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Never After #2
The Stolen Slippers
Real life and fairy tales collide in Never The Stolen Slippers , book two of the funny and thrilling middle grade saga perfect for fans of The Land of Stories series from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of the Descendants, Melissa de la Cruz.
Tossed back into the not-so-familiar fairy-tale world of Never After, Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her friends set off on another adventure . . . this time in search of Cinderella’s glass slipper. Or rather, glass slippers .
It turns out the classic story of Cinderella is full of lies―starting with how Cinderella herself is far from the innocent heroine everyone thinks she is. She is manipulative and cunning―willing to do anything to be the princess of Eastphalia. The real heroines of her story are her “wicked” stepsisters, Hortense and Beatrice, who aren’t actually wicked at all!
With the help of the dashing Jack Stalker, adorable Alastair, and glamorous Gretel, Filomena must track down the slippers, which may be the key to a certain mysterious prophecy . . . And when Filomena and Beatrice get tossed into the Beast’s dungeon, all hope seems to be lost. Will the conniving Cinderella shatter everyone’s hopes for a true un-twisted ending? Or will Filomena and her friends secure the happily ever after Cinderella’s stepsisters deserve?
Tossed back into the not-so-familiar fairy-tale world of Never After, Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her friends set off on another adventure . . . this time in search of Cinderella’s glass slipper. Or rather, glass slippers .
It turns out the classic story of Cinderella is full of lies―starting with how Cinderella herself is far from the innocent heroine everyone thinks she is. She is manipulative and cunning―willing to do anything to be the princess of Eastphalia. The real heroines of her story are her “wicked” stepsisters, Hortense and Beatrice, who aren’t actually wicked at all!
With the help of the dashing Jack Stalker, adorable Alastair, and glamorous Gretel, Filomena must track down the slippers, which may be the key to a certain mysterious prophecy . . . And when Filomena and Beatrice get tossed into the Beast’s dungeon, all hope seems to be lost. Will the conniving Cinderella shatter everyone’s hopes for a true un-twisted ending? Or will Filomena and her friends secure the happily ever after Cinderella’s stepsisters deserve?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2022
102 people are currently reading
5075 people want to read
About the author
Melissa de la Cruz
187 books15.8k followersMelissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.
She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.
Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.
She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.
Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
February 1, 2022
A great sequel to a cute series. I like to call this series if Enchanted fell in love with Harry Potter. Cute fairy tale additions to this series. We meet the “wicked” stepsisters of Cinderella and the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, along with a monstrous beast. The reimagined fairy tales are done very well, while sticking with the beloved characters from the first book. Per usual sequels there are more characters introduced, but they are just as charming as the originals so I’m not mad about it. I also LOVE the way Filomena handles he parents at the beginning. Would have liked to seen more with her parents, but alas there are bound to be more books in the series!
November 28, 2023
Did you know that this book is the second in the series? Did you know there was a first book? By the way, there’s a first book in the series and this is not it. In case you were wondering this is the second book in a series, the first one already came out.
It was that sufficiently annoying? Because it’s worse in the actual book. Between reminding the reader, breaking the fourth wall, that there is another book before this, and the main character reminding the reader about 4,456,973 times that she has read “ALL TWELVE books of the Never After series” (I guess she’s warning us that there are 10 more to come) I had to REALLY push myself to finish the book … or is it just one big ad for the series?
I love revisited and reimagined fairy tales and have read many of the authors’s previous books, so was happy to see this among the offerings at NetGalley. The premise of the story is charming (pun intended, and if you don’t like it, don’t read the book). An “average Joe” preteen is actually a fairytale princess living in the real world. She and her fairytale friends have to travel to another land via a secret portal to rescue various damsels in distress, and correct the fairytale stories that have been passed down for generations. Because, you see, those fairytales have been written incorrectly and misinterpreted. This story, in particular, is about righting the misconception represented in the story of Cinderella… Who is not as innocent and perfect as Disney would have us believe. The story itself is cute. It’s fun to hear back stories for some of the characters in tales that have been passed down for generations. And, it’s always fun when many of the strong characters are young women. The book is definitely geared for preteens, I think my late primary and early middle school students would really enjoy it.
