Cinderella

by RaShelle Workman

Welcome to the Fairy Tale Selectory, where the Royals rule and the Underlings clean up after them.

As a fourth year, seventeen-year-old orphaned Cinderella is all set to graduate as one of the top Underlings. All she has to do is pass her final examinations by entering her given fairy tale and completing it. If she passes, the selectory places her in a post of good standing with one of the Royal families. Those who fail are banished to the Forbidden Forest and never seen again.
Upon entering her fairy tale, Cinderella is given the job as personal maid to Belinda, the most beautiful Royal in her graduating class. It’s apparent Belinda is meant to marry Henri, King Charming’s son.
Cinderella gets to work making certain Belinda is dressed in the best gowns and has the most opportunities to spend time with the prince, while keeping the other candidates away from him. The King’s ball is in one month. Cinderella is positive she’ll pass with flying colors if Henri proposes to Belinda before the final chime of the clock at midnight.
All goes according to plan until Cinderella meets Henri. Undeniable sparks immediately fly between them and she finds herself thinking about him often, even wishing they could be together. But following her heart means failure, and Cinderella doesn’t have that option.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings, Retellings, Romance

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2016

About the author

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author of reimagined fairy tales, supernatural suspense, paranormal cozies, and more. Her novels have been listed on multiple bestseller lists, including her Blood and Snow series (now Seven Magics Academy), which has sold more than a million copies worldwide. In addition, three of her books have been translated into Turkish.

When RaShelle isn't writing, she enjoys baking, creating new taco recipes and hanging with family. She lives in Utah with her husband, three children, and their dogs.

Find her online by visiting her website at: www.rashelleworkman.org. And sign up for her newsletter to receive free books and get information on book release dates: http://eepurl.com/chMcej.

Books by RaShelle Workman:

BROOMSTICK BAY COZY MYSTERIES
Zucchini Cake & Zombies
Wedding Cake & Werewolves (coming 6/23)
Vanilla Cake & Vampires (coming 10/23)

EERIE VALLEY SUPERNATURALS
Undercover Reaper
Twice Reaped
Reapers Creepers
Deadly Reaper (coming 4/24)

FABLE TOWN MYSTERIES
Iced Raspberry Cookies and a Curse

FAIRY ACADEMY
Hidden Princess
Broken Curse
Stolen Magic

THE FAIRYTALE CHRONICLES
Royal Selection
Royal Contract
Royal Keeper (coming 12/23)
Royal Everlasting (coming 2024)

DEMONLAND SERIES
Alice in Demonland
Alice Fights Demonland
Alice Takes Demonland
Alice Ignites Demonland

BEASTLY SERIES
A Beauty so Beastly

WOLF BLOOD ACADEMY
Initiation
Inheritance
Induction

MAGIC BLOOD ACADEMY
Elemental Outcast Games: Fire
Elemental Outcast Games: Water
Elemental Outcast Games: Earth
Elemental Outcast Games: Air
Elemental Outcast Games: Shadow
Elemental Outcast Games: Monster

VAMPIRE BLOOD ACADEMY
Vampire in Training (coming 8/2023)
Monster Trials (coming 9/2023
End Times (coming 9/23)

SEVEN MAGICS ACADEMY
Blood and Snow
Fate and Magic
Queen of the Vampires
Deadly Witch
Royal Witch
Vampire Lies
Vampire Secrets
Vampires and Dragons
Vampires and Gargoyles
Vampire Magics

ETERNALLY ENTANGLED
Eternally Entangled
Thoroughly Tousled
Infinitely Intertwined

PARANORMAL INQUIRIES
Ghoulish Whisper

IMMORTAL ESSENCE
Exiled
Destined

ACROSS THE AGES
Goddess Curse
Mystical Gift

__________

Ann Hardy ~ Sizzling Sweet Romance
Most Eligible Cowboy
Happily Ever Summer
Rockstar Billionaire
Billionaire Best Man
Faking it With the Billionaire
Dating the Billionaire
The Betting Billionaire
The Country Singer's Billionaire
The Prideful Billionaire
Totally Scrooged


Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Update: New pseudonym found for this author.

Cinderella (2016, Published Pen Press Corporation, LLC), first in the Fairy Tale Selectory series by Everly Finn is a fairy tale retelling set in "the faraway land of Starlea." The novel is a standalone story, and as of this review, it's the only one in the series. I wanted to read this book because I enjoy the occasional fairy tale retelling, and because…. I adore that cover!

