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Thornskinned Heroines #1
Sorrow
In Sorrow, Cinderella is much more than a forgotten stepdaughter and chimney sweep. She is a girl with dreams of a bright future, despite the hardships she faces at home. Told in her own perspective through letters, poems, journal entries and more, Cinderella learns how to stand up for herself, how to reclaim her future and how to face her fears. She not only dares to dream of love and freedom, this Thornskinned Heroine dares to reach for it. Through a detailed re-imagining of classic fairytales, Saiteru presents a fresh, fully realized take on our favorite heroines.
- GenresPoetry
106 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2019
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 28, 2019
This truly captured my heart. The sheer beauty the words held was so moving and bittersweet.
It’s really late right now and I’m basically in awe and speechless.
Full and detailed review will be posted as soon as I collect my thoughts and once it’s not this late into the night.
It’s really late right now and I’m basically in awe and speechless.
Full and detailed review will be posted as soon as I collect my thoughts and once it’s not this late into the night.
June 17, 2019
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Sorrow is a retelling or to be more accurate a continuation of Cinderella. The story is told in prose poetry and poetry, designed as messages and letters sent to various people or a newspaper report.
What Saiteru S. does is continue the story of Cinderella while addressing and mediating on the questions of love and abuse as well as duty. This is done though letters and telegrams that Cinderella sends to various people in her story.
In doing so, Saiteru has combined various Cinderella variants. The story moves far beyond the Disney version with singing mice. What also makes the work stand out is the brief, bare outline that is used. It is in some ways more of an internal monologue, yet the varied letters and reports bring a different look to Cinderella, one that is not seen very often.
The frame, of a discovery of a mummy with a glass shoe, works quite well and plays with the idea of the truth. If a Cinderella exists in most culture, is there one true Cinderella idea that is being used to great effect. The not fully revealing of what happened works with the conceit and makes the story more powerful. Saiteru’s Cinderella is hardly a shy and retiring type. It is her connection to the kingdom that also raises the questions of the ability to rule and the structure of families that are not fully addressed in many Cinderella folk and fairy stories.
This is a lovely and powerful reimagining of Cinderella. I look forward to more in this series.
Sorrow is a retelling or to be more accurate a continuation of Cinderella. The story is told in prose poetry and poetry, designed as messages and letters sent to various people or a newspaper report.
What Saiteru S. does is continue the story of Cinderella while addressing and mediating on the questions of love and abuse as well as duty. This is done though letters and telegrams that Cinderella sends to various people in her story.
In doing so, Saiteru has combined various Cinderella variants. The story moves far beyond the Disney version with singing mice. What also makes the work stand out is the brief, bare outline that is used. It is in some ways more of an internal monologue, yet the varied letters and reports bring a different look to Cinderella, one that is not seen very often.
The frame, of a discovery of a mummy with a glass shoe, works quite well and plays with the idea of the truth. If a Cinderella exists in most culture, is there one true Cinderella idea that is being used to great effect. The not fully revealing of what happened works with the conceit and makes the story more powerful. Saiteru’s Cinderella is hardly a shy and retiring type. It is her connection to the kingdom that also raises the questions of the ability to rule and the structure of families that are not fully addressed in many Cinderella folk and fairy stories.
This is a lovely and powerful reimagining of Cinderella. I look forward to more in this series.
June 26, 2019
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
At first, I had a hard time to classify this poetry book, had to read the first letters twice before understanding where did I stand.
With further reading, I connected with Her Sovereign Majesty, her concerns regarding war, pain,womanhood, sorrow, love and the not-happily-ever-after life.
This collection of beautifully written epistolary poems, correspondance sent by Cinderella to her stepmother, stepsisters, the prince and her fairy godmother was really enjoyable and different.
Some of my favorite passages:
"Silence gnaws on my bones threatening to consume me. The silence eclipses me, turns me Neptune caught in Triton's shadow.
I am tired.
I am a body of inverted dreams."
"Woman not allowed to walk outside alone for fear of wolves.
Woman not allowed to show her ankles for fear of inciting mass hysteria.
Woman not allowed to work, save on her knees or back.
Woman not allowed to ride astride, or fly, or drive, or sit in the cockpit of a rocket aimed at the bright face of the moon.
How, they ask:
How dare this small god desire anything other than that which is ordained to her by nature?
