I received a copy of Reign of Cinders and Glass by Linsey Hall, Veronica Douglas from NetGalley. This book is a romantic fantasy (romantasy) novel, that is a retelling of Cinderella with witches and vampires. The intriguing part for me about this novel was not just the romantasy elements but a retelling in a way I haven’t read before. Witches, vampires, retelling, fantasy, romance, and even forbidden love elements made this an easy pick for me.
Ella’s kingdom is ruled by the immortals. They are ruthless and bloodthirsty. Vampires have cut them off from any other kingdom, plus there is something horrible in the forest surrounding them, which keeps people from leaving. The magic of the kingdom has been drained out. When Ella can’t find her sister, she has to take a drastic step to find her. Ella decides to work at the castle for the vampires while preparing the ball and trying to find her sister. Cassius is the Prince of Bloodvale, Ella catches his attention from the first meeting, and she doesn’t want to be noticed by him. Ella and Cassius are intrigued by each other but know nothing can come of it.
I liked the weaving of magic in the story. It starts with a subtle mention but becomes an important aspect of the story. Ella is such a strong character; she has patience and sticks to her principles. The magic around the castle starts bringing out the hidden power within her. Cassius seems cold at first glance, but slowly you start finding out more about him. Ella and Cassius are drawn to each other, and Cassius tries to protect her as much as he can. I loved how their romance blossomed; it was slow-paced, but they actually built a good understanding between them. With fantasy elements also playing a role in their romance is what intrigues me about romantasy books.
The story of Cinderella was mostly kept intact, with a spin on the main events of the classic story. Like the character’s background, not her stepsisters exactly, but evil sisters, etc. Ella has a strong sense of justice, but slowly, she realizes that maybe not all blame is on Cassius. She helps him see the strength of humans and never shies away from highlighting the suffering his kind has caused. Ella and Cassius make each other stronger as well as weaker. There is a forbidden love angle because Cassius is supposed to marry for advantage and an immortal. The book has a lot more action than I had anticipated, and the story does come full circle by the end, which I really liked.
Reign of Cinders and Glass by Linsey Hall, Veronica Douglas is an extremely interesting Cinderella retelling with fantasy and romance elements. The pace of the book kept me hooked from the start, and I finished it within a couple of days. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I can’t wait for the next fairytale retelling by the authors.
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