful heir of "his" deceased father's fortune instead? The worldbuilding is as inconsistent here as it is everywhere else.
My running theory is that the author had noble intentions in not wanting to trigger trans readers by bringing up Ella's assigned gender too often. And I love fantasy worlds where being LGBT+ isn't an issue, I'm not saying I want queer stories to be horrible suffering all the time, I do NOT, but if the premise is "Cinderella is trans and she Suffers Nobly because people don't see her true self" then that premise must be dealt with, or else the story reworked so being trans/queer/a woman isn't a point of contention. The rules of when this stuff matters and when it doesn't are thrown away whenever it's convenient, much like everything else in this story.
Trans Cinderella is an amazing idea that I was looking forward to reading. This novella didn't do it any justice. To top off the insult, it's 62 pages long and cost $5. For that price I'd at least expect someone to have proofread it, you know?
June 29, 2016
I went into this story hoping/expecting to love it. Or at the very least like it. I found that hard to do. Unlike the most recent ‘fairy tale retold’ I had read, I had not previously read the original story. Though I have read numerous ‘retellings’ (one or more of which have been adult in nature).
There were several flaws I thought of while reading. 1) Gender – time period; 2) magic; 3) drag queen personality.
Gender: Ella was born in the body of a boy that his dad called Cole (not sure if mother was involved in the name at all, since she died while giving birth to Cole/Ella). I have no inherent problem with Ella having been born a boy, nor with ‘Cole’ realizing that they are actually ‘Ella’. No, I had a problem with the situation as presented. I mean, there is a reason why Cinderella ended up basically being a servant in the origin story.
Mother died giving birth to Cole/Ella. Dad remarries. Woman he marries has two children from a previous . . . situation (whatever that situation might have been; I was going to say previous marriage, but I have no information indicating that the woman had ever been married before except for the fact that she has children, and the fact that being unmarried with children in this time period (assuming this is still marginally historical fiction) ‘just isn’t done’ (or, in other words, it would be a scandal hovering over her head even after marrying Ella’s father). Father dies. And . . . um. Now we get into the interesting little bit about how Ella was born a boy named Cole. Or, in other words, Ella’s father had a son in terms of inheritance laws. In the time period this story is apparently set, the son would inherit, potentially everything – sometimes with a token given to the widow, sometimes nothing but some form of ‘live-inheritance’, or sometimes nothing. So why is Ella living in her step-mother’s house? Here I should be using the birth body gender, eh? Why is the son living without any inheritance in the step-mother’s house? This . . . doesn’t compute. So, that’s the gender issue.
Magic: I’ve not read the origin story, I note again here, so that I can say that I do not know the level of magic in it. I do know the retellings, though. The level of magic is on a par above the level shown here. The level shown here? About on the level of a magician. Some elements might be hard to ‘figure out’ how a magician did it (like the larger than expected tailor cart), but then how does a magician make the statue of liberty disappear? Roses grew much faster than expected in this story. Without blinking Ella just assumed that the land was fae enhanced land. Me? I just went with it – fae enhanced land. Though technically a magician could have done it by sleight of hand. Mini-rose bush planted. Ella disappears for a time (sleep, etc). Comes back, sees full grown rose bush, the kind that looks like it has been there for years. Could a magician do that? Of course – while Ella is distracted, plant a full grown rose bush (yeah, it is the exact same type of hybrid roses she planted that her father created, but just because she thinks it might be unique doesn’t mean it really is unique).
I expected certain things when I went into this story. I expected Ella to actually be transformed by her fairy godmother into a woman. The book description kind of even says something like that. Rereading the description, okay, it didn’t actually say that. I misread ‘transforms Ella’s life’ as ‘transforms Ella’. Meh. It is a fairy godmother story. They big powerful critters. Transforming woman trapped in the body of a man into that of a woman in the body of a woman? Child’s play. Instead the fairy godmother gives Ella a dress. And . . . that’s basically it (at least in terms of helping her get to the party – I expected the step-family to laugh at Ella and not allow her to go; which would have lead fairy godmother to step in and transform Ella, and her doggy also. She’d ride on the back of her dog slash horse and visit the party. Then flee when the clock chimes (that also isn’t how she exited the party, time was not an issue here).
So. Basically Ella is someone with a male body who wears a dress and make-up. No mention is made of transforming her voice in any way – which I mention because two of the people she meets at the big ball had previously meet Ella when Ella was bouncing around as Cole. No mention was made of Cole sounding like he had an effeminate voice, and no mention was made of Ella (a) sounding like Cole; or (b) sounding like she might have a deeper voice than expected.
I feel annoyed. I wanted Ella to be transformed.
drag queen personality: this one has nothing to do with gender, or the like. And everything to do with personalities. Drag Queens, real ones, can be straight, gay, bisexual, and even transgender (I know of several who have transitioned; though I mostly know of the one Drag King who transitioned but still performed, at times, to give back to the community who helped him come to the realization that he was transgender). No, this is personality/level/emotion/etc.
