Steele’s debut young adult fairytale retelling takes a very different, intriguing look at the story of Cinderella. Griselda and her father have a secret: they have fairy sight. At one time the ability to see fairies was considered a blessing, but it has been punishable by death for years. After her father is killed, Griselda becomes the only gifted person—known as the “fairy kin”—left, and she’s now responsible for pulling fairies from the sunlight so they can care for the land—a skill she hasn’t yet mastered. When her mother remarries just a few months later, Griselda and her sister are told to never talk about fairies to their new stepfather or stepsister, Cynthia.

Smarter and more cunning than she first appears, Cynthia knows there’s a secret, but Griselda does all she can to keep it from her. Despite her best efforts, the danger of the “catch a fairy, make a wish” nursery rhyme makes Cynthia’s greedy dreams come true. Griselda, a tough 16-year-old, is a unique, engaging character who isn’t afraid to get dirty and can’t seem to act like a lady even when she tries. Steele smartly upends reader expectations: in this telling, Griselda doesn’t meet the prince at a ball, but has known him her whole life, growing up as best friends. It becomes quickly apparent that if they married, it would be Griselda saving him—and the kingdom—from himself, a refreshing spin.

Griselda’s relationship with the fairies, and their importance to ensuring crops, flowers, and every other living thing grows, gives the story added depth and could have easily been enough to make it stand out, but Steele adds an abundance of interesting twists: readers soon realize Griselda isn’t Cinderella—it’s her stepsister, and the Cinderella-equivalent character turns out to be selfish and mean. Readers will love the twists, and though some questions are left unanswered, this will be a favorite version of the classic tale.

Takeaway: A captivating fairy tale retelling with a refreshing twist and relatable lead.

Great for fans of: Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted, Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A