Cinderella: Ninja Warrior

by Maureen McGowan

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Romance, Retellings, Cinderella, Fiction

309 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Maureen has always been making up stories, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into writing novels. After escaping a previous career in finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.

Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.

She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.

Reviews

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved fairy tales as a kid and Cinderella was my absolute favourite (I watched the Disney movie so many times I knew it by heart when I was around 4-5), so of course when I heard about this extraordinary retelling of my favourite childhood fairy tale my curiosity was piqued.

The Twisted Tales series is described as

"Adventurous fairytale adventures where the heroines are very capable of saving themselves, but also get their handsome princes. Fast-paced fun stories, full of danger, adventure and romance. "

I couldn't sum it up better. These are exciting fairy tales with modern, independent strong and fesity heroines who are the Buffys of classic fairy tales.

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior has everything of the original fairy tale we loved as children but what it has in addition is the feisty heroine training to be a ninja warrior (lol) with a cute spin on the pumpkin and fairy godmother and heaps of humour and winks to the the original story.

Besides Maureen McGowan's easy to read and naturally flowing writing style and the humour behind the symbolism of the story, what makes Cinderella: Ninja Warrior unlike any other story is that here, you, the reader decide how you want to shape the story! At crucial crossroads you have the choice between several possibilities and depending on your decision, you can read the story in 8 different ways! (After I finished it I wanted to re-read it immediately just to see how things would turn out if I chose a different path :-)

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior has everything a fairy tale should have and even more:

- a nice heroine the reader can sympathise with
- a fresh and young take on the dashing prince making him cute and fun to be with
- scary villains
- heaps of magic
- lot of fun and action
- and of course the heartwarming romance of the tale is still present:


"Thank you." She looked into his eyes and felt the strangest conflicting sensations. It was as if she were melting, yet becoming stronger at the same time. Stronger than she'd felt in her entire life.


When the prince asks for Cinderella's hand in marriage, he says:

"I want your life to be wonderful, everything you've ever wanted or imagined. I don't want your life to be something you have to get used to."


Verdict: I might have expected this book to be ridiculous based on the title, but it was a great surprise. Cinderella: Ninja Warrior is a wonderful, fast paced, fresh retelling of the classic fairy tale with a modern, strong and independent heroine and a charming, cute, boy-next-door prince. There is lots of fun and action, the entertainment is guaranteed! :-D

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Writing: 8/10
Cover: 7/10

[Molly O'Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella is a ninja!!! Come on!!

[Christy Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not choose-your-own-adventure. It does not count when half the chapters end with "What happens next? Turn the page to find out!" That's called reading-a-fucking-book.

It's like if I told you I was going to show you a magic trick and then spit in your mouth.

"That wasn't a magic trick," you'd say, "You just spit in my mouth!"

And I was all, "Do you have any idea how complicated your immune system is? If you can't appreciate what wonders your body is working to defend against my germs then all I can say to you is get yourself checked if you have any open sores in your mouth because my gums bleed and I have AIDS."

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted to: Evie - Bookish

Cinderella Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowan is the first book in the Twisted Tales series brought to us by Silver Dolphin. This fast-paced and action packed story is so much more than the classic fairy tale we all know! Loaded with magic, kick-ass ninja actions, adventures and romance, this fairytale is nothing like you've ever read before.

First and foremost, this is not a book that you'll read once and then put on your bookshelf to collect dust. You can read this book over and over again, as this is a choose-your-own-adventure novel. There are 3 key points during the story when you get to choose what Cinderella will do next. Each time you reach these points you get two choices, and once you decide which path you'd like Cinderella to follow, you're directed to the next section in the book. You know what this means? In one book you get 8 different stories, 8 unique ways the plot develops. And even though the ending stays the same, you still get the fun of deciding how the story evolves.

I haven't had the time to re-read the book yet and try out the alternative scenarios, but I will most definitely do that, as I'm very curious of the differences! I never actually had a chance to read a choose-your-own-destiny novel before. This was my first one ever, but certainly not the last one. I know for sure that I'm in for the whole series. There's just something absolutely intriguing about the re-told fairy tales. After all, these were the stories I grew up with. As a kid I read all the fairytale books I could find and watched all the Disney movies. They were fueling my imagination and brightening even the cloudiest days. I loved them! And now Maureen McGowan makes these stories even more enjoyable to read. How could I possibly pass this up?

Now, let's talk about the plot a little bit.
Our heroine has just turned eighteen. Her mother, one of the most powerful wizards in the kingdom, had died at her birth. Her father died few years later, only days after he remarried. Just like in the original story, Cinderella is now forced to live with her stepmother and her two stepsisters, who treat her more like a servant than a family member. Unlike in the original tale, though, our made-over Cinderella is not a weak-willed heroine. She still has to follow her stepmother's orders, do all the house chores and endure cruelty and abuse, but it's no longer attributed to her weak character. She's imprisoned in the house. Her stepmother, an evil wizard, has used black magic to keep Cinderella confined to the cellar, except to do chores during the day and to tend the garden at night. Why is the wicked stepmother determined to make Cinderella's life a living hell? Because she's after a magic wand that belonged to Cinderella's real mother. Convinced that Cinderella knows the location of the wand, she'll do anything to extract the knowledge from her.

