A Reimagining of Cinderella (The Andari Chronicles Book 1)

I loved this book! It was enough of a twist on the Cinderella story to keep me engaged from the first page to the last, and the balance between witty banter, intrigue, and (clean) romance met my every hope. I'm ready to start on the next book in the series! Thank you to the author for such a perfect, delightful read!

I want to add something. (It's been a few weeks since I finished the book). The two main characters have stuck with me since then, and I realized why. Yes, they feel like real people with real struggles. Yet, instead of being victims to their faults, or merely being forced by circumstance to change, they consciously work to overcome those shortcomings. I laughed and cried with them (literally!). They are human--but in trying to be better, they are also heroic. That's what makes this book stand out from many of the other fairy tale retellings. Masterfully done, Ms. Davidson. :)

I am a Cinderella fan and love spin offs so when I found the traitors masque I couldn't wait to dive in. Unfortunately while the book had a great plot and potential to be interesting it just fell flat. The characters are dull and I felt no connections at all. The conversations were boring and I found myself skimming just to get through the book. None of the twist were remotely surprising and I barely got through the ending. I am not interested enough in the series to buy any of the sequels because honestly I don't care about the characters to see what happens down the line. I think with stronger characters, and stronger development this could be a good book. It does have nice potential and I loved the spin on the classic love at first sight happily ever after story.

I loved the fact that this Cinderella retelling had a smart, thinking Cinderella who wasn't washing floors and doing housework. Rather, she was thinking. Unfortunately, that's where the story broke down for me. I know one is to suspend disbelief when reading books like these. However, some of the rationales given for why some characters did or didn't do what they did, forced disbelief too far for me. A very promising teaser, but the execution needed help.

It's just days until Christmas and not a gift has been wrapped or a cookie baked because I have not been able to get my nose out of this book! The complex and captivating characters, gripping storyline, and vividly described world of Andar made for a delightful escape. A fairy tale, yes, but one with depth, intelligence, and suspense. An excellent debut from Kenley Davidson; I'll be anticipating her next book.

Yep I read it. Plot was thrown together with everything including the kitchen faucet. A simpler plot with real thoughts and emotions would have told the story. The writer needs to leave the thesaurus on the bookshelf and out of their book.

I can't really say what it was, might be that the beginning of the book was too slow... But I just could get passed 16%
It might get better further on in the book, but I just couldn't bring myself to continue reading and the crazy thing is that I love twists on Disney stories...

Aaaahhh! I really struggled with what to rate this book. On the one-hand it is well written with a good plot, good character developments, etc…On the other hand it didn’t live up to my expectations at all. It is advertised as a “Romantic Fantasy” when it is really neither.
I knew going in that it would be clean, but this is so PG it puts Disney to shame. They don’t so much as kiss until the last sentence! Yeah, I'm gonna need more than that. It is hard to sell a romance in today’s market with no physical connection. The characters barely spend any time together. In fact, after the first 25% they spend no time together, when the Prince didn’t think she was someone else and was not interested in her romantically, until the end of the last chapter. NOT EVEN AT THE BALL!!!
This is the signal most important moment of a Cinderella story and Davidson gives me nothing but political drama with ZERO romance. Even if the Prince is too dim to realize it’s the girl he is “falling in love with” Davidson could have given me some romance from Trystan’s perspective. Something about how it felt to be in the Prince’s arms and how dashing he looked in his court attire and she couldn’t stop watching him. SOMETHING! I’m clearly still mad about it and I read this book over a month ago! This just might be the 1 love story that is a worse love story than Twilight!
It also isn’t much of a fantasy. Besides taking place in a fictional setting with fictional characters there is nothing about it that couldn’t have happened in Medieval Europe. There is no magic, no fantasy creatures, there is nothing at all unique about this world Davidson has “created.” While I thought the story worked without magic (like Ever After) it makes it a weak fantasy.
The plot while interesting was a bit too convoluted, another reviewer likened it to “the kitchen sink” and they were spot on. It was too long for my taste and began to drag by the end. Some situations seemed a little too contrived. Also, as another reviewer said there were a few too many “ridiculously inflated word choices.” It felt a little like every other sentence Davidson pulled out her thesaurus for no reason.
I wanted to rate it a 2 since it didn’t at all meet my expectations, but expectations aside it is pretty well written. I enjoyed the backstory Davidson created around the flat characters of the original story to give them more depth. She beefed up the plot nicely. I thought the character development was strong.
In summary, the lack of romance (especially at The Ball), overly convoluted plot, length, and forced plot points are what kept this book from being 4-5stars. Creativity, character development, and overall writing skills are what kept it from being 2-stars.

I loved this book. The writing is smooth. I immediately felt drawn into the story world and empathized with both Trystan and Ramsey. I thought both characters were well-drawn and the romance was definitely swoon-worthy. I desperately wanted them to be together.

I'm a huge fan of fairytale retellings, but Cinderella has never been my favorite story. Despite that, I absolutely loved what Davidson did with the tale, especially in adding a whole layer of political intrigue. It kept me guessing and made the familiar story feel fresh and new. As a heroine, Trystan was strong and independent, but also had a great capacity to love and be loved. Ramsey was smart and strong, too. They were a well-matched team.

Fans of fairytales retold should definitely read this story. If you loved the movie Ever After or are a fan of Robin McKinley or Melanie Dickerson's tales, definitely add Traitor's Masque to the top of your to read list!

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sigh. By now, I'm sure you all know what a sucker I am for fairytales. And when I saw a review mentioning that this book is similar to the movie Ever After (my favorite), I had to read it.