The person in the film ‘Crying Game’ was not a Drag Queen. I’m not actually sure where Jaye falls in real life or in the film. But Jaye, as Dil in the film, wandered around looking like a woman and presenting as a woman (who just happens to have a dick, if, you know, you got Jaye/Dil’s skirt off). There are some drag queens you have to look several times before you realize that they are in fact drag queens. By looks. By personality? More or less immediate – both types of Drag – king and queen, are something like caricatures of the gender they are performing as – on purpose they are.
And so I come to Ella’s personality in this story. She has kind of a caricatured female personality. A stereotypical personality. Overly emotional. Unable to stop the tears. Etc. Obviously that must mean Cole is really Ella, right, because men don’t cry or something like that? Well, just for the record (1) not all women are caricatures of women; (2) not all MtoF are caricatures of women (though I understand that there is something of a conflict in the community – like a relatively recent reality show had a contestant booted because she wore boxer shorts and ‘obviously’ ‘real women’ didn’t wear boxers (WTF?). Point being that I acknowledge that some MtoF (and some FtoM) ‘overplay’ their roles). Well, Ella overplays her role here ().
I liked the magical elements of the other retellings I’ve read/seen. This story seemed to lack it; to replace it with extra extra harsh step-mother/sisters. And a magician slash tailor. That is/was unfortunate.
At the moment I rate this somewhere around 2.75 or 2.5. Meaning I might bump this to 3 stars on GoodReads at any moment. It might even have been a 3.5-3.75 (4 on GoodReads) if the magic had been a bigger part of this story – if Ella had been transformed. Had the body of a woman – maybe only for the period of time she was at the party (then something could have been added wherein she’d be transformed again, this time permanently, by way of the Princess finding her again and expressing her love or something (though that would be mixing Beauty and the Beast with Cinderella). Bah, I’ll go ahead and raise my rating to 3 on Goodreads while noting that I would rate the story 2.75 if I could. Still annoyed by that lack of transformation though. Mmphs.
June 29 2016
There were several flaws I thought of while reading. 1) Gender – time period; 2) magic; 3) drag queen personality.
Gender: Ella was born in the body of a boy that his dad called Cole (not sure if mother was involved in the name at all, since she died while giving birth to Cole/Ella). I have no inherent problem with Ella having been born a boy, nor with ‘Cole’ realizing that they are actually ‘Ella’. No, I had a problem with the situation as presented. I mean, there is a reason why Cinderella ended up basically being a servant in the origin story.
Mother died giving birth to Cole/Ella. Dad remarries. Woman he marries has two children from a previous . . . situation (whatever that situation might have been; I was going to say previous marriage, but I have no information indicating that the woman had ever been married before except for the fact that she has children, and the fact that being unmarried with children in this time period (assuming this is still marginally historical fiction) ‘just isn’t done’ (or, in other words, it would be a scandal hovering over her head even after marrying Ella’s father). Father dies. And . . . um. Now we get into the interesting little bit about how Ella was born a boy named Cole. Or, in other words, Ella’s father had a son in terms of inheritance laws. In the time period this story is apparently set, the son would inherit, potentially everything – sometimes with a token given to the widow, sometimes nothing but some form of ‘live-inheritance’, or sometimes nothing. So why is Ella living in her step-mother’s house? Here I should be using the birth body gender, eh? Why is the son living without any inheritance in the step-mother’s house? This . . . doesn’t compute. So, that’s the gender issue.
Magic: I’ve not read the origin story, I note again here, so that I can say that I do not know the level of magic in it. I do know the retellings, though. The level of magic is on a par above the level shown here. The level shown here? About on the level of a magician. Some elements might be hard to ‘figure out’ how a magician did it (like the larger than expected tailor cart), but then how does a magician make the statue of liberty disappear? Roses grew much faster than expected in this story. Without blinking Ella just assumed that the land was fae enhanced land. Me? I just went with it – fae enhanced land. Though technically a magician could have done it by sleight of hand. Mini-rose bush planted. Ella disappears for a time (sleep, etc). Comes back, sees full grown rose bush, the kind that looks like it has been there for years. Could a magician do that? Of course – while Ella is distracted, plant a full grown rose bush (yeah, it is the exact same type of hybrid roses she planted that her father created, but just because she thinks it might be unique doesn’t mean it really is unique).
I expected certain things when I went into this story. I expected Ella to actually be transformed by her fairy godmother into a woman. The book description kind of even says something like that. Rereading the description, okay, it didn’t actually say that. I misread ‘transforms Ella’s life’ as ‘transforms Ella’. Meh. It is a fairy godmother story. They big powerful critters. Transforming woman trapped in the body of a man into that of a woman in the body of a woman? Child’s play. Instead the fairy godmother gives Ella a dress. And . . . that’s basically it (at least in terms of helping her get to the party – I expected the step-family to laugh at Ella and not allow her to go; which would have lead fairy godmother to step in and transform Ella, and her doggy also. She’d ride on the back of her dog slash horse and visit the party. Then flee when the clock chimes (that also isn’t how she exited the party, time was not an issue here).