However, I refuse to buy or promote stories that have gratuitous advertisements and blatant self-promotion for the author. As a consumer, I’m paying for books, I don’t appreciate having to read through ads on top of that. If the story is good enough, we will want to read more, and we will want to see if the author has other publications. To have it shoved in my face is unacceptable to me and is usually a red flag that there is a reason it has to be pushed so hard. Without that nonsense, I probably would have given 4 stars. Because of it, I wanted to give 2, so I compromised and settled on 3.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.
It was that sufficiently annoying? Because it’s worse in the actual book. Between reminding the reader, breaking the fourth wall, that there is another book before this, and the main character reminding the reader about 4,456,973 times that she has read “ALL TWELVE books of the Never After series” (I guess she’s warning us that there are 10 more to come) I had to REALLY push myself to finish the book … or is it just one big ad for the series?
I love revisited and reimagined fairy tales and have read many of the authors’s previous books, so was happy to see this among the offerings at NetGalley. The premise of the story is charming (pun intended, and if you don’t like it, don’t read the book). An “average Joe” preteen is actually a fairytale princess living in the real world. She and her fairytale friends have to travel to another land via a secret portal to rescue various damsels in distress, and correct the fairytale stories that have been passed down for generations. Because, you see, those fairytales have been written incorrectly and misinterpreted. This story, in particular, is about righting the misconception represented in the story of Cinderella… Who is not as innocent and perfect as Disney would have us believe. The story itself is cute. It’s fun to hear back stories for some of the characters in tales that have been passed down for generations. And, it’s always fun when many of the strong characters are young women. The book is definitely geared for preteens, I think my late primary and early middle school students would really enjoy it.
However, I refuse to buy or promote stories that have gratuitous advertisements and blatant self-promotion for the author. As a consumer, I’m paying for books, I don’t appreciate having to read through ads on top of that. If the story is good enough, we will want to read more, and we will want to see if the author has other publications. To have it shoved in my face is unacceptable to me and is usually a red flag that there is a reason it has to be pushed so hard. Without that nonsense, I probably would have given 4 stars. Because of it, I wanted to give 2, so I compromised and settled on 3.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 14, 2022
Great book! I’d recommend it!
December 28, 2021
This was a cute story. I enjoyed the fantasy fairytale retellings. It was fun to meet the variety of characters from a huge range of fairy tales. I liked how some stories stayed true to how we know the fairytale while others were incredibly different. It made it a surprise every time a new character was introduced!
The audio was great. The narrator did a wonderful job!
I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
The audio was great. The narrator did a wonderful job!
I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
March 12, 2023
This book has been on the shelves for some time already and I'm not entirely sure why I hadn't read it yet. I guess the answer is that I simply wasn't in the mood. It happens. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, especially because it embodied the dream of every reader: discovering that you're a part of the world of your favorite book series and meeting all your favorite characters for real. I was therefore excited to read this sequel.
I have to admit that this sequel lacked that extra spark the first book had and it's hard to pinpoint why exactly. I think it's because the real world feels very far away and it's easy to forget that our heroine has grown up in our world. I guess it's also because the original books don't play a big role anymore. It's still mentioned here and there, but it feels different. Apart from that the story seemed a little chaotic too.
I guess the chaos is partly because this is a middle grade. The characters need to have adventures and to have those adventures they have to visit places. In this book we get kidnapped by an evil witch living in a gingerbread house, we travel to Wonderland, to Vineland and to the castle of the Beast. You can be absolutely sure that your kid is never gonna be bored and will want to know what's happening next, but I personally would have loved a little more direction.
Especially because the twist on the story of Cinderella was actually very well done! I loved how this tale changed everything we know about Cinderella and how it's even explained why we don't know the true story. I also loved that in the end a lot of the individual adventures and storylines came together or shared a connection. And yet it didn't leave me with the same excitment as the first book. I do hope the third book will be more my thing again! We're gonna wait and see.
I have to admit that this sequel lacked that extra spark the first book had and it's hard to pinpoint why exactly. I think it's because the real world feels very far away and it's easy to forget that our heroine has grown up in our world. I guess it's also because the original books don't play a big role anymore. It's still mentioned here and there, but it feels different. Apart from that the story seemed a little chaotic too.