Cinderella, although still pure in heart and romantic, is not shy and blindly obedient anymore. She's fully capable of making her own decisions, she doesn't sit around dreaming about the prince charming to come and rescue her. She's strong, brave and tough, and she's determined to find her way to freedom. Through ninja training, she improves her concentration, balance and strength. She also trains to improve the magical abilities inherited from her wizard mother. She's a true kick-ass character and that makes following her adventures more fun than ever.

The story continues with prince Tiberius looking for a bride. There will soon be a ball held at the palace in the prince's honor and two contests will be held in order to find the perfect girl for him. There will be a beauty contest and a magic competition. The winner of the beauty contest will get a dance with the prince, but Cinderella, not interested in the prince at all, is more excited for the magic competition, winning which will grant her a year's training with the royal wizard. She believes it to be her only chance to escape a life of servitude and humiliation, and she's determined to do everything in her power to try and win the contest.

Cinderella Ninja Warrior is an excellent adventure book. Maureen McGowan did a great job retelling this classic tale and I dare say her version of the story is even better than the original. I like how Cinderella stands up for herself and fights for her freedom, she's still a sweet and likable girl, but she's no longer weak and unable to take matters into her own hands. I just love the fact that she doesn't sit around hoping for someone to come and rescue her one day. The depth of this story made me realize how shallow the original was. Cinderella doesn't go for the beauty contest, she's not trying to enchant the prince with her looks, she doesn't even care if she meets the prince or not! She's not interested in getting the wealth and the power, and the prince charming. All she wants is to earn her own freedom and start a new, happy life.

I enjoyed the twists a lot, especially the magic and the ninja skills. I do, however, think that the title of the book is a bit misleading. Sure, Cinderella has some awesome ninja skills and she's not afraid to use them, but we only get a handful of the kick-ass ninja actions in the book, whereas the magic seems to be the leading theme of the story. Perhaps Cinderella the Wizard would have been a better choice?

In my opinion, Cinderella Ninja Warrior is a fantastic, entertaining and super enjoyable read. If you like fairy tales, you'll love this one! I highly recommend it for a summer read. I can't wait to read Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer, which is the second novel in the Twisted Tales series!

[Mimi]

Dnf because I just dont do 'choose your own adventure'.

[Wandering Librarians · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cinderella's real mother was a powerful wizard, but after her death, Cinderella's father hid her wand. Shortly after he remarried, he died under suspicious circumstances. Now Cinderella is held prisoner in her own house, thanks to her wicked step-mother's black magic, which is illegal in the kingdom. Cinderella bides her time until she can make her escape, training herself to be a ninja warrior and working on developing her magic. Now if only she could find her mother's wand...

When I saw the title of this book, I was of course intrigued. Then, when I learned that it was not just Cinderella being a ninja warrior, but also a choose-your-own-adventure story (you know, at some high point in the action it'll say "To do this, go to page whatever, or, to do that, go to this other page"), I was incredibly excited. I used to love choose-your-own-adventure books. They were so ridiculous, so fun. Alas, I was disappointed.

This book took itself way too seriously. Come on now. Cinderella is training to be a ninja warrior? And you've made it a choose-your-own-adventure book? This is not something that anyone would ever take seriously. I was expecting silliness and hijinks at every turn. But no. What I got was a fairly straight-forward Cinderella story, except ninja training and magic are closely related in this world and since Cinderella isn't allowed to study magic, she's practicing becoming and ninja in secret.

At three points in the book, you have the opportunity to make a decision for Cinderella. The problem was, it didn't make any difference what you chose, you always ended up at the same place in the end. So what's the point of that? Why bother writing different paths, which weren't even all that interesting, if she's always going to end up at the exact same point? And the divergent paths weren't very exciting.

Actually, the book as a whole wasn't very exciting. Even when Cinderella is competing in a magic competition, and it's suppose to be nail-bitingly exciting, I was kind of bored. The story just did not catch my interest. It wasn't funny, it wasn't silly, it wasn't exciting, it was just...nothing really. Kind of blah.

This is the first book in a series of "Twisted Tales". I can't say that I'll be looking for the other ones to come out.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - What a great twist of the classic fairy tale. I really liked it, but I had two problems with it.

1) This book had almost nothing to do with being a ninja warrior. Yeah it was dropped off here and there, but it seems like the book should have been entitled something with magic or wizard instead. And when it was mentioned, McGowan had to say, "with her ninja training" like she's trying to re-emphasize, oh yeah, this is what the book is about. I think the book would have been just as good without the ninja training reference and used it as magic or innate knowledge.