Everly Finn is a pseudonym for RaShelle Workman, as is Carly Morgan.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

The plot: Cinderella, 17, is a fourth year student at the Fairy Tale Selectory, "where the Royals rule and the Underlings clean up after them." Cinderella was left on the doorstep of the Fairy Tale Selectory as a baby, and raised by Lady Nevermore, the school's headmistress. Strangely, she chose to register Cinderella as an Underling "instead of on the Royal track with her other adopted daughters." All fourth years would be placed into a fairy tale, which is like a final examination. However, failing has more serious consequences in this world. Anyone who fails their fairy tale is banished from Starlea and gets sent to the Forbidden Forest.

Christian elements: Nothing here. However, Cinderella tries to do the right thing, and she has a very good attitude.

Is it clean/chaste? Yes. However, the author bills this as a story appropriate for 8+ years of age. I disagree with this. There are a number of passages about Cinderella's interactions with Prince Henri which I would not really want my 7 or 9-year-olds (or even my 11-year-old) reading. "She liked the way her body felt next to his, as though they fit like a hand in a glove. Her insides were doing something funny too…. It was as though the finale at a fireworks display had gone off within her. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. Her heart raced and her face felt flushed." There are other examples as well. The story has an innocence to it, but there is definitely an awareness of the opposite sex that I do not promote for young children.

What I liked:

*I enjoyed the inclusion of elements from the Disney adaptation of Cinderella. (I am ignorant as to what comes from Disney and what doesn't. Of course, I have read some of my daughters' versions of Cinderella, but not older versions.)

*"He gave her a brilliant smile and Cinderella would swear her heart fell into her stomach, cracked open, and flopped around like a couple of dying fish." That cracked me up.

*I do like that the author lists what ages her books are appropriate for. It can sometimes be difficult to tell, especially for authors who write for a variety of audiences. This book was listed as being appropriate for ages 8 and up. (Please note that I disagree with this rating. See the "Is it chaste?" section above.)

What I didn’t like:

*The beginning of the book has a summary, the sort of thing which belongs on the back of a book cover. I'd recommend against reading it.

*Once was cute, but the flopping dead fish in Cinderella's stomach was brought up several times and was no longer funny for me. I think this should have been varied.

*There were a maybe a dozen issues that need to be edited. I've e-mailed them to the author, so maybe she will upload changes for the Kindle edition.

*I think this book should be billed as young adult.

***********

At the end, the author asks, "Want to read more twisted fairy tales? Pick up Blood and Snow: Boxed Set." I took a look at the book synopsis, and it's a Snow White vampire story. So no sequel yet, but there is something else for her audience to read. This doesn't work for me, though because I refuse to read vampire stories.

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this take on Cinderella I recommend this book to tweens, at least. I don’t plan to seek out more books by this author, because she mostly writes books that aren't my cup of tea, and as of right now, there are no more books in the Fairy Tale Selectory series.

[Charlene Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

Good characters and plot. Refreshing take on Cinderella. This one has twists and turns and keeps you guessing. I look forward to more.

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

a nice book for YA readers

[Gina Stamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet twist of a tale

Clean, enjoyable read.
Not enormous depth to the characters, but still had you liking and disliking them.
Nice to read a stand-alone now and then.

[ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This is am amazing book, but on the page where it mentions the name of the Queen of Vausguard, it says that her name is Susanna. However, later on it says that her name is Savannah. Please fix this author overall though, it was a very good read and I highly recommend it to you.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the book

[Cynthia A Schwenck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet!

Such a wonderful twist from the story of Cinderella that we all know. I didn't want to put the book down.

[Michelle Easton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so much going for it, but the cliffhanger at the end, and we still do tag e a second book, I’m annoyed.

[Frances Shellings · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if the fairy tale you know is not the whole story?

We all know the fairy tale......Two evil stepsisters one evil stepmother a fairy godmother and a prince RIGHT? What if there is more to the tale? What if the story we know is wrong? Can you accept it? Would you? Read on and choose for yourself!!!

[Melanie Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little fairy tale romp

This was a delightful version of Cinderella that I thoroughly enjoyed. I like how many details of the original that were retained and yet the twists made the story even more exciting.