I guess the chaos is partly because this is a middle grade. The characters need to have adventures and to have those adventures they have to visit places. In this book we get kidnapped by an evil witch living in a gingerbread house, we travel to Wonderland, to Vineland and to the castle of the Beast. You can be absolutely sure that your kid is never gonna be bored and will want to know what's happening next, but I personally would have loved a little more direction.
Especially because the twist on the story of Cinderella was actually very well done! I loved how this tale changed everything we know about Cinderella and how it's even explained why we don't know the true story. I also loved that in the end a lot of the individual adventures and storylines came together or shared a connection. And yet it didn't leave me with the same excitment as the first book. I do hope the third book will be more my thing again! We're gonna wait and see.
July 30, 2024
"𝓘𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸."
"𝓔𝔁𝓬𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓶𝓮? 𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸?"
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹𝓮𝓭"
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸. 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸."
"𝓘𝓶 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸?"
“𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵. 𝓤𝓶 𝔂𝓮𝓪 𝓲 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼?"
“𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰?"
“𝓑𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓯 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓬𝓻𝔂."
3.2 stars!
We are here yet again with book 2 from my friend’s 5 star series. Now. I will say this one was far better than the first one. And the plot actually made sense!🤩🤩🤩The characters are a little bit more likable i guess??? (Jack is still the most iconic tho.) And i also hate to admit that i have quite literally been BINGING this series.
Is the writing still some of the most cheesy, cliché, basic and bad writing i have ever read?? Yes. You can bet it still is. Now is it a little less quirky? I will say it improved a little bit more. Im still not the biggest fan though.
✨So all in all. This one was more enjoyable than the first one and it was cute.✨
"𝓔𝔁𝓬𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓶𝓮? 𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸?"
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹𝓮𝓭"
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸. 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸."
"𝓘𝓶 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓸?"
“𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵. 𝓤𝓶 𝔂𝓮𝓪 𝓲 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼?"
“𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰?"
“𝓑𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓯 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓬𝓻𝔂."
3.2 stars!
We are here yet again with book 2 from my friend’s 5 star series. Now. I will say this one was far better than the first one. And the plot actually made sense!🤩🤩🤩The characters are a little bit more likable i guess??? (Jack is still the most iconic tho.) And i also hate to admit that i have quite literally been BINGING this series.
Is the writing still some of the most cheesy, cliché, basic and bad writing i have ever read?? Yes. You can bet it still is. Now is it a little less quirky? I will say it improved a little bit more. Im still not the biggest fan though.
✨So all in all. This one was more enjoyable than the first one and it was cute.✨
March 7, 2022
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* i love retellings of fairytales and this is a pretty good series so far, more for middle grade for sure but i don't mind that! good read, would buy.
August 10, 2025
5 ⭐️ per my 8 year old
December 16, 2023
Un zapato de cristal, una casa de caramelo, una reina de corazones y una bestia encantadora.✨
Continúa la aventura para Filomena, Jack, Alistair y Gretel, un equipo de lo más divertido.
Mi niña interior disfruta muchísimo de esta serie y devora los libros porque me fascina saltar de un cuento clásico a otro y descubrir cuál será la nueva versión que mostrará.🤩
Adoro los personajes, los guiños, los giros creativos y esa portagonista femenina tan niña aún viviendo como una heroína.
Lo único que me ha faltado ha sido un poco más de ritmo en la trama general, mientras que el final ha sido demasiado precipitado.
Continúa la aventura para Filomena, Jack, Alistair y Gretel, un equipo de lo más divertido.
Mi niña interior disfruta muchísimo de esta serie y devora los libros porque me fascina saltar de un cuento clásico a otro y descubrir cuál será la nueva versión que mostrará.🤩
Adoro los personajes, los guiños, los giros creativos y esa portagonista femenina tan niña aún viviendo como una heroína.
Lo único que me ha faltado ha sido un poco más de ritmo en la trama general, mientras que el final ha sido demasiado precipitado.
July 27, 2022
Fun read, even though I'm out of order...will read #1 next
April 27, 2022
This series is just SO CUTE. Perfect for any age.
December 20, 2021
The Stolen Slippers finds Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her friends back in Never After searching for Cinderella's glass slippers. As in the last book, we learn that the familiar Cinderella story is not true and Filomena and her friends have to rectify something if there is to a Happily Ever After. This story is set in Eastphalia, where Cinderella will do anything to become its princess, and sheds new light on the fairytales Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and Beauty & the Beast.