2) I wasn't crazy about the alternative story. On one hand, it was kind of fun what could have happened instead, but on the other hand, I kind of wished that McGowan chosen one path and guided the reader down that path. I think the story would have had more of an impact that way.

[Lala_Loopsie [fire breathing B!tch Queen] · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book, so the review is short, just like every other review of mine.

I got really mixed up in the choosing a decision. I ended up reading EVERYTHING, it was like i kept seeing everything twice.

Plus, the book was all lovey-dovey. She was supposed to be bad-ass, for fucks sake! She wasn't let me tell you.

Those were the two major reasons for hating this.

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior / 978-1607102557

I really love a good fractured fairy tale, and I am very partial to the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" phenomena that has popularized zombies and ninjas and the like in modern renditions of old classic stories. I also really like "Choose Your Own Adventure" books where the reader gets the choice to guide the story at key points along the way. I was therefore very surprised to find myself somewhat bored and uninterested in this potentially delightful book, and I'm still trying to understand why.

First of all, the "choose your own adventure" aspect here doesn't really work for me. Instead of the usual ratio of ~5 pages of text for each decision choke point, "Cinderella, Ninja Warrior" usually gives ~20 pages of text before a decision event pops up. At that point, the usual binary decision ("To do A, go to page X; to do B, go to page Y.") seems extremely simplistic considering the amount of story buildup that has occurred since the last choice. And, of course, in some sections the 'choice' doesn't exist at all -- at least one section I read ended with not a choice, but with an imperious "Go to page Z", which was presumably a destination point for other sections as well. These huge sections and simplistic choices removes the traditional feel of CYOA books, and the reader isn't going to really feel like this is a story about *them* but rather just another story about Cinderella that they are helping to 'write'. Without the personal "Choose Your OWN Adventure" aspect, I'd rather just read a novel straight through without the disjointed jumping around.

As for the "twisted fairy tale" here, the twistedness seems a littl anemic. The narrative tone is disjointed; the author seemed to be trying to keep a lighthearted tone in horrible circumstances, but the effect feels forced. Cinderella is a slave to a madwoman who physically abuses and intends to kill her, and magic utterly prevents her escape or her telling another living soul of her enslavement; one would think this situation would produce a stronger effect on Cinderella, but instead she only seems a touch frustrated about the whole situation. She also rather unwisely mouths off to her dangerous step-mother at frequent intervals so that the step-mother can have an in-text excuse to swing Cinderella around the room magically again. Either Cinderella is a glutton for punishment, or she just isn't very *smart* -- the twistedness of the situation combined with a jaunty slap-stick tone doesn't jell well to me.

A major barrier for me is that the ninja parts of the story don't feel as well integrated as, say, the zombies in PPZ. It feels like the basic Cinderella story has been retold her, but with a few "side stories" about acrobatics tacked on to justify the ninja aspects. The step-mother devises an unfair test for Cinderella and she uses ninja jumping skills to pass the test; the step-sisters go shopping and Cinderella uses ninja catching skills to grab bolts of cloth. These events don't really integrate well into the story and in my opinion, they could just have easily been replaced with something else: "Cinderella, Pirate Lass", maybe, who uses her drinking and gambling skills for the little side quests before returning to the overall plot.

I don't think "Cinderella, Ninja Warrior" is a bad book, but it's not one that held my interest. Traditionally, the CYOA format has been used to create smaller stories with a strong "replay" value, but the characters here are so hazy and act so out-of-touch with the established setting that it was difficult for me to become invested in the first read-through, let alone multiple ones. The flitting between serious torture to lighthearted acrobatics, in my opinion, really hurt the crucial tone so necessary for these PPZ-style remakes to work. I see from the other reviews that a lot of readers really loved this novel, so if you're on the fence, I'd say give it a try, but personally it just didn't float my boat.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First impressions: This is not your average Cinderella story. From the beginning it's a little bit darker, with more magic and more action. McGowan wastes no time immersing us in this world, so I found it easy to adjust to this atypical Cinderella character.

Lasting impressions: So much fun! The more I think about this book, the more I smile. If you were ever a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure books, you will love this one. McGowan has another title in this Twisted Tales series called Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer which should be really enjoyable if this one is any indication.

Negative impressions: The story took a little too long to wrap up for my liking. This is probably more due to familiarity with the Cinderella story than any plodding plot problems, but I felt like there were three different times the book could have ended before the story finally resolved.

Overall impressions: This is just plain enjoyable entertainment. Familiar story? Check. Cool new setting? Check. Fully developed characters with a ninja twist? Check! It all adds up to a sweet, exciting and fabulous retelling of Cinderella. This Cinderella competes in magic competitions, does high-flying acrobatics, battles her stepmother and meets the man of her dreams in a variety of disguises.