So. Basically Ella is someone with a male body who wears a dress and make-up. No mention is made of transforming her voice in any way – which I mention because two of the people she meets at the big ball had previously meet Ella when Ella was bouncing around as Cole. No mention was made of Cole sounding like he had an effeminate voice, and no mention was made of Ella (a) sounding like Cole; or (b) sounding like she might have a deeper voice than expected.
I feel annoyed. I wanted Ella to be transformed.
drag queen personality: this one has nothing to do with gender, or the like. And everything to do with personalities. Drag Queens, real ones, can be straight, gay, bisexual, and even transgender (I know of several who have transitioned; though I mostly know of the one Drag King who transitioned but still performed, at times, to give back to the community who helped him come to the realization that he was transgender). No, this is personality/level/emotion/etc.
The person in the film ‘Crying Game’ was not a Drag Queen. I’m not actually sure where Jaye falls in real life or in the film. But Jaye, as Dil in the film, wandered around looking like a woman and presenting as a woman (who just happens to have a dick, if, you know, you got Jaye/Dil’s skirt off). There are some drag queens you have to look several times before you realize that they are in fact drag queens. By looks. By personality? More or less immediate – both types of Drag – king and queen, are something like caricatures of the gender they are performing as – on purpose they are.
And so I come to Ella’s personality in this story. She has kind of a caricatured female personality. A stereotypical personality. Overly emotional. Unable to stop the tears. Etc. Obviously that must mean Cole is really Ella, right, because men don’t cry or something like that? Well, just for the record (1) not all women are caricatures of women; (2) not all MtoF are caricatures of women (though I understand that there is something of a conflict in the community – like a relatively recent reality show had a contestant booted because she wore boxer shorts and ‘obviously’ ‘real women’ didn’t wear boxers (WTF?). Point being that I acknowledge that some MtoF (and some FtoM) ‘overplay’ their roles). Well, Ella overplays her role here ().
I liked the magical elements of the other retellings I’ve read/seen. This story seemed to lack it; to replace it with extra extra harsh step-mother/sisters. And a magician slash tailor. That is/was unfortunate.
At the moment I rate this somewhere around 2.75 or 2.5. Meaning I might bump this to 3 stars on GoodReads at any moment. It might even have been a 3.5-3.75 (4 on GoodReads) if the magic had been a bigger part of this story – if Ella had been transformed. Had the body of a woman – maybe only for the period of time she was at the party (then something could have been added wherein she’d be transformed again, this time permanently, by way of the Princess finding her again and expressing her love or something (though that would be mixing Beauty and the Beast with Cinderella). Bah, I’ll go ahead and raise my rating to 3 on Goodreads while noting that I would rate the story 2.75 if I could. Still annoyed by that lack of transformation though. Mmphs.
June 29 2016
July 3, 2022
This was definitely an interesting take on Cinderella. I definitely want to read the other books in the story to see how the author spins our traditional perceptions of fairy tales. 3.5 Stars
Cinder Ella is the first in a series that re-tells the classic Cinderella with a main character who is trans. While I'm sure most are familiar with the story of Cinderella, this explores Ella's desire to be able to live as a woman in a safe/comfortable environment without the abuse and transphobia experienced at the hands of her stepmother. The romance between Ella and the princess of the kingdom was really endearing and sweet. I absolutely adored the scene that we got of them at the ball. It was beautiful and tugged at my heart. There are also some great side characters in this story that readers don't necessarily see in the original.
One of the major issues that I had with this book was setting of the time period. While the original Cinderella is assumed to take place in the late 1800s, I was extremely confused about when this story took place. There were indications that it could have taken place during the same time, but then there were other elements that made it feel more modern specifically when one of the characters mentions sushi. It would have been nice to get more clarity on that. Additionally, I feel like this book could have afforded to be a little longer. The introduction of fae throughout the book was interesting, but there was no explicit introduction or explanation of a magic system that existed in this world. This could have been accomplished with a more lengthy book.
Overall, this was a solid read and I'm excited to see what the rest of series has to offer.
Cinder Ella is the first in a series that re-tells the classic Cinderella with a main character who is trans. While I'm sure most are familiar with the story of Cinderella, this explores Ella's desire to be able to live as a woman in a safe/comfortable environment without the abuse and transphobia experienced at the hands of her stepmother. The romance between Ella and the princess of the kingdom was really endearing and sweet. I absolutely adored the scene that we got of them at the ball. It was beautiful and tugged at my heart. There are also some great side characters in this story that readers don't necessarily see in the original.