Our heroine, Filomena is back, and ready to make things right. Jack the Stalker, Alastair, and Gretel are helping her with her quest. Filomena is a great heroine, kicking butt with her friends and acquaintances, solving problems, and thinking critically. The danger and adventure add entertainment value, but are also written appropriately for a middle grades audience. There are ogres galore that need to be defeated and others who are in disguise. This is another fun outing in Never After with Filomena and the gang needing to right a wrong and save another kingdom from the Ogre Queen. What I love is the subtle theme about reading. Whenever there is travel between the two worlds it comes about because of a book. The message that reading takes us to magical places, allows us to connect with others and can even save our lives at times is easy to recognize (at least it is to me). Also themes of inner strength, friendship and perseverance show up with Filomena doing what she can to help her new friends. All of this is blended into a fun and adventurous story, I recommend. I listened to the second book in this series, narrated by Imani Jade Powers. She does a very good job with the story using her clear, strong voice. Using pacing, tone, and expression she added to my enjoyment of the story. Now that I have read one, and listened to one, I recommend either format, depending on your reading preferences. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
Our heroine, Filomena is back, and ready to make things right. Jack the Stalker, Alastair, and Gretel are helping her with her quest. Filomena is a great heroine, kicking butt with her friends and acquaintances, solving problems, and thinking critically. The danger and adventure add entertainment value, but are also written appropriately for a middle grades audience. There are ogres galore that need to be defeated and others who are in disguise. This is another fun outing in Never After with Filomena and the gang needing to right a wrong and save another kingdom from the Ogre Queen. What I love is the subtle theme about reading. Whenever there is travel between the two worlds it comes about because of a book. The message that reading takes us to magical places, allows us to connect with others and can even save our lives at times is easy to recognize (at least it is to me). Also themes of inner strength, friendship and perseverance show up with Filomena doing what she can to help her new friends. All of this is blended into a fun and adventurous story, I recommend. I listened to the second book in this series, narrated by Imani Jade Powers. She does a very good job with the story using her clear, strong voice. Using pacing, tone, and expression she added to my enjoyment of the story. Now that I have read one, and listened to one, I recommend either format, depending on your reading preferences. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
December 19, 2021
4 stars
Two books in, I can confirm that this series is a hit for me so far.
Filomena Jefferson-Cho is no ordinary young person. She has access to entire other worlds outside of her hometown: Pasadena (in Southern California). What I love about Filomena's access point is that it all happens through her love of a fictionalized book series. Even the freshest readers will catch that reading can take us to magical places, tell us about our origins and our connections to others, and sometimes even save our lives. These deeper themes are all couched inside of a fun game of pairing fairy tale characters with their counterparts in the novel.
This installment, like its predecessor, features Filomena kicking butt with her friends and acquaintances, solving problems, and thinking critically. The danger and excitement are appropriate for the target audience, but they also add entertainment value.
I was thrilled to see that this second book in the series was coming out, and I am eagerly anticipating future installments.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc, which I listened to in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Two books in, I can confirm that this series is a hit for me so far.
Filomena Jefferson-Cho is no ordinary young person. She has access to entire other worlds outside of her hometown: Pasadena (in Southern California). What I love about Filomena's access point is that it all happens through her love of a fictionalized book series. Even the freshest readers will catch that reading can take us to magical places, tell us about our origins and our connections to others, and sometimes even save our lives. These deeper themes are all couched inside of a fun game of pairing fairy tale characters with their counterparts in the novel.
This installment, like its predecessor, features Filomena kicking butt with her friends and acquaintances, solving problems, and thinking critically. The danger and excitement are appropriate for the target audience, but they also add entertainment value.
I was thrilled to see that this second book in the series was coming out, and I am eagerly anticipating future installments.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc, which I listened to in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
January 15, 2022
This is the second book in the Chronicles of Never After series. Filomena continues her adventures with Jack and his friends in this exciting new tale. They are attempting to find Cinderella’s missing slipper. Turns out all the stories we have been told are not quite accurate. It’s up to Filomena to correct the tales.