There are eight different pathways through the novel, and I skimmed through the sections I didn't choose for my primary path. They all show similar character developments through different plot situations, and begin and end in the same place for continuity. It's nice because you don't feel overwhelmed by page flipping because the sections are long. At the same time, with eight different combinations, you can craft slightly different stories several times and have an enjoyable read.

With very little violence and lots of action, this is a great pick for younger readers. I also highly recommend it to adults looking for a fun and quick read.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe if I had read this during another time of my life, I would’ve hated it. Alas, it’s a depressing, stressful time of my life, and a light cutesy read like this is a good antidote for the poisonous sting of exam-despair.

This was a very simple retelling of Cinderella and it was very fun. I’ve never read an interactive book before, so this was new. I take comfort in the fact that I can come back to this book on bad days and read different scenarios.

[Jessica Lewenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realise that this book was a choose your own adventure book until I opened it and started reading. Now, I’m not a fan of those kinds of books. I avoided them as a child, and, though this wasn’t as terrible as my childhood experiences, I will continue to avoid them as an adult. I decided to review this, as hard as it was, what with all the different possibilities. Plus, I wasn’t going to drop a book for a reason as petty as that. But, this will lower the plot rating significantly, simply because of my preference.

Right off the bat, the story starts awkwardly. At least, for me. There were a few instances where I just stared at the screen going, “wait, what? Really? REALLY?” because some things were just so unbelievable, such as when she trained herself to have uber ninja skills. Not only does the art of the ninja take years to master under the watchful eye of a sensei, but it is an ancient Asian form of martial arts, and from what I could tell from the story, there is no mention of an Asian-esque land at all. Plus, I doubt it would be something that anyone, even if they did have magical powers, to learn out of some book.

The characterisation is odd and questionable at times. The characters switch from speaking formally and talking in a more modern tone. In the beginning, it was difficult to determine what period this was supposed to set it.
Though, thankfully, as the book went on, the characterisation sorted itself out, and proved to be rather enjoyable. The evil step-mother was truly evil, a queen bitch. She just loved tormenting poor Cinderella, and I took great joy in how accurate and realistic her horrid personality was.
Cinderella was sweet, was determined and was strong, which are exceptional characteristics in any story. She had a personal mission to be great, and to escape her step-mother’s prison of magic. Her story (or rather, stories) was moving, exciting and incredibly enjoyable.
Cinderella’s sisters, in the story that I read, were sometimes contradictory–sometimes being horrid to Cinderella, and sometimes backing her up against their mother. I don’t know, it seemed out of place at times, but at the same time, it felt right, as if they were learning their lesson, which I think is excellent, because character growth shouldn’t just be for the main character.

In the story that I read, the romance was astounding. I loved the chemistry, and felt it from the very beginning. They cheeky flirts between Cinderella and her love interest was adorable, and truly believable.

Apparently, there are 8 different stories you could read with this choose your own adventure thing, but I didn’t have the patience to try out all the different combinations. Now, like I said above, this effects the score. While I can see the appeal, this is just a personal preference, and not something you should adhere to, though I have to admit: choosing your own path makes for an unpredictable turn of events, which is quite interesting at times. I would recommend that you give this a try, especially if you like the possibility of having different outcomes depending on what YOU choose, not what the author chooses (to an extent). This story uses this technique well enough for me to recommend it.

Cover Art: 3
Plot: 2
Characters: 3
Writing: 3
Level of Interest: 4

Total Rating: 3/5

[Cyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Wizards
RECEIVED: Copy from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
DATE POSTED ON BLOG: April 9th

REVIEW:
I’ve always loved the story of Cinderella and her fairy godmother, in the end her evil stepmother and sisters get what they deserve and Cinderella lives happily ever after with the prince. But in this tale Maureen McGowan takes Cinderella and adds a twist of ninja skills mixed with wizards to bring an original aspect to an old tale.
What made this book even more unique than adding wizards and ninja skills, was that you as the reader could choose how Cinderella thinks through the book. There are eight different routes you can take, meaning you can read this book over and over going on different adventures.
Cinderella is eighteen and living with her horrible stepmother and two very annoying stepsisters. As like the original her father died and she was left alone, with her mother passing away long before. So she lives day by day as a servant whose best friend is her cat Max. She dreams of training and working with the magical abilities that she has, as well as improving on her ninja skills.
The story continues with the Prince looking for a new bride, there is the ball where he’ll dance with many girls but also one girl who wins a magic contest held at the palace. If Cinderella wins this contest she’ll get the chance to train with the head Wizard, something she always dreamed of. Plus get a chance to meet the prince, though she’s not really interested in that.
After she meets Ty, he encourages her to find away to get to the contest without getting caught by her stepmother. Ty’s character is fun and witty and has a lot of interest in Cinderella; he was by far my favorite character. Like the original, the story moves on with the addition a magical twists and her evil stepmother who is also a wizard getting in the way of Cinderella’s true happiness.
A great adventure book that had fascinating characters, magic, romance, and the villainous stepmother was insanely evil. I recommend this for any young adult reader because it has a little bit of everything. It’s a quick read that will leave you with a smile.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a Young Adult novel suited for any age. Fans of Alex Finn and Carolyn Turgeon will definitely enjoy this!