One of the major issues that I had with this book was setting of the time period. While the original Cinderella is assumed to take place in the late 1800s, I was extremely confused about when this story took place. There were indications that it could have taken place during the same time, but then there were other elements that made it feel more modern specifically when one of the characters mentions sushi. It would have been nice to get more clarity on that. Additionally, I feel like this book could have afforded to be a little longer. The introduction of fae throughout the book was interesting, but there was no explicit introduction or explanation of a magic system that existed in this world. This could have been accomplished with a more lengthy book.
Overall, this was a solid read and I'm excited to see what the rest of series has to offer.
June 30, 2016
What a charming fairy tale. I loved it.
It's a little fuzzy around the edges in the way that fairy tales sometimes are. I guess it's meant to be a fantasy world (since several characters just accept that the Fae exist), but it doesn't really matter. Unlike a lot of fairy tales, even fairy tale retellings, Ella does take charge of her own destiny, which I appreciated a lot.
The first kiss (and the second kiss) between Ella and the princess were so sweet! Ella was a really lovable character, and I wanted great things to happen for her (and I couldn't stop smiling when they did).
Definitely a book I'll reread when I need a little cheering up. I'm happy to live in a world where books like this one exist.
It's a little fuzzy around the edges in the way that fairy tales sometimes are. I guess it's meant to be a fantasy world (since several characters just accept that the Fae exist), but it doesn't really matter. Unlike a lot of fairy tales, even fairy tale retellings, Ella does take charge of her own destiny, which I appreciated a lot.
The first kiss (and the second kiss) between Ella and the princess were so sweet! Ella was a really lovable character, and I wanted great things to happen for her (and I couldn't stop smiling when they did).
Definitely a book I'll reread when I need a little cheering up. I'm happy to live in a world where books like this one exist.
April 22, 2021
This is a quick read and a great trans retelling of Cinderella. Content warnings for transphobia and deadnaming, but the story itself holds more respect for the main character than the original tale ever did. I loved how this made me curious for every next page even though the story is so well-known. A very nice piece of magic!
September 27, 2025
Disclaimer: I am neither black or trans. Therefore, I cannot speak for these people on how well they feel represented.
I really live fairytale retellings and this one was so short and sweet. Ella is such a lovable main character and I love Heather!!
The representation of said groups added to the story and this might be my favorite retelling of Cinderella so far.
I really live fairytale retellings and this one was so short and sweet. Ella is such a lovable main character and I love Heather!!
The representation of said groups added to the story and this might be my favorite retelling of Cinderella so far.
December 31, 2023
Rounding up.
I really liked the world and the vibrant descriptions of Ella's day to day. It made me want to cook and garden, which was very cozy. The message was very cute, and even though the stepmother was awful, it was just so lovely to see Ella validated and experience healthy relationships.
I do wish there was more. The novella size was almost a little too short to cover the romance and healing from her trauma. Just when I felt like the story was picking up, it just ended.
Recommend if you're into fairytale retellings and want to try a different perspective.
I really liked the world and the vibrant descriptions of Ella's day to day. It made me want to cook and garden, which was very cozy. The message was very cute, and even though the stepmother was awful, it was just so lovely to see Ella validated and experience healthy relationships.
I do wish there was more. The novella size was almost a little too short to cover the romance and healing from her trauma. Just when I felt like the story was picking up, it just ended.
Recommend if you're into fairytale retellings and want to try a different perspective.
February 1, 2019
3.5 stars
Cinder Ella is a quite nice retelling of the classic fairy-tale where Cinderella is trans and the prince is a princess.
Content warnings include: transphobia, abuse.
I did like how the novella (short story? novelette? I'm not entirely sure) diverges from the original - it doesn't just exchange the well-known characters with queer people and everything stays the same.
The shortness of the story worked kind of against it here, because I couldn't really get a feel for the characters and why they were feeling or acting the way they were exactly, and the worldbuilding was lacking.
I also pretty much liked every single aspect of the story better than the romance. The emotions between Ella and the princess were lukewarm at best and fell completely flat compared to the friends Ella makes along the way. Lily and Heather, two original (I believe?) side-characters with no real part in the actual plot, were both vastly more interesting and fleshed out than both the princess and the fairy-godmother-figure which seems counterintuitive for a re-telling.
I did enjoy reading this book, but looking back I'm confused about its structure and underwhelmed by the main plotline, though I liked the parts where it adds the new (and the queer) details to an old tale.
On a side note: there were a few editing mistakes, but they were very minor. I was also convinced that this book is available via KU, but it doesn't seem to be (anymore?)
Cinder Ella is a quite nice retelling of the classic fairy-tale where Cinderella is trans and the prince is a princess.
Content warnings include: transphobia, abuse.
I did like how the novella (short story? novelette? I'm not entirely sure) diverges from the original - it doesn't just exchange the well-known characters with queer people and everything stays the same.
The shortness of the story worked kind of against it here, because I couldn't really get a feel for the characters and why they were feeling or acting the way they were exactly, and the worldbuilding was lacking.