Of course I’m a sucker for fairy tales, as I think any female is who grew up in my era. Yet, the great thing about this story is there is so much adventure tied in that the story is good for boys and girls! I’m excited for the next book to be released!
Thank you to NetGalley, Mellisa de la Cruz, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book!
Of course I’m a sucker for fairy tales, as I think any female is who grew up in my era. Yet, the great thing about this story is there is so much adventure tied in that the story is good for boys and girls! I’m excited for the next book to be released!
Thank you to NetGalley, Mellisa de la Cruz, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book!
February 11, 2022
I started this audio not knowing it was part of a series I haven’t read. They kept referencing Never After stories and saying to read them. Sooo….I obviously missed out on a lot but the book was still easy to follow. It was a fun way to see the new spin on fairytales. I liked how they portrayed Cinderella and what they ended up doing with her. I now need to read the first book in this series.
September 26, 2023
Ok so I don’t right review for books but this one I need to. This series is one of the best series I have ever read. The characters are awesome and I can fallow it really well because I have a bad time with that and this book is just spectacular in my opinion. Best book series of the year.
January 28, 2025
I may never look at Cinderella the same way again.
October 17, 2025
A fun romp through an alternate fairy tale universe
May 4, 2022
I mean seriously who would not love a boom that involves their favorite princess!
June 1, 2023
AHHHH SO GOOD!!!!! AND FILOMENA AND JACK ARE SO CUTEEEEEEEEE
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2022
Read this book in one day! It was such a good second book in a series. This is just a really fun middle grade series that turns fairy tales on their heads. And I am here for it!!
May 21, 2022
Another brilliant book although it took me a while to read it. As before, a twist on the original story of Cinderella and the glass slippers, the sisters not at all being wicked, the Queen of Hearts has changed and Jack had several titles...
April 11, 2022
Melissa de la Cruz does it again with her amazing writing in creating this wonderful tale! I love finding books that are fairy re-telling from the stories I grew up with, I especially love them when they are written so fantastically!
October 10, 2022
Desde ya, puedo decir que el primero me gustó mucho más que este segundo encuentro con esta saga de fantasía, pero lo he disfrutado de la misma manera. Estos libros están creados para las personas que creemos en la magia y disfrutamos de un buen rato de cuentos que ya todos conocemos.
En esta ocasión, se nos presenta a una mezquina Cenicienta y de como en realidad sus hermanastras no son las malas del cuento, si no que todo lo contrario. También podemos encontrarnos con la Reina de Corazones, de Alicia en el País de las Maravillas. Por no hablar de un Bestia monstruoso, pero de noble corazón.
Cada vez aparecen más personas de los cuentos Disney que tanto nos gustan. Me asombra la capacidad que tiene la autora de unir historias, personajes que nunca se han conocido, pero que aquí parece que han nacido para estar juntos. Sus personalidades son acorde a esos personajes que ya nos conquistaron el corazón en su niñez, pero que vienen a hacernos una visita más.
También he quedado con una sensación bonita en el pecho al acabar este segundo libro, quizá haya sido más lento que el anterior o que mis personajes favoritos hayan salido menos, pero no puedo quitarle mérito a que la historia haya sido interesante. Me deja con ganas de encontrarme con el tercero de la saga, espero que llegue pronto.
Sigue manteniendo ese tono muy juvenil, pero ahí es donde reside la magia, que todo el que lo desee pueda disfrutar de una lectura que nos lleva por los senderos mágicos de los cuentos de hadas que ya conocemos. Muy recomendado.
En esta ocasión, se nos presenta a una mezquina Cenicienta y de como en realidad sus hermanastras no son las malas del cuento, si no que todo lo contrario. También podemos encontrarnos con la Reina de Corazones, de Alicia en el País de las Maravillas. Por no hablar de un Bestia monstruoso, pero de noble corazón.
Cada vez aparecen más personas de los cuentos Disney que tanto nos gustan. Me asombra la capacidad que tiene la autora de unir historias, personajes que nunca se han conocido, pero que aquí parece que han nacido para estar juntos. Sus personalidades son acorde a esos personajes que ya nos conquistaron el corazón en su niñez, pero que vienen a hacernos una visita más.
También he quedado con una sensación bonita en el pecho al acabar este segundo libro, quizá haya sido más lento que el anterior o que mis personajes favoritos hayan salido menos, pero no puedo quitarle mérito a que la historia haya sido interesante. Me deja con ganas de encontrarme con el tercero de la saga, espero que llegue pronto.
Sigue manteniendo ese tono muy juvenil, pero ahí es donde reside la magia, que todo el que lo desee pueda disfrutar de una lectura que nos lleva por los senderos mágicos de los cuentos de hadas que ya conocemos. Muy recomendado.
November 29, 2021
This was a great read and I really enjoyed Filomena, Jack, Alistair are back together with Gretel trying to save another fairytale artifact this time which are the glass slippers. Filomena is shocked to learn that Cinderella is the bad guy and that she stole them from her “wicked stepsisters” who aren’t wicked at all and actually were really great to Cinderella and it was Cinderella who is trying to steal Hortense’s boyfriend Prince Charming and the gang are trying to get the slippers back and stop it. Also we have a Beauty and the Beast aspect as well with Beatrice meeting the beast while trying to get her sisters shoes back from Cinderella who is in Wonderlands Castle and they get thrown to the beast who is actually really nice of course and doesn’t eat them and they fall in love. So they saved the day at the end but it ends with them having to head out to Snow Country which should be reference for Snow White to help fight against the Ogres. So this was just such a fun story and I really enjoyed all the differences in the fairy tales and how the bad guys are usually the good guys in the real stories. I can’t wait to read about their next adventure.
Thanks to Roaring Brook Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.
Thanks to Roaring Brook Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.
January 18, 2022
Welcome back to Never After where the stories we know aren't always the truth. Filomena is still on the epic quest to bring down the Ogre Queen and stop the fairy tale world from existing all together. Together with her friends they are out to save the next magical item, the glass slippers and return them to their rightful owner Cinderella's stepsisters? Their journey takes them to other tales we all know and love, but is the story we know the truth or is there more to the story then meets the eye. Come along on this fun and fast paced tale and see if Filomena can save the day before the clock strikes 12.
I honestly enjoyed this book more then the first tale. I think it flowed better, and captivated me more then the first story. I really enjoyed all the twist that Melissa puts on popular fairytales. She makes them just enough different that that it leaves the reader questioning what if the fairytales were originally told wrong? I really can't wait to see what happens with the big reveal of who Jack truly is. That will add whole other layer to the world that Melissa has so carefully woven. Kids are going to love this book. I truly can't wait to let them know about this amazing continuation of Never After.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.
I honestly enjoyed this book more then the first tale. I think it flowed better, and captivated me more then the first story. I really enjoyed all the twist that Melissa puts on popular fairytales. She makes them just enough different that that it leaves the reader questioning what if the fairytales were originally told wrong? I really can't wait to see what happens with the big reveal of who Jack truly is. That will add whole other layer to the world that Melissa has so carefully woven. Kids are going to love this book. I truly can't wait to let them know about this amazing continuation of Never After.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.
January 26, 2022
Filomena Jefferson-Cho is back and just as much fun as before! This time she's headed back to Never After to help her friends Gretel, Alastair, and Jack find the glass slippers Cinderella stole. It turns out that Cinderella is actually horrible and evil and the "wicked" stepsisters are wonderful, nice people. The glass slippers were a gift to Hortense, one of the stepsisters, and Cinderella thinks she can marry the prince if she just dances with him while wearing the slippers.
Readers will recognize a house made of gingerbread, a castle and a beast, and even Wonderland in this fast-paced, enjoyable adventure. I love the characters and how de la Cruz takes stories we're familiar with and changes them up, or not, to keep us intrigued and entertained. She captures the interest of middle grade fantasy readers perfectly and this addition to the series is wonderful. The ending is not a cliffhanger, but it definitely sets up book 3!
**Read the series in order or you'll encounter spoiler after spoiler!!
5 enthusiastic stars!
Disclaimer: I listened to a free digital audio version of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Readers will recognize a house made of gingerbread, a castle and a beast, and even Wonderland in this fast-paced, enjoyable adventure. I love the characters and how de la Cruz takes stories we're familiar with and changes them up, or not, to keep us intrigued and entertained. She captures the interest of middle grade fantasy readers perfectly and this addition to the series is wonderful. The ending is not a cliffhanger, but it definitely sets up book 3!
**Read the series in order or you'll encounter spoiler after spoiler!!
5 enthusiastic stars!
Disclaimer: I listened to a free digital audio version of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 15, 2022
This is a hard one to rate. I enjoyed the first one so much more. This one expanded the world but it was all over the place and so dragged out. I ended up speeding up the audiobook just to get through it faster. The first story was more mission oriented. I’m ok with this one going off the rails but it was like the slippers were an afterthought.
Also the repetition was annoying. Thank you for reminding what the mission, stakes, every character we’ve already met, Filomena’s entire government name, the background story, the fact that none of the fairy tales we know are right every 5 pages. I think I forgot.
Lastly Filomena can do magic right? She did in the first book so she should still be able to. She didn’t do one spell in this book. She’s read all the books so she should know any spell from those books. Why would she just not do any magic in this one? That didn’t make sense. I wish half stars were a thing cause this would a 2.5 probably. I just realized I wanted to get through this book as fast as possible and I wasn’t fully enjoying it so that brought it down for me. Idk about the 3rd one. I think I care about the characters that’s mainly why I didn’t DNF this book but the writing style is getting the best of me.
Also the repetition was annoying. Thank you for reminding what the mission, stakes, every character we’ve already met, Filomena’s entire government name, the background story, the fact that none of the fairy tales we know are right every 5 pages. I think I forgot.
Lastly Filomena can do magic right? She did in the first book so she should still be able to. She didn’t do one spell in this book. She’s read all the books so she should know any spell from those books. Why would she just not do any magic in this one? That didn’t make sense. I wish half stars were a thing cause this would a 2.5 probably. I just realized I wanted to get through this book as fast as possible and I wasn’t fully enjoying it so that brought it down for me. Idk about the 3rd one. I think I care about the characters that’s mainly why I didn’t DNF this book but the writing style is getting the best of me.
January 24, 2022
Review: (#giftedbook) Never After: The Stolen Slippers
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Rating: 😊
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review! This book is out soon on 2/1. 🎉
This is the second in the MG "Never After" fantasy series and it was just as fun and enjoyable as the first. This story follows Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her friends Jack, Alistair, and Gretel right on another adventure to try to save the fantastical and fairy tale world of Never After, this time by trying to save some familiar-sounding glass slippers.
What I love about these stories is that while they draw from fairy tales and fantasies, these books are still wholly original. Cruz flips the fairy tales on their heads which makes it all fresh and entertaining. The little band of friends that the reader meets in the first book continue to delight in this story. I recommend for lovers of middle-grade and fairy tale/fantasy stories! I listened to the audio and Imani Jade Powers is a wonderful narrator!
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Rating: 😊
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review! This book is out soon on 2/1. 🎉
This is the second in the MG "Never After" fantasy series and it was just as fun and enjoyable as the first. This story follows Filomena Jefferson-Cho and her friends Jack, Alistair, and Gretel right on another adventure to try to save the fantastical and fairy tale world of Never After, this time by trying to save some familiar-sounding glass slippers.
What I love about these stories is that while they draw from fairy tales and fantasies, these books are still wholly original. Cruz flips the fairy tales on their heads which makes it all fresh and entertaining. The little band of friends that the reader meets in the first book continue to delight in this story. I recommend for lovers of middle-grade and fairy tale/fantasy stories! I listened to the audio and Imani Jade Powers is a wonderful narrator!
January 22, 2023
I really wanted to like this series. The concept is great! The execution is a little sloppy. I don't know why authors who write for kids think that their readers aren't observant. For example, if a character is in a disguise, other characters may not recognize him/her. However, that doesn't mean that the disguised character won't recognize any of the other characters. If you give a character magical powers, then the character isn't as helpless as other characters and should use those powers instead of waiting for rescue. Such inconsistencies make it hard to enjoy the story. Also, this author seems to think that it is necessary to repeat the fact that there is a first book in the series over and over. It's obnoxious. I usually like to give a series a chance to redeem itself, but I'm on the fence about whether I'll give this one another chance. I like that the author is trying to weave together many characters from familiar stories and give the plots a twist, but the twists don't seem well-planned.
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