[Chioma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella Ninja Warrior is definitely what I call an incredible modern take on a fairy tale. I was engaged the whole time, and even though I know the story Cinderella and it is the basis of this book, that did not take away from the fact that this book is 100% original.

This book was a lot different from Maureen's other "pick your plot" book Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer. The Cinderella plot of this book was evident but with the wizard and magical parts thrown in also, it created a much more intricate plot. There's the evil stepsisters we know and hate, and there's also a missing very powerful wizarding wand that is nowhere to be found. And of course a local "messenger boy" whom has his eye on a certain main character.

When I say the characters make the book, I really mean it. I loved the characters in this book. Not so much the evil step siblings and stepmother, but Ty and Cinderella really made the book for me. Everything between them seemed so natural. I mean there is a way to be charming and not make it seem like its some kind of player's act, and Ty does so very well in this book. I mean how could Cinderella not fall for him. He was just so gentlemanly without being too formal or boring, and he also had some wit to him that just makes him all the more of a great male character.

As with Maureen's book Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, this one is also a "pick your plot" book and for some reason I loved it in this book so much more. I felt like even though I was making the decision for the book while reading, I didn't feel like I was losing the character in my decisions if that make sense. It was so much fun in this book because the romance was a bigger role, you got to make the decisions on how Cinderella and Ty went about their encounters. Because of this book, I think I am definitely going to be on the look out for more "pick you plot" kinds of books. I can still remember the instances where I was like contemplating for minutes over which route I should take. And then when I finished the book I went and took all the routes that I didn't choose. And it was just as much fun the second time around!

I definitely think this was an incredible "remake" of a classic fairy tale. It was engaging and fun to read, and the romance was incredibly sweet and believable. All in all, a very exciting book.

www.blackandblueink.blogspot.com

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled when I recieved this book in Good Reads giveaways.

Loved it. Nice quick read (well is a teen book but I do read alot of those) The idea of Cinderella being trapped in the house by dark magic answers alot of my questions from childhood. I will admit it the begining took a couple of page to warm up but then the flow found itself and the pace was fun.the

Cinderella's mother died in child birth and then her father died when she was 5. Sound familier? Ok so far nothing new BUT did you know that Cinderella's Mother was a very powerful wizard and the envy of the evil Wizard who 5 years on becomes the new step mother of Cinderella. The newly wed couple do not have much hapiness together as unfortunatly Cinderella's Father 'falls' from a great hieght and dies.
I personally feel that Maureen McGowan has filled in the gaps to an age old tale with her interpretation of why things happened.

Giving Cinderella inner strength but having it repressed through the pain her Step mother inflicts upon her will have girls everywhere saying 'well that explains it' as I can not be the only one who thought 'Why did you put up with it all?'

I have read other books that do a different take on fairy tails (eg I was a rat by Phillip Pullman) it is a genre that I do find enjoyable especially if the new tail has a slightly dark edge.

I have only read the book once (so far) and I did follow the line of the traditional tale but even doing this I found twists that were refreshing.

I am one of those people who hoards books to read over if the mood takes me and the fact that I can read this followng different options is very apealing (I never really read the choose your own adventures as a child but if I remember rightly you had to choose lots of times and it would get complicated)

The backcover says this book is aimed at age 12 up and I think that is about right however in the 'right' mood I think if I read the book to my 5 year old girl (who loves princess) and my 7 year old boy (who love all things ninja) they would both take an interest.

I will keep Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer on my reading list and watch with interest for any future books by Maureen McGowan.

[Aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It's really great retelling of Cinderella! Let's start with the title. I have to admit that I used to giggle every time I read the title of this book, but not anymore. I think that it fits the story perfectly & let's just say that Cinderella isn't the ninja I used to imagine when I read the title every time.
So, what's the story about?
Cinderella's mother used to be really powerful wizard & her stepmother is powerful wizard, too, but of course she's evil. Now she's keeping Cinderella trapped with spells, so Cinderella secretly trains her ninja & magic skills, so she can free herself. I won't reveal more, 'cause I don't want to spoil the story, but there are lots of twists on the original fairy tale! This is a book that although starts & ends the same, you can choose the direction of the plot & story! After reading the book, I returned to the other choices to read them & I loved them, too. From the 1st "crossroad", I definitely preferred the first choice I made (it had more action & I loved that encounter with Ty more), although the other one was fun, too, as for my other choices, I definitely chose the storyline that developed more close to the original tale, but after reading the other last choise, I loved that one, too & it made me love the book even more! This book is just so sweet, fun, fast-paced, with action, magic, romance & humor. I loved the banter between Cinderella & Ty, their scenes were so enjoyable & romantic & sweet & I really liked Ty. I really cared about the characters & a few times I heard myself whispering "Noo!", so yeah I was definitely enveloped with the story. I highly recommend this book for everyone & every age, especially if you like fairy tales & retellings, 'cause it's amazing retelling of Cinderella & it's definitely on my must-buy list!

Originally posted on my blog HERE!

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I am a big fan of fairytales so when i heard about this book i knew i had to read it.

Its an amazing twist on the classic fairytale of Cinderella. Cinderella's mother was a powerful wizard who died during childbirth. When her father re-married, he was not aware that his new wife was a powerful wizard who practiced dark magic who used him to try and get her hands on his late wife's wand. After her father mysteriously dies, Cinderella is taken prisoner by her step-mother at the age of 5 and she is kept there for years. A grown up Cinderella's only wish is to defeat her evil step-mother and along with the help of her mysteriously clever cat Max, starts to practice the magic that is steadily growing inside her as well as learning ninja skills to try and help her escape the spells. When Cinderella meets the powerful and handsome Ty, a messanger, her only wish is to know him better and enter the royal magic competition.

I loved this twist on the story. I am a big fan of books about magic and adding that to the original fairytale was amazing. I really felt for Cinderella as she tried to defeat the binds and holds her evil step-mother had over her and she tried to come to terms with the growing magic inside of her, trying to find her mothers wand and trying to cope with her growing feelings for Ty.

I really never expected this to be as fast-paced and action-packed as it was with it being a fairytale but i was hooked straight away. I absolutely loved every moment of it.
I love the fact that in 3 parts of the book you get to choose what Cinderella would do. You are in control of the story, and i love that you can re-read it and have a different story each time. It is possible to re-read it and there are 8 different versions of the story and i would love to read it in all the different ways and find out what happens.
An amazing book that i could re-read again and again and never get bored, even after running out of all of the options.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things here: (#1) I thoroughly enjoyed the random mental picture I got just thinking about Cinderella as a ninja warrior and (#2) choose your own adventure type books don't work as well on a Kindle as you'd think. There was a lot of paging forward and back when I wanted to see the different routes I could have taken. That's just a little mental note to myself, though, since most people won't be reading this on their Kindle (is it even available as an ebook?) so don't let my weirdness turn you aside from trying it.

The book itself was fun. Written for a younger audience (younger than my 30+ years, anyway), it had a sweet appeal, a likable heroine and a straightforward approach to telling the story. The different paths you can choose all ultimately lead you to a fulfilling ending, so you don't have to worry about crashing and burning in the middle like those old school choose your owns used to do to me. Someone please tell me I wasn't the only one who ever had to cheat at those books. Anyone? Right. Well, then. I deny ever holding my finger on one page and checking out the different paths so that I wouldn't end up splattered like a bug at the bottom of a cliff. I deny it unequivocally. Absolutely. I would never stoop to such depths.

Fun and fast, it was a different take on an old story. Just don't try reading it on an e-reader. You'll end up with blisters. Or whatever the thumb equivalent of shin splints is.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Tien · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite princess made even stronger, it couldn’t be better! A world filled with magic with love being the strongest magic of all. A wonderful concoction of Maureen McGowan: a retelling of Cinderella mixed in with wizardry, martial arts, and choose-your-own-adventure! Unfortunately, I don’t have a daughter to share this with (well, maybe not yet...)

Cinderella was trapped. Her stepmother is a powerful wizard and has employed spells to keep Cinderella in her place: a servant who is practically invisible to the world. Thank goodness for her friend, Max, he maybe a cat but he is very intelligent. With Max’s encouragement, Cinderella made time to teach herself a bit of magic and martial arts to hopefully, one day, break free of her bondage. One day, a messenger came with invites to all the ladies in the house to attend the ball being given in the prince’s honor. And so, the first chapter ended with the first choice the reader has to make (I won’t further spoil the book for you).

If you love Cinderella then you will love this book. All the elements are still there but characters being strengthened with new abilities. Of course, to begin with I wasn’t sure about all these new twists and add-ons just as I wasn’t sure about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies(which by the way, I really enjoyed) but I was lured into the story and was really happy with my choices. And I’m sure you will too...

[Kt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always wondered why Cinderella never ran away from home as her life couldn't have really gotten any worse if she did. Well, this book finally answered that question for me. She never escaped because her stepmother was a very powerful wizard who used black magic to entrap her. Cinderella also isn't as meek and mild as she has seemed in the past fairy tales. She is actually very strong willed and tries to make the best of an impossible situation. Her determination and strength are nothing short of admirable as most would have crumbled under the horrific treatment she was subjected to. I also really liked how she didn't swoon over the idea of a prince, but fell for a messenger instead. Even when he kept pushing the idea of winning the prince over, she would just smile and tell him he was all she wanted, making her even more worthy of her happy ending.