This was such a beautiful book. Not super intense, or suspenseful, but just enough to keep me hooked. The pacing was not extremely fast, but it wasn't so slow it was dull, either. It was more like climbing a staircase--steady, but relentless. The plot itself was great--it stuck with more of the traditional feel of fairytales while still being fresh. There was no Prince Charmings [ SPOILER: Excepting the evil one. END SPOILER], no magical fairy godmothers [SPOILER: Again, excepting the evil one. But she wasn't magical, so it doesn't quite count. END SPOILER], and no pumpkin coaches. But it still was very much a Cinderella story. If you've seen Ever After (if you haven't, you must--right now), you will understand what I mean.

The main characters were not perfect, but flawed. They were relatable and understandable. They were real. They would make a decision and I would think "Yes! That's exactly what you should do in this situation." Then I would see how that would turn out and be like "Oh. I didn't expect that to happen. Should have thought things through." Can't fault them too much for making bad decisions--I probably would have done the same things. I also loved their sense of humor, and the brilliant, witty banter that went on back and forth. The characters were definitely the best part of this book.

Another thing about this book that amazed me was the incredible vocabulary the author possesses. I came across words such as wastrel, supposition, pungency, and insouciance (the last one was a bit over-used in the first part of the book.) It is rare for me to find a book containing words I am not already familiar with, but this one did the trick. Now, to find a way to incorporate insouciance into everyday language...

Some minor quibbles: I took one star off for the combination of the following: first of all, the setting--while being very traditional--could be improved. I'm a big fan of amazing world-building (think Nadine Brandes' Out of Time trilogy), so I would have liked to see more in Traitor's Masque. Another thing: the stepmother and stepsisters could use some rounding out, and something to make them a little more sympathetic. They felt flatly villainous. And last of all, it had a good bit of profanity. Not a fan. Other than that, I'm satisfied.

Wrap-up: Traitor's Masque is a perfect retelling of Cinderella. It is traditional without feeling dull, and features characters that could be easily transplanted to the real world (as long as it was back in the 17th or 18th century). You also might wish to keep a dictionary on hand while reading.

Rating: 4 stars

Recommended: 13 and up (mostly due to language concerns and one violent scene)

Content guide (may contain minor spoilers):

Language: 6/10 (profanity used fairly regularly)
Violence: 6/10 (violent death of a character, a bit gruesome. characters incurs serious wounds while escaping.)
Sexual Content: 1/10 (characters is referenced as being a womanizer, but that is the extent. one light kiss, not described.)

*Many thanks to the author for providing a copy to review!*

For more reviews, see gabriellenblog.wordpress.com and fullofbooks.com

Intrigue, romance, mystery, attempted murder, betrayal. This book is an amazing retelling of the Cinderella tale. It does not have any magic involved, but it isn’t needed. Also, don’t think that because there’s no magic that makes it just like the film, Ever After. It’s not. This story is complex and incredibly detailed.

This is definitely a grown-up version following the Cinderella model. The vocabulary used is extensive and very high level. There is an instance of strong language, but just the one. You will find no sex, but some mild violence. I felt that these things were appropriately used in the story and that the complexity of the tale demanded these things. The plots within plots of the tale made for a fascinating read, and it was great to see characters learn hard truths about themselves and choose change.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for an adult retelling of a favorite fairy tale. Be warned, though, once you get past some of the initial similarities to the childhood favorite, you will be sucked into a deep tale that bears only a cursory resemblance to what you might remember from your childhood.

This is a wonderfully original take on the fairy tale of Cinderella. Trystan Embrie Colbourne lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters. Her father had plenty of money and he was a Lord. After his death, she was really emotional and her stepmother used it to her advantage. Prince Ramsey Donevan Tremontaine was the second son so he shouldn't have had to be King. He doesn't want to be King but he's stuck because his older brother has done some bad things and the King decided he couldn't be it. Trystan and Ramsey both met but they didn't know the other person's name or anything about them.

Trystan was very close and loved her father very much. She doesn't remember her mother. Her stepmother and stepsisters have not been loving or good to her at all. She's pretty much a prisoner in her own home. She's not really allowed to go out and the stepmother has made it seem that Trystan is too emotional and distraught to go out in public. She meets Ramsey on her birthday when she's just trying to go out for a day away from the house and away from her life for a short time. She's asked by a neighbor to go to the masque to pass a message along and promised her freedom. She doesn't know much about politics and other things going on. But she wants her freedom so she turns a blind eye.

Ramsey didn't want to be king. His older brother was but there are scandals and other things that made it unacceptable to be King. Rowen has done many terrible things but Ramsey and the King don't want to believe him to be bad. He works really hard but Rowen is believed to be much more handsome and charismatic. Meeting Trystan has made him think that he could be cared for but he doesn't think she would be able to marry him without causing a scandal.

Definitely worth reading.

This was a different take on the Cinderella tale. I love how the relationship developed between Trystan and Donevan, how it started off as a friendship where they didn't even exchange names and developed more over time. It was a beautiful development. One of the things I've always hated about the original tale was how they met, fell in love, and he didn't know how to find her without the bloody shoe. Really? You wouldn't recognize the face of the woman you spent ALL NIGHT dancing with?!? No. This tale didn't do that. He knew exactly how and where to find her. He just didn't know her real name - just the name she was using at the ball. Add into that the political intrigue and plot against the royal crown, and this was a wonderful story. Loved it.

This book was amazing! I honestly thