Ella's "ugly" stepsister Isabelle cuts off her toes in an attempt to fit into the glass slipper, but her plan fails. She now lives in exile after the town turns its backs on her family. One day Isabelle encounters the same fairy queen who helped Ella and wishes to be pretty. The fairy queen sends her on a quest to find the pieces of her heart lost to bitterness before she grants the wish. Then Isabelle meets the Marquis de la Chance who steals the map of Isabelle's life from the Fates and offers her a chance at redemption. Caught between opposing wills, Isabelle is unwittingly placed at the center of a battle between her beloved France and an evil warlord who wants to take over the country. But it is in this position that Isabelle discovers her true wish and her true self. This book is a surprising and beautiful twist on Cinderella. Plus, did I mention I am a feminist. Totally shows the constraints of society and women's freedom. Turns out that even perfect Ella can become jealous. I cannot wait to get my hands on her next book! Poisoned. A twist on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Stepsister
By Jennifer Donnelly
A startling, fiercely feminist re-imagining of Cinderella from the bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly.
Isabelle should be blissfully happy - she's about to marry the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the girl who lost the glass slipper. She's not the beauty who captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's dainty shoe . . . which is now overflowing with blood.
When the prince discovers Isabelle's deception, she is turned away in shame. It's no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.
Isabelle tried to fit in. She cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow.
At least, that's what she believes until she finds herself an unwitting pawn in an eternal disagreement between Fate and Chance. Cold, cynical Fate contends that an ugly girl can never change her destiny. Dashing, beguiling Chance believes that Isabelle can chart her own course no matter what stands in her way.
Isabelle should be blissfully happy - she's about to marry the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the girl who lost the glass slipper. She's not the beauty who captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's dainty shoe . . . which is now overflowing with blood.
When the prince discovers Isabelle's deception, she is turned away in shame. It's no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.
Isabelle tried to fit in. She cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow.
At least, that's what she believes until she finds herself an unwitting pawn in an eternal disagreement between Fate and Chance. Cold, cynical Fate contends that an ugly girl can never change her destiny. Dashing, beguiling Chance believes that Isabelle can chart her own course no matter what stands in her way.
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN-13: 9781338268461
ISBN-10: 1338268465
Published on 5/28/2019
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 352