She is after-all only to birth and bear until her bones are spent"
"He crossed the room like a wayward moon, arresting everything in sight:
& I was caught in eclipse, the heat of the sun
forgotten under the force of his gaze"
"This is to say, do not take the act of self-love lightly. There will be days when the challenged seem insurmountable. Days you will have nothing left to give. Days where you will wish you hadn't set out on this path-days where you will doubt yourself. There will be days when loving yourself is harder than breathing.
Those are the days when you must persevere, for love is worth it. You must know that love is worth it."
"This must be what it feels like to be consumed by sorrow.
Me, wrapped up in yellow
plastic hotter than a year's
worth of sun.
Me, strangled by the howl
nested in my chest.
Me, lost somewhere between
him and the future we imagined
for ourselves."
At first, I had a hard time to classify this poetry book, had to read the first letters twice before understanding where did I stand.
With further reading, I connected with Her Sovereign Majesty, her concerns regarding war, pain,womanhood, sorrow, love and the not-happily-ever-after life.
This collection of beautifully written epistolary poems, correspondance sent by Cinderella to her stepmother, stepsisters, the prince and her fairy godmother was really enjoyable and different.
Some of my favorite passages:
"Silence gnaws on my bones threatening to consume me. The silence eclipses me, turns me Neptune caught in Triton's shadow.
I am tired.
I am a body of inverted dreams."
"Woman not allowed to walk outside alone for fear of wolves.
Woman not allowed to show her ankles for fear of inciting mass hysteria.
Woman not allowed to work, save on her knees or back.
Woman not allowed to ride astride, or fly, or drive, or sit in the cockpit of a rocket aimed at the bright face of the moon.
How, they ask:
How dare this small god desire anything other than that which is ordained to her by nature?
She is after-all only to birth and bear until her bones are spent"
"He crossed the room like a wayward moon, arresting everything in sight:
& I was caught in eclipse, the heat of the sun
forgotten under the force of his gaze"
"This is to say, do not take the act of self-love lightly. There will be days when the challenged seem insurmountable. Days you will have nothing left to give. Days where you will wish you hadn't set out on this path-days where you will doubt yourself. There will be days when loving yourself is harder than breathing.
Those are the days when you must persevere, for love is worth it. You must know that love is worth it."
"This must be what it feels like to be consumed by sorrow.
Me, wrapped up in yellow
plastic hotter than a year's
worth of sun.
Me, strangled by the howl
nested in my chest.
Me, lost somewhere between
him and the future we imagined
for ourselves."
June 18, 2019
"& even through darkness
only ever light."
Reading this book was such a cleansing experience for my soul. I've always been a fan of fairytale retellings and poetry, but this book managed to touch on some personal aspects of my own life. Saiteru takes a popular fairytale that girls have grown up hearing, then twists it into a work that expresses the hurt and heartbreak of a woman dealing with her past traumas. For some, the book may be triggering since it deals with self-harm, PTSD and abuse. However, others, like myself, found this book to be empowering. I felt like the emotions and experiences I have been trying to cope with were validated.
The story itself doesn't cover the original Cinderella story, it mainly covers the happily ever after portion. Showing how Cinderella copes with living her life after being mistreated and emotionally neglected for so long in her life. Readers begin to catch glimpses into what becomes of Cinderella's homeland, "Grassland" after she marries the Prince and pursues her happily ever after. I personally enjoyed the bits of lore Saiteru included throughout the book, as a person who greatly enjoys world building, I would have loved to have more lore.
When it comes to writing style and format, this book takes on many forms. Saiteru keeps the book lively with a variety of poetry and documents that help tell the story. There were many parts that I read and highlighted because I wanted to remember the encouraging words during times when I felt anxious. Like I stated earlier, this book was something that really encouraged me.
Also, another bonus is that its fairly quick, so it won't take you forever to read. If you have a busy schedule as I do, this is a great way to get a little reading in without it taking up your whole evening. I would highly recommend anyone who enjoys poetry or a good fairytale retelling to check this book out.
Finally I would like to thank the wonderful people at Kingdoms in the Wild for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you are interested in learning more about the poetry and books they published check out their website here
only ever light."
Reading this book was such a cleansing experience for my soul. I've always been a fan of fairytale retellings and poetry, but this book managed to touch on some personal aspects of my own life. Saiteru takes a popular fairytale that girls have grown up hearing, then twists it into a work that expresses the hurt and heartbreak of a woman dealing with her past traumas. For some, the book may be triggering since it deals with self-harm, PTSD and abuse. However, others, like myself, found this book to be empowering. I felt like the emotions and experiences I have been trying to cope with were validated.
The story itself doesn't cover the original Cinderella story, it mainly covers the happily ever after portion. Showing how Cinderella copes with living her life after being mistreated and emotionally neglected for so long in her life. Readers begin to catch glimpses into what becomes of Cinderella's homeland, "Grassland" after she marries the Prince and pursues her happily ever after. I personally enjoyed the bits of lore Saiteru included throughout the book, as a person who greatly enjoys world building, I would have loved to have more lore.
When it comes to writing style and format, this book takes on many forms. Saiteru keeps the book lively with a variety of poetry and documents that help tell the story. There were many parts that I read and highlighted because I wanted to remember the encouraging words during times when I felt anxious. Like I stated earlier, this book was something that really encouraged me.
Also, another bonus is that its fairly quick, so it won't take you forever to read. If you have a busy schedule as I do, this is a great way to get a little reading in without it taking up your whole evening. I would highly recommend anyone who enjoys poetry or a good fairytale retelling to check this book out.
Finally I would like to thank the wonderful people at Kingdoms in the Wild for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you are interested in learning more about the poetry and books they published check out their website here
June 22, 2019
Ever wondered what happened to Cinderella after the traditional story ends? This collection of prose and poetry tells the tale of a not-so-happily-ever-after for a character that's been retold so many times. Through telegrams, letters, and news articles, Cinderella speaks of the abuse she suffered and the brutal effects of war in her kingdom. Instead of the Disneyfied version, Saiteru has peeled back the shiny outer surface and allowed Cinderella's deep pain to come through. The writing style is minimalistic, but this lets the stark nature of trauma to be seen more clearly by the reader. I thought it was creative to tell this story in epistolary form - I would have loved it even more if we got glimpses of the other characters from responses to Cinderella's communications. I also would have enjoyed more of this collection - not only just in length, but more details, more journal entries, and more descriptions of her experience as a ruler (despite her harrowing history). Overall, this was a unique and powerful read.
*Free copy by Kingdoms in the Wild in exchange for an honest review*
*Free copy by Kingdoms in the Wild in exchange for an honest review*
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August 23, 2019Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
4/5 stars
“Is this what faith feels like?
—a butterfly with steel tipped wings fluttering
against my ribcage.”
Sorrow is more of a continuation of Cinderella (after the happily ever after in the original story) rather than a retelling. It’s told in prose and verses new articles and via telegraphs/letters written in Morse codes. It is a story of strength, love, power and deals which depicts selflessness, abuse in such a way that they cannot be ignored.
“I am girl equal parts teeth and heart. I won my freedom
by blood and bone and I intend to keep it. I unmade my
suffering. I became light. I will incinerate the world
before I let anyone take what is mine.”
This is first book I have read by Saiteru and I absolutely loved her writing style. She conveyed so many important messages in such a beautiful way that it left me wondering about them days after I was done reading the book. I’ll surely be picking up more of her books!
“I am an endless prayer,
a butterfly’s breath.
I am an eternity of longing,
a massacre of suns.”
4/5 stars
“Is this what faith feels like?
—a butterfly with steel tipped wings fluttering
against my ribcage.”
Sorrow is more of a continuation of Cinderella (after the happily ever after in the original story) rather than a retelling. It’s told in prose and verses new articles and via telegraphs/letters written in Morse codes. It is a story of strength, love, power and deals which depicts selflessness, abuse in such a way that they cannot be ignored.
“I am girl equal parts teeth and heart. I won my freedom
by blood and bone and I intend to keep it. I unmade my
suffering. I became light. I will incinerate the world
before I let anyone take what is mine.”
This is first book I have read by Saiteru and I absolutely loved her writing style. She conveyed so many important messages in such a beautiful way that it left me wondering about them days after I was done reading the book. I’ll surely be picking up more of her books!
“I am an endless prayer,
a butterfly’s breath.
I am an eternity of longing,
a massacre of suns.”
April 18, 2020
I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I received this a long time ago, but have only gotten around to it now. I apologise for this big delay.
*2.5 Stars
Saiteru's epistolary formatted poetry book is written with sumptuous lines and honeyed words that just have the tendency to reiterate similar ideas.
This is a re-imagining of the Cinderella story, but on a colossal scale, wherein the stepmother has wreaked her havoc to get the glass slipper back. The main protagonist is referred to as H.R.S. (her royal sovereignty) and she has a very declarative presence. We glimpse the timeline of the war through H.R.S.'s correspondence and news reports. I found the execution fascinating, but faltering at times.
The story in ingested with feminist undertones that distract from the intent. We understand that she is an incredibly strong women and grew to power in a way that defied expectations, but I didn't need to be reminded every occasion she discourses on her ambivalent relationship with the men in her life. Her ambiguous marriage is further used to explore this notion.
The flow of the events are entrenched and sometimes blockaded by the contemplation of love and belonging. While I enjoy poems that use devices and imagery to convey meaning, Saiteru has utilised manifold instances that divulge a singularity. By this I mean that her heart aches constantly and that she is trembling within herself, due to her unfortunate circumstances and hardships thrust onto her, but within all the allegory lies unnecessary repetition.
One thing I did noticed within the design that I found a tad confusing was the telegraph numbering. You'd think Before the war would have the telegraphs numbered lower than those outlined in the War section. For example, the immediate letter after the news report in the Before the war is numbered 310, when the concluding one in previous section set during the war is 305. This disconnect with the numbering flow was jarring and made the timelines somewhat blur together.
Overall this collection did surprise and delight in a few instances, but it felt devoid of something. Saiteru is a gifted poet and I would recommend this to other people that would be interested in exploring different dynamics and structures of the novel. I've leave this review with one of my favourite lines.
The heart must be nurtured for it is a living, beating thing. Should you be trusted with another’s heart, you must tend to it carefully. For once a heart is outside the body it becomes exquisitely fragile.
*2.5 Stars
Saiteru's epistolary formatted poetry book is written with sumptuous lines and honeyed words that just have the tendency to reiterate similar ideas.
This is a re-imagining of the Cinderella story, but on a colossal scale, wherein the stepmother has wreaked her havoc to get the glass slipper back. The main protagonist is referred to as H.R.S. (her royal sovereignty) and she has a very declarative presence. We glimpse the timeline of the war through H.R.S.'s correspondence and news reports. I found the execution fascinating, but faltering at times.
The story in ingested with feminist undertones that distract from the intent. We understand that she is an incredibly strong women and grew to power in a way that defied expectations, but I didn't need to be reminded every occasion she discourses on her ambivalent relationship with the men in her life. Her ambiguous marriage is further used to explore this notion.
The flow of the events are entrenched and sometimes blockaded by the contemplation of love and belonging. While I enjoy poems that use devices and imagery to convey meaning, Saiteru has utilised manifold instances that divulge a singularity. By this I mean that her heart aches constantly and that she is trembling within herself, due to her unfortunate circumstances and hardships thrust onto her, but within all the allegory lies unnecessary repetition.
One thing I did noticed within the design that I found a tad confusing was the telegraph numbering. You'd think Before the war would have the telegraphs numbered lower than those outlined in the War section. For example, the immediate letter after the news report in the Before the war is numbered 310, when the concluding one in previous section set during the war is 305. This disconnect with the numbering flow was jarring and made the timelines somewhat blur together.
Overall this collection did surprise and delight in a few instances, but it felt devoid of something. Saiteru is a gifted poet and I would recommend this to other people that would be interested in exploring different dynamics and structures of the novel. I've leave this review with one of my favourite lines.
The heart must be nurtured for it is a living, beating thing. Should you be trusted with another’s heart, you must tend to it carefully. For once a heart is outside the body it becomes exquisitely fragile.
June 20, 2019
I can honestly say that Sorrow was an interesting read. Although I have read different epistolary formats before, this one is unlike any of them. I particularly enjoyed the mixed media approach. Not only does the book contain letters and journal entries, there are also bits like newspaper articles, which I did not really expect.
It's not all that clear in which kind of world this story is set. On the one hand, it seems to be a more or less classical Cinderella-esque world, in which wars are fought with swords and letters are carried by messengers. On the other hand, there are several instances that indicate that the book is actually set in out modern world. Either way, I really enjoyed the vibes the setting gave me. The non-linear narrative starts with the chapter "war", which has an eerie, dystopian vibe to it. Personally, I really enjoyed the kind of dark and twisted mood it created. It is followed by "before the war", which is more hopeful and light-hearted. This second chapter is the closest to the original fairytale as well as the Disney version. Lastly, there is "after the war", which is similarly hopeful and sad. I will say that this last chapter was a bit confusing, as it was not quite clear what was actually happening.
Moreover, I think that the writing is very beautiful. I liked the author's choice of vocabulary a lot and every once in a while I had to read a poem two or three times because I found it so beautiful.
I also really enjoyed the traditional capitalisation in Sorrow - you don't get that a lot in contemporary poetry. However, I did notice quite a few mistakes concerning punctuation, vocabulary and grammar. Granted, some of them might have been by design, but certainly not all.
Furthermore, I feel like Cinderella's letters are partly pretty confusing. While they are generally very nicely written, their contents occasionally defy logic. I mean, are they actual letters that the character sends to the addressees? I thought that they were, but curiously, Cinderella basically provides her enemy - her stepmother, who has been waging war aginst her for seven years and whom she corresponds with via letters - with insights into her own strategy. I also feel like it would have helped to actually read complete correspondences as opposed to only the letters Cinderella sends (with the exception of a few instances at the end of the work). I realise that the one-sided correspondence must be the part of the work that is influenced by Ovid’s Heroides. However, while the majority of the letters in the Heroides are stand alones written by heroines, a few of them are accompanied by heroes responses (or vice versa). Since Cinderella’s letters are usually RE: a certain topic brought up by another character, it would have been nice to actually get to read these initial letters. I feel like a great deal of meaning is lost if the reader only gets to view the situation from one perspective.
Lastly, I must admit that I did not really like Cinderella in this. Mostly because she is rather self-righteous. She claims to want peace but then proceeds to cry about how hard her life was and to criticise her step-mother and step-sisters for past mistakes. While they may deserve this criticism, this approach is unlikely to help Cinderella achieve her aim of creating peace among the two countries.
All in all, I enjoyed Sorrow. I liked the unique approach and the creative structure, which really kept me on my toes. Moreover, I loved the vibes the whole book gave me - eerie, dark, and a bit dystopian. While there are some flaws, there is also a great deal of potential.
[The publisher, Kingdoms In The Wild Press, was generous enough to provide me with an ARC of Sorrow in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for reaching out and giving me the opportunity to read and review this unique collection of poetry.]
It's not all that clear in which kind of world this story is set. On the one hand, it seems to be a more or less classical Cinderella-esque world, in which wars are fought with swords and letters are carried by messengers. On the other hand, there are several instances that indicate that the book is actually set in out modern world. Either way, I really enjoyed the vibes the setting gave me. The non-linear narrative starts with the chapter "war", which has an eerie, dystopian vibe to it. Personally, I really enjoyed the kind of dark and twisted mood it created. It is followed by "before the war", which is more hopeful and light-hearted. This second chapter is the closest to the original fairytale as well as the Disney version. Lastly, there is "after the war", which is similarly hopeful and sad. I will say that this last chapter was a bit confusing, as it was not quite clear what was actually happening.
Moreover, I think that the writing is very beautiful. I liked the author's choice of vocabulary a lot and every once in a while I had to read a poem two or three times because I found it so beautiful.
I also really enjoyed the traditional capitalisation in Sorrow - you don't get that a lot in contemporary poetry. However, I did notice quite a few mistakes concerning punctuation, vocabulary and grammar. Granted, some of them might have been by design, but certainly not all.
Furthermore, I feel like Cinderella's letters are partly pretty confusing. While they are generally very nicely written, their contents occasionally defy logic. I mean, are they actual letters that the character sends to the addressees? I thought that they were, but curiously, Cinderella basically provides her enemy - her stepmother, who has been waging war aginst her for seven years and whom she corresponds with via letters - with insights into her own strategy. I also feel like it would have helped to actually read complete correspondences as opposed to only the letters Cinderella sends (with the exception of a few instances at the end of the work). I realise that the one-sided correspondence must be the part of the work that is influenced by Ovid’s Heroides. However, while the majority of the letters in the Heroides are stand alones written by heroines, a few of them are accompanied by heroes responses (or vice versa). Since Cinderella’s letters are usually RE: a certain topic brought up by another character, it would have been nice to actually get to read these initial letters. I feel like a great deal of meaning is lost if the reader only gets to view the situation from one perspective.
Lastly, I must admit that I did not really like Cinderella in this. Mostly because she is rather self-righteous. She claims to want peace but then proceeds to cry about how hard her life was and to criticise her step-mother and step-sisters for past mistakes. While they may deserve this criticism, this approach is unlikely to help Cinderella achieve her aim of creating peace among the two countries.
All in all, I enjoyed Sorrow. I liked the unique approach and the creative structure, which really kept me on my toes. Moreover, I loved the vibes the whole book gave me - eerie, dark, and a bit dystopian. While there are some flaws, there is also a great deal of potential.
[The publisher, Kingdoms In The Wild Press, was generous enough to provide me with an ARC of Sorrow in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for reaching out and giving me the opportunity to read and review this unique collection of poetry.]
July 11, 2019
Is this what love feels like?
Haste and yearning as prelude
to devastation?
First of all, thank you to Kingdoms in the Wild for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
I have to confess that I'm still new in terms of reading poems as in there are still many great poems out there which I haven't read yet. But as far as those which I have read; Sorrow is definitely a different experience for me. Perhaps it's due to its unique format which is written in epistolary format and filled with Morse codes which definitely added the authenticity of Sorrow being an altogether different book which then make it unique than others poetry books I have read so far. Or perhaps it's due to the fact how Sorrow seamlessly woven both the Disneyfied Cinderella with this more realistic version of Cinderella within its pages. Overall, it's really something that feels unique for me.
There are three parts within this book. Those parts are War, Before the War and After the War. Each parts made one complete story about Cinderella which is the theme this poetry book wants to focus on. This whole poetry book is about what would happen after Cinderella gets her happily ever after, does everything just end happily? What is there for her future now that she marries the Prince? This book definitely explore more of it through each poems within. It talks about uncertainty, about loss, about coping, about how difficult changes could be, depression and so much more. Each of them are written plainly and so raw that if you really read it and think of it from Cinderella's POV, you could definitely feel all her fears and her bravery all in this book.
The unique way it was written also made it an entirely new experience for me. It made this poetry book feel like an entirely different story but also consist of deep and beautiful prose all at the same time. For some, this book may be triggering since it deals with self-harm, PTSD and abuse. But it also feels empowering in a way how it remind us that when you decided to fight back, you could win over it even if it takes time for you to come out victorious. I honestly love how this book seamlessly woven the Disneyfied version of Cinderella with this more realistic Cinderella and made it feels so relatable to us.
Overall, it was definitely a whole new experience for me and definitely another good read for me. It's definitely a — 4 ★ from me.
Haste and yearning as prelude
to devastation?
First of all, thank you to Kingdoms in the Wild for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
I have to confess that I'm still new in terms of reading poems as in there are still many great poems out there which I haven't read yet. But as far as those which I have read; Sorrow is definitely a different experience for me. Perhaps it's due to its unique format which is written in epistolary format and filled with Morse codes which definitely added the authenticity of Sorrow being an altogether different book which then make it unique than others poetry books I have read so far. Or perhaps it's due to the fact how Sorrow seamlessly woven both the Disneyfied Cinderella with this more realistic version of Cinderella within its pages. Overall, it's really something that feels unique for me.
There are three parts within this book. Those parts are War, Before the War and After the War. Each parts made one complete story about Cinderella which is the theme this poetry book wants to focus on. This whole poetry book is about what would happen after Cinderella gets her happily ever after, does everything just end happily? What is there for her future now that she marries the Prince? This book definitely explore more of it through each poems within. It talks about uncertainty, about loss, about coping, about how difficult changes could be, depression and so much more. Each of them are written plainly and so raw that if you really read it and think of it from Cinderella's POV, you could definitely feel all her fears and her bravery all in this book.
The unique way it was written also made it an entirely new experience for me. It made this poetry book feel like an entirely different story but also consist of deep and beautiful prose all at the same time. For some, this book may be triggering since it deals with self-harm, PTSD and abuse. But it also feels empowering in a way how it remind us that when you decided to fight back, you could win over it even if it takes time for you to come out victorious. I honestly love how this book seamlessly woven the Disneyfied version of Cinderella with this more realistic Cinderella and made it feels so relatable to us.
Overall, it was definitely a whole new experience for me and definitely another good read for me. It's definitely a — 4 ★ from me.
June 15, 2019
In this quirky retelling of Cinderella, Saiteru presents a fairytale princess who is anything but a lonely dis-empowered girl sitting in a dark, cold, dusty cellar. This Cinderella is a young woman with hopes, dreams, vulnerabilities, and pain. Presented via letters, journal entries, and poems, Cinderella offers a glimpse into her life behind the storybook glittering facade. Without giving too much away, the sorrow of this volume is having to do with a young woman attempting to create her own life with her prince only to have it turn to rubble when her past in the guise of a wicked stepmother begins to wage war against her and her kingdom. Yes, a literal war is taking place between two kingdoms, but a more sinister war is taking place between a jealous wicked woman attempting to destroy the freedom and comfort that a happily ever after provides. What is clever about this volume is that we find our princess in distress, whose prince cannot save her. What happens when he can’t come riding on his white horse and make everything right? All she wants is to rise up like the smoke from the cinder soot and claim her stake in the world. She refuses to surrender and resign to the shadow that is encroaching upon her kingdom. We see her grappling with sadness and stubbornness but also reaching for hope and resolve. Her glass slipper is no longer a rescue device, but a sword that needs to be wielded to put an end to the hate and pettiness. To many modern day readers, the glass slipper may be seen as an archaic symbol of oppression, an anti-feminist tool, but reading Cinderella’s account of her life before, during, and after the war, we realize that the glass slipper is a symbol of salvation. Spending life as a cinder-girl was perhaps an opportunity to cleanse herself in its purifying fires so in the end she became more than a dying ember...because even embers even when put out still produce tiny fragments of light.
A big thank you to Kingdoms in the Wild for reaching out to me to review this volume.
A big thank you to Kingdoms in the Wild for reaching out to me to review this volume.
July 16, 2019
"I who has spend millennia bound by declarations etched on some god-stone on a mountaintop, eloquent in its omission of womanhood, as if woman has not birthed all the sons who have breathed since eternity"
This book was beautiful. The poetry was deep and moving. And the story line was interesting.
Due to some confusion about the Morse code page and the translation being before the coded pages, I felt like I lost some of the story, which is always bothersome.
However I really enjoyed the book, it painted Cinderella in a such a different light than we are use to seeing her, from Disney stories and movies she is always accommodating and mild mannered, in this telling we see her as more human, a fighter, not willing to step down or return to her former life.
This will probably be a book I go back and re read, after reading some other reviews I find it interesting the different takes everyone took on the poems, and with it being such a fast read it is definitely something you could read again, and visualize what other readers took from it.
I look forward to more books in what I can only hope will be a series.
"I received an advanced reader copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This book was beautiful. The poetry was deep and moving. And the story line was interesting.
Due to some confusion about the Morse code page and the translation being before the coded pages, I felt like I lost some of the story, which is always bothersome.
However I really enjoyed the book, it painted Cinderella in a such a different light than we are use to seeing her, from Disney stories and movies she is always accommodating and mild mannered, in this telling we see her as more human, a fighter, not willing to step down or return to her former life.
This will probably be a book I go back and re read, after reading some other reviews I find it interesting the different takes everyone took on the poems, and with it being such a fast read it is definitely something you could read again, and visualize what other readers took from it.
I look forward to more books in what I can only hope will be a series.
"I received an advanced reader copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
August 10, 2019
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I must say, this collection was unexpected. The differing formats make for interesting reading, and at times the prose really is perfectly constructed, with several lines packed full of emotional punch - but for some reason by the end I was left wanting something more. Stylistically, I wish that the prose had been tighter, less metaphorical, exercised with a bit more restraint, to keep impact rather than dissipating it with extra imagery. The segue to the ending is also rather unexpectedly abrupt. Overall it’s a good concept, with solid execution, but just to me felt it lacked an extra degree of polish that would’ve made it exceptional.
I must say, this collection was unexpected. The differing formats make for interesting reading, and at times the prose really is perfectly constructed, with several lines packed full of emotional punch - but for some reason by the end I was left wanting something more. Stylistically, I wish that the prose had been tighter, less metaphorical, exercised with a bit more restraint, to keep impact rather than dissipating it with extra imagery. The segue to the ending is also rather unexpectedly abrupt. Overall it’s a good concept, with solid execution, but just to me felt it lacked an extra degree of polish that would’ve made it exceptional.
July 22, 2019
3⭐️’s
I was sent a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.
Starting off I want to say that it was interesting with how it was wrote. I loved the style, but I couldn’t stay entertained long which further made me to skim some parts. Maybe this wasn’t the right collection for me but I definitely see where people enjoy this.
I was sent a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.
Starting off I want to say that it was interesting with how it was wrote. I loved the style, but I couldn’t stay entertained long which further made me to skim some parts. Maybe this wasn’t the right collection for me but I definitely see where people enjoy this.
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