This book follows a set of twists and turns that will allow you to chose Cinderella's path. However, there is no wrong choice as you are guaranteed a very happy ending. While this book is more geared towards a younger audience, it was still pretty entertaining to me. There is enough action to more than keep the reader's interest as well as just the right amount of romance to ensnare the reader into hoping Cinderella survives her plight and gets the guy in the end. Tweens and younger teens should enjoy this book and the message of inner strength and beauty is sure to please the adults in their family.

[GardeniaPearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, is a clever retelling of the classic fairytale. After Cinderella’s father dies, Cinderella is kept prisoner in her own house by her stepmother who is a powerful wizard. Secretly, Cinderella trains as a wizard and a ninja, in order to escape. When it is announced that a royal ball and magic tournament is being held, Cinderella knows this is her chance to escape from her stepmother.

It’s difficult to give a summary of this plot, because at three different places in the book, the reader gets to choose what happens next. In total there are eight ways to read the book. I was impressed with the author’s skill to bring each storyline into sync in order for each choice the reader makes to flow with the overall story. To fully appreciate the book, you must read more than one path through it. On a first reading, some parts of the book may appear over simplistic with loose threads. A second reading down a different path reveals how well the author set up the book to enable two storylines.

The stepmother was evil to the core; she’s probably the wickedest stepmother I’ve seen. Cinderella seemed a bit naive about the depth of her cruelty; although if she had not have been, the story would likely have been very depressing. I adored Cinderella’s romance and enjoyed that she and he worked together to save each other; ultimately, Cinderella saves the day.

This was an enjoyable book that I’d defiantly read again.

[Xena Elektra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost my review while saving, so this won't be as in-depth.

Liked the idea. Enjoyed the romance and the fact that this version of Cinderella had a legitimate reason for not changing her situation. (I hate when Cinderella doesn't just LEAVE when she could walk out and get a paying job doing the same thing)

Didn't enjoy a few aspects. Touch on them briefly. The love magic at the end was cheesy. I rolled my eyes several times as the magic of love would constantly "save" Cinderella and Ty. Thought Ty being the prince was way, way, way too obvious throughout the book. I don't think Cinderella being the best ninja at the contest was believable for someone self-taught with little time on her hands and no place to really train(a place with items and so on to practice with).

There was also an error in the path where Cinderella chooses to leave the wand with Max. In it Cinderella is noticing the wand group and says something like, "though she'd ignored Max's advice and brought the wand ..." (I'd looked it up for the exact quote when I wrote the original review). There was some formatting errors(double spaces between some words and apostrophes not counting as characters so contractions weren't spaced out but looked like "shed" with an apostrophe hanging over it).

Overall had a very MG feel to it even thought he book is targeted for YA and the choose your own adventure was a bit pointless as you only make about 3 choices in the book and none of them effect how the story ends.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I jumped to get this one. First, it was described as a twisted fairy tale (heh... twisted!). Next, Cinderella was a ninja warrior! I was sold and didn't even read the blurb. Anyhoo... I do admit I did enjoy this book. The choices laid out for you to make seemed like easy choices and no brainers to me. So, the story I read I really enjoyed. Cinderella was a girl that, despite the torturous, and even more physically abusive Stepmother than we are used to seeing, we find learns to stand up for herself. She is one that is concerned about others and is unfailingly kind. Plus, in this book, magic runs throughout the kingdom and Cinderella inherited a considerable amount of natural magical ability from her mother. In this book, there is no fairy godmother, but a cat who helps her become more of a wizard and also a ninja warrior. The story I read was written well and I was interested in this book from the beginning to the end.

There are at least 6 possibilites. All have the first chapter and the last chapter in common. So, you control the journey, but not the outcome. I give this book 4 stars. I cannot comment on the other journeys as I just read the one story and went to the next book. Others who enjoy this sort of thing will enjoy reading Cinderella on a different journey, but coming to the same conclusion.

[Christy (TheReaderBee)]

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior is a retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella, with an added mix of wizardy and ninja fighting. Another plus is that the book allows you to chose your own adventure!

After the death of her mom, and then her dad, Cinderella is at the mercy of her evil step-mother and step-sisters. She waits on them hand and foot, and is treated badly in return. She trains in secret, hoping to one day defeat her evil step-mother and escape with her cat, Max, and to one day live happily ever after.

I really liked the characters. Cinderella was strong-willed and determined. I like Max, the cat, as well. The step-mother and sisters were about the same as they are in the original fairytale...evil!

This book was lots of fun. I really enjoyed reading it! The mixture of wizardry and martial arts was definitely interesting. The added bonus of being able to decide what was going to happen was a great fun. I believe there were 8 different ways you could mix and match the book.

If you love the original Cinderella story, you will like this book as well. Lots of fun and romance. I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Baker & Taylor Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this book!

[Yiota · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i got the book for review, i was like "there is no way i like it". I kinda loved it you know. I was never fun of Cinderella to tell you the truth. But this book...oh my...! I wish the original stories were like that! Forget the sweet cliche love story and the poor girl. Here we have witches, championships, warriors, villains and even dragons! How awesome is it? The author keeps simple the writing and it's still like you read a fairytale. And while she doesn't change the final outcome or the main story, she adds some magic in it and make it more adult-y. Plus, you get to say how the story will go! Yep1 That's right! You decide! There about 4-5 places in the book where you have the option to choose how they story will go by picking one of the two alternatives given. So when you done, you can just come back and read something else! Something like a book that never ends. I didn't try all the roads though, i cause i was pretty sure about my choice. You can imagine how much fun i had reading it! The only thing i didn't get was the "ninja" part. It doesn't seem to fit in the story that much.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior (Twisted Tales #1)
Maureen McGowan

Cinderella wants to be free of Stepmother and Stepsisters, she hopes one day she can become a ninja warrior wizard and she practices every day with the help of her cat Max. One day a messenger comes knocking on the door she can never pass. The messenger brings invitations for the Prince's Ball, Ty is the messenger's name, Ty also invites Cinderella to participate in the Wizards Competition, who ever wins will dance with the Prince. Will Cinderella ever escape her Stepmother's spells and will she be able to go to the competition?

This book is quite entertaining, there are 8 different ways the story can take you and you get to pick, I read two different ones and liked both of them. I recommend this book to young girls. Cinderella is not your typical princess, she is a hardworking, very determined girl and I like that in the story.
I give this book 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Baker & Taylor Publishing Group with the imprint of Silver Dolphin Books for the copy of this book.

[Lisarenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book and wished you could tell the Hero or Heroine what to do? Well, your wish has been granted. In this fun rendition of the classic tale of Cinderella, Maureen McGowen let's you make the decisions at three different points within the story. This version generally follows the traditional version, but adds some twists - wizards are found throughout the kingdom and, as the title implies, Cinderella's picked up some new moves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the fact I could choose what Cinderella would do utterly delightful. I like how Cinderella gains confidence as the story progresses and is stronger than the original Cinderella. The Disney Cheetah Girls' song Cinderella was dancing through my head while I was reading. Although not a big fan of the Disney set, this song just seems extremely appropriate. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.

Also available April 1st from Ms. McGowan is Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales). Looks like another book to add to my never ending list of books to read. ;)

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about time someone brought choose your own adventure books back! I used to LOVE those as a child, and I even tried to write one myself. Turns out, even at 22, I still love 'em! This book was a very fun, entertaining read. I also LOVE Cinderella, so it was pretty much already decided that I would enjoy this book. The writing was fast-paced and filled with action. Cinderella as a ninja warrior and wizard in training is a pretty awesome Cinderella! She's such a strong character, and she was made even more strong in this adaptation. The romantic aspects made it a little too adult to be classified as a young adult book, BUT I do think younger girls would still love it and find it very romantic. I had no qualms with it since I read Romance Novels all the time, but it could be a little shocking for a 13-year-old who is as innocent as I was.

I'll definitely have to read it again and choose a different path for the heroine - next time, she'll say "No" to going to the ball and maybe even compete in the wizard competition with the wand! Who knows?!

[Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from www.Bookflame.blogspot.com
I've always been a huge fan of fairy tales with Cinderella being one of my top three favorites. So of course I jumped at the chance to review Cinderella Ninja Warrior. Maureen McGowan did an excellent job of taking a classic and adding major twists that actually made the world in which Cinderella lives in much more entertaining.

The main idea was still there - Cinderella living with her evil stepmother and stepsisters and a ball where the prince will pick his bride. Now add in wizardry, enchantment spells, a prince who is wandering around "undercover" and Cinderella who has acquired some bad ass ninja skills...you have Cinderella Ninja Warrior.

You are able to choose your own adventure while reading the book. It is divided into sections where you can choose what will happen next. In total there are eight different routes the story can take. I finished Cinderella Ninja Warrior in a day. I honestly couldn't put it down and I recommend it to anyone who has loved the tale of Cinderella.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowen is a young adult novel that holds the elements of the classic fairy tale, choose your own adventure and the feel of the classic mash ups that have been coming onto the scene. The story line is familiar, poor Cinderella has an evil stepmother and wants to get away to live happily ever after. In this version there is magic, the evil stepmother is a wizard and magic is a rather normal thing in the world. Cinderella is under spells that keep her confined to the house and doing the evil stepmother's bidding. Somehow after all her work for the relentless trio Cinderella manages to spend time studying how to be a ninja from a book, under the watchful eye of a persistent cat. Oddly enough, the various aspects come together well in a simple but entertaining read.



See my complete review here.