I also pretty much liked every single aspect of the story better than the romance. The emotions between Ella and the princess were lukewarm at best and fell completely flat compared to the friends Ella makes along the way. Lily and Heather, two original (I believe?) side-characters with no real part in the actual plot, were both vastly more interesting and fleshed out than both the princess and the fairy-godmother-figure which seems counterintuitive for a re-telling.
I did enjoy reading this book, but looking back I'm confused about its structure and underwhelmed by the main plotline, though I liked the parts where it adds the new (and the queer) details to an old tale.
On a side note: there were a few editing mistakes, but they were very minor. I was also convinced that this book is available via KU, but it doesn't seem to be (anymore?)
January 11, 2024
Meh. A FF cinderella retelling with a Black trans woman lead sounded great in theory, but the writing in this was very unfortunate.
Kobo plus had this audio available as AI/synthesized voice which is a triple nope.
This book couldn't figure out what kind of fantasy setting it would have - castles and balls and old timey world building? How about spending chapters talking about mundane dish washing and dog training and horse riding? Or how about a sushi bar at the ball? How about a super elite designer gown? Why not have it all.
There's also a huge emphasis on the evil stepmother and step-sisters deadnaming, misgendering, and insulting Ella, which isn't a fun experience to read about. The tailor in this was a good bean.
Kobo plus had this audio available as AI/synthesized voice which is a triple nope.
This book couldn't figure out what kind of fantasy setting it would have - castles and balls and old timey world building? How about spending chapters talking about mundane dish washing and dog training and horse riding? Or how about a sushi bar at the ball? How about a super elite designer gown? Why not have it all.
There's also a huge emphasis on the evil stepmother and step-sisters deadnaming, misgendering, and insulting Ella, which isn't a fun experience to read about. The tailor in this was a good bean.
March 29, 2024
⭐⭐⭐✨3.5/5
🏳️🌈Rep: Black Trans FMC, Sapphic LI
📝Genre/Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sapphic Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling
I absolutely love the idea of a trans Cinderella! It just seems like a perfect way to retell this rather problematic fairy tale. I was really hoping to see this story transformed and filled with trans joy, but that isn’t quite what I got. I knew going into this that it was obviously not going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I mean…it’s Cinderella. Evil stepmother and stepsisters are kind of part of the deal. But I felt like more of the focus was on the transphobia from her step family than on her trans joy which is what I was wanting. And then in the midst of all the hardship and turmoil, some parts felt a little too easy and at times even contradicting. The other issue was that I couldn’t tell what time period the story was taking place in. At times it felt like it was supposed to be more historical and at other times contemporary, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world. I did enjoy the story. It was a quick read with a unique twist on the Cinderella story. It just didn’t wow me and fell a little short of what I was hoping for from a trans Cinderella retelling.
⚠️TW/CW: Transphobia, Misgendering, Deadnaming, Forced Outing, Emotional Abuse, Child Abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic Relationship, Violence, Mention of parental death
🏳️🌈Rep: Black Trans FMC, Sapphic LI
📝Genre/Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Sapphic Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling
I absolutely love the idea of a trans Cinderella! It just seems like a perfect way to retell this rather problematic fairy tale. I was really hoping to see this story transformed and filled with trans joy, but that isn’t quite what I got. I knew going into this that it was obviously not going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I mean…it’s Cinderella. Evil stepmother and stepsisters are kind of part of the deal. But I felt like more of the focus was on the transphobia from her step family than on her trans joy which is what I was wanting. And then in the midst of all the hardship and turmoil, some parts felt a little too easy and at times even contradicting. The other issue was that I couldn’t tell what time period the story was taking place in. At times it felt like it was supposed to be more historical and at other times contemporary, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world. I did enjoy the story. It was a quick read with a unique twist on the Cinderella story. It just didn’t wow me and fell a little short of what I was hoping for from a trans Cinderella retelling.
⚠️TW/CW: Transphobia, Misgendering, Deadnaming, Forced Outing, Emotional Abuse, Child Abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic Relationship, Violence, Mention of parental death
June 16, 2022
I sped through this Cinderella retelling in which Ella is a Black trans woman and there's a feisty princess instead of a vapid prince. Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend. The ending was a bit rushed and I'm honestly not sure what the HEA would look like given that it seemed Ella had a good life set up for herself at that point, but that's part of the limitation of a 60-something page read. I trust that she's very happy with her princess. ;)
Overall rating: 3.75 (rounded to 4 stars)
Hannah Angst Scale rating: 0.5
Content notes: transphobia, MC is deadnamed throughout the story by her terrible stepfamily, MC's father died when she was a child, physical assault depicted on page, minor character gets an unspecified fever
Overall rating: 3.75 (rounded to 4 stars)
Hannah Angst Scale rating: 0.5
Content notes: transphobia, MC is deadnamed throughout the story by her terrible stepfamily, MC's father died when she was a child, physical assault depicted on page, minor character gets an unspecified fever
August 7, 2022
This was a very sweet, wholesome story, I enjoyed it very much. I wish it was longer and more fleshed out, and a round of editing wouldn't have hurt (I just noticed a typo or two and some sentences seemed to have words missing or jumbled, that kind of thing), but it was cute and the exact kind of trans fantasy I'm here for.
January 1, 2024
3.5*
Very sweet novella of a Cinderella retelling with a black trans woman mc and a sapphic romance.
The main reason this doesn't get 4 stars is because the ending was very ambiguous and i wanted to know if Ella kept her new life or dropped it all for the Princess!
CW: deadnaming
Very sweet novella of a Cinderella retelling with a black trans woman mc and a sapphic romance.
The main reason this doesn't get 4 stars is because the ending was very ambiguous and i wanted to know if Ella kept her new life or dropped it all for the Princess!
CW: deadnaming
July 6, 2023
This was just a really fun quick novella. I enjoyed the way it took a twist on Cinderella and also played out overall.
This is definitely just a quick fun read.
CW: Transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming, bullying/abuse from family
This is definitely just a quick fun read.
CW: Transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming, bullying/abuse from family
December 31, 2020
I loved that Ella was transgender, and that the prince was a princess in this story. I wish there would've been a bit more at the end (the ending felt a tad abrupt), but I enjoyed this take on Cinderella.
July 30, 2018
There are two parts of this book to me: the transgender main character and the actual plot. In terms of trans representation, this book is pretty great. Yes, the protagonist gets misgendered and deadnamed a fair bit, but only by the evil step-family, and it ties into the pattern of abuse common to all Cinderella stories. I did find a few things not so great, like Ella's village friend's rather gender essentialist view of what being a woman is. However, most of Ella's viewpoint and character are well done, feeling like an accurate exploration of the experience of being a trans woman. She knows exactly who she is, and she fights hard to make everyone else see her the same way. And I liked how the princess was fully accepting of her identity, even though she first met Ella when she seemed like a boy. The scenes at the ball when the princess's adviser fully accepts Ella and helps her out was touching and quite enjoyable. I haven't read many books with trans woman characters, but this is definitely one of the best.
The plot, on the other hand, felt kinda weak. The idea of a trans woman Cinderella is great, but a lot of the execution of the Cinderella side of the story was a let down. I think the core of the problem is that rather than a story that can really work as it is, this felt more like an abbreviated outline of a full length novel. There are some interesting ideas, like the fairy godmother in the form of a traveling Fae tailor and Ella's special roses, but none of them are fleshed out enough. I also felt the setting was too vague - when and where is this supposed to be? And, crucially for an LGBT story, how does the average person feel about gay and trans people? Are the step-sisters average in their transphobic views of Ella? Obviously the reader is meant to find them vile, which I agree with, but I was never clear about how being non-cis and/or non-straight worked in general in this world.
I also felt that the part of the plot where Ella winds up stranded far away and has to rebuild her life should have gone on for longer - it had the potential to be a fairly interesting part of the story but it gets cut so short I'm not sure it has much point. Seeing Ella interact with characters who take her identity at face value and giving her the time to experience a happiness away from home or the palace would give more weight to her feelings for the princess and her decision to go with her. Also, the shoe being thrown out of the carriage and then never reappearing felt silly, like it was included for tradition's sake without actually following things properly. To be clear, I like the bit with Ella's special rose, so the shoe feels truly unnecessary here.
I really wanted to enjoy this, and I think if the author went back and expanded it into the full novel it deserves to be, with time for some parts to breathe and proper worldbuilding, I'd love it. As it is, I think it's a cute idea with execution that's somewhat lacking. Still, if you need a cute LGBT Cinderella rewrite, this one is worth reading.
The plot, on the other hand, felt kinda weak. The idea of a trans woman Cinderella is great, but a lot of the execution of the Cinderella side of the story was a let down. I think the core of the problem is that rather than a story that can really work as it is, this felt more like an abbreviated outline of a full length novel. There are some interesting ideas, like the fairy godmother in the form of a traveling Fae tailor and Ella's special roses, but none of them are fleshed out enough. I also felt the setting was too vague - when and where is this supposed to be? And, crucially for an LGBT story, how does the average person feel about gay and trans people? Are the step-sisters average in their transphobic views of Ella? Obviously the reader is meant to find them vile, which I agree with, but I was never clear about how being non-cis and/or non-straight worked in general in this world.
I also felt that the part of the plot where Ella winds up stranded far away and has to rebuild her life should have gone on for longer - it had the potential to be a fairly interesting part of the story but it gets cut so short I'm not sure it has much point. Seeing Ella interact with characters who take her identity at face value and giving her the time to experience a happiness away from home or the palace would give more weight to her feelings for the princess and her decision to go with her. Also, the shoe being thrown out of the carriage and then never reappearing felt silly, like it was included for tradition's sake without actually following things properly. To be clear, I like the bit with Ella's special rose, so the shoe feels truly unnecessary here.
I really wanted to enjoy this, and I think if the author went back and expanded it into the full novel it deserves to be, with time for some parts to breathe and proper worldbuilding, I'd love it. As it is, I think it's a cute idea with execution that's somewhat lacking. Still, if you need a cute LGBT Cinderella rewrite, this one is worth reading.
February 8, 2019
CW: misgendering, deadnaming
This is a beautiful novella retelling where Ella is a black trans girl. Ella was previously out to her father, but after his death, is forced to present as male by her stepmother and stepsisters who constantly misgender and deadname her. One day while working in the garden, Ella is invited to the ball by the princess of the realm, and thanks to a certain fairy godtailor she’s able to attend as her authentic self.
This is such a wonderful short story about finding your own path, carving out your own space, and getting to live authentically - with a little help from the fae! It was so sweet it even made me cry at the end!
I loved the writing style. The way in which the author describes Ella cultivating soil, growing plants, and making food is soooo lush. I could practically taste the food she cooks and feel the soft, loamy soil under my fingers as she worked in the garden.
And while the fae godtailor reads as convenient (though isn’t that the point of a fairy godmother?!) I was enamoured by her magical coach and the moments of care and authenticity she afforded Ella. Her magic gives Ella the tools and circumstances to be her authentic self without subjecting Ella or the reader to potentially triggering situations and transphobia.
The shortness of the story means we do get insta-love and insta-friendship, and I wish it had been at least another 20 pages long to give us more time in this world, with the princess, and with Ella. Hell, I’d take 20 pages just of
Gah, this was just so dang cute. I need more!
Representation: queer black trans female MC, female/female romance, multiple POC side characters
This is a beautiful novella retelling where Ella is a black trans girl. Ella was previously out to her father, but after his death, is forced to present as male by her stepmother and stepsisters who constantly misgender and deadname her. One day while working in the garden, Ella is invited to the ball by the princess of the realm, and thanks to a certain fairy godtailor she’s able to attend as her authentic self.
This is such a wonderful short story about finding your own path, carving out your own space, and getting to live authentically - with a little help from the fae! It was so sweet it even made me cry at the end!
I loved the writing style. The way in which the author describes Ella cultivating soil, growing plants, and making food is soooo lush. I could practically taste the food she cooks and feel the soft, loamy soil under my fingers as she worked in the garden.
And while the fae godtailor reads as convenient (though isn’t that the point of a fairy godmother?!) I was enamoured by her magical coach and the moments of care and authenticity she afforded Ella. Her magic gives Ella the tools and circumstances to be her authentic self without subjecting Ella or the reader to potentially triggering situations and transphobia.
The shortness of the story means we do get insta-love and insta-friendship, and I wish it had been at least another 20 pages long to give us more time in this world, with the princess, and with Ella. Hell, I’d take 20 pages just of
Gah, this was just so dang cute. I need more!
Representation: queer black trans female MC, female/female romance, multiple POC side characters
September 9, 2016
This story made me so happy! It was Cinderella but it wasn't. It has some of the basic themes, but stands on its own. It's just a sweet, emotional fairy tale, full of fun little details, and a happy ending that comes more from within Ella than from circumstances. It's a cute, short-ish read, and I recommend it!
Want to read
December 16, 2016This looks and sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read
March 17, 2019These girls are my jam.
August 14, 2017
For The Reading Quest, I've challenged myself with reading 13-17 books from my TBR that fit different themes. For the bard quest Fairytale Retelling, I went with T. S. Lynn's Cinder Ella.
This magical little novella takes the Cinderella tale and casts our Disney princess as a Black transgender woman named Ella. All the original ingredients of the fairytale are there, from the wicked stepmother to the fairy godmother (in this case, a fae tailor) to Ella's kind heart of gold. The prince is a princess who loves dogs and Happily Ever involves a bit more hard work instead of a magical wedding.
It's the same tale you know and love, wrapped in detail-rich writing that engages your senses in tilling the earth, baking bread, cuddling a dog, and holding luxurious gowns in your hands. The opening scene is Ella doing dishes, and I was a bit apprehensive of a story that starts out with housework, but was quickly drawn in and could have read dozens of more pages of Ella cooking, cleaning, and caring for her home.
There's a splash of queer ladies in love, but I wouldn't classify this as a romance novel. Ella's spirits gains as much strength and freedom from her friendships with two different women than it does from her romantic relationship.
Overall, this is a great, sweet read. It's lovely to spend an hour or two getting lost in Ella's world, and I hope the author writes more fairytale retellings in the future.
This review is copied on my blog.
This magical little novella takes the Cinderella tale and casts our Disney princess as a Black transgender woman named Ella. All the original ingredients of the fairytale are there, from the wicked stepmother to the fairy godmother (in this case, a fae tailor) to Ella's kind heart of gold. The prince is a princess who loves dogs and Happily Ever involves a bit more hard work instead of a magical wedding.
It's the same tale you know and love, wrapped in detail-rich writing that engages your senses in tilling the earth, baking bread, cuddling a dog, and holding luxurious gowns in your hands. The opening scene is Ella doing dishes, and I was a bit apprehensive of a story that starts out with housework, but was quickly drawn in and could have read dozens of more pages of Ella cooking, cleaning, and caring for her home.
There's a splash of queer ladies in love, but I wouldn't classify this as a romance novel. Ella's spirits gains as much strength and freedom from her friendships with two different women than it does from her romantic relationship.
Overall, this is a great, sweet read. It's lovely to spend an hour or two getting lost in Ella's world, and I hope the author writes more fairytale retellings in the future.
This review is copied on my blog.
March 29, 2024
This short Cinderella inspired story follows Ella, a transgender woman who is just trying to be herself. Since her fathers passing, Ella has been living with her abhorrent step-mother, Eleanor and two equally detestable step-sisters, Emily and Elise.They treat Ella horribly, and frustratingly misgender and deadname her daily. She is expected to cook, clean and tend to the garden; the garden being her favourite place. When by chance, Ella meets a princess that turns her world upside down. Other than the familiar (and expected) plotline, the story also comes into it’s own. It does focus a lot on the aspects that for me were difficult to read because of the transphobia and abuse. My heart broke for Ella and her adorable doggie. The small element of romance that we do get to read was very sweet, but it is a very small part of the story that we experience compared to the negative aspects of the plot. I would have loved to see a little more and have some context to things such as the time period and some other scenes as well. Overall, it isn’t a bad story, despite some plotholes. I do want to note that some of these things were difficult to include in so few pages, but I do wish it hadn’t focused as heavily on the transphobia as it did.
content warnings: transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming, forced outing, fatphobia, reference to death of a parent, emotional and physical abuse.
rep: black trans wlw MC, wlw LI
⭐️ 3.5
content warnings: transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming, forced outing, fatphobia, reference to death of a parent, emotional and physical abuse.
rep: black trans wlw MC, wlw LI
⭐️ 3.5
February 26, 2018
There were many reasons to like this retelling of Cinderella. Not only was the heroine, Ella, a black trans woman who fell in love with the princess instead of a prince, but the fairy godmother was a tailor, there was no Ella being locked away until she was saved by someone else, and the importance of female friendships is demonstrated in the text. This novella has a variety of different women in the starring roles, which I really enjoyed and I loved how parts of the original fairytale were adjusted. It was recognisable as Cinderella but it had its original parts as well, especially the second half.
I would say I wished the novella had spent more time on the actual romance considering it felt very insta-love. Ella had loads of development and I loved how her real gender was treated in the book, but I wish the princess had had as much development, or at least had been in the novel more frequently.
4 stars!
I would say I wished the novella had spent more time on the actual romance considering it felt very insta-love. Ella had loads of development and I loved how her real gender was treated in the book, but I wish the princess had had as much development, or at least had been in the novel more frequently.
4 stars!
July 25, 2019
Content warnings for misgendering, deadnaming, verbal abuse, physical abuse.
That was a very nice story. It was short enough that I read it all in one sitting (I was reading at night, hence the dates of start and finish). I enjoyed how the different elements of the original Cinderella were incorporated into this book, and I found the ways of doing so were fresh. The fairy godmother was so cool! The shortness of the story meant that the characters weren't super fleshed out, so I didn't have time to really fall in love with them other than Ella, but that was still fine, I still really liked them.
That was a very nice story. It was short enough that I read it all in one sitting (I was reading at night, hence the dates of start and finish). I enjoyed how the different elements of the original Cinderella were incorporated into this book, and I found the ways of doing so were fresh. The fairy godmother was so cool! The shortness of the story meant that the characters weren't super fleshed out, so I didn't have time to really fall in love with them other than Ella, but that was still fine, I still really liked them.
July 25, 2019
Closer to a novella in length, this was an exceedingly heartwarming retelling of Cinderella. I really appreciated that this was not a Cinderella retelling where the goal is to become "pretty" and get the guy. First, Ella is trans. Second, she meets a princess at the ball. Third, this story was not just about Ella winning the heart of the princess and all her problems are solved. While they do ride off into the sunset together, its about so much more than that. There a constant theme of acceptance, and figuring out who Ella is once she has the freedom to do that.
I think this all actually works really well as a Cinderella story. As someone who knows that transwomen of color are the most at-risk members of society, I think that this adaption works really well.
I definitely reccomend this to lovers of fairytale retellings, LGBTQ+ lit fans, and lovers of romance!
I do give warning to use of transphobic language, emotional abuse, and some physical abuse. All are from the evil stepmother and sisters so pretty in line with the Cinderella tale.
I think this all actually works really well as a Cinderella story. As someone who knows that transwomen of color are the most at-risk members of society, I think that this adaption works really well.
I definitely reccomend this to lovers of fairytale retellings, LGBTQ+ lit fans, and lovers of romance!
I do give warning to use of transphobic language, emotional abuse, and some physical abuse. All are from the evil stepmother and sisters so pretty in line with the Cinderella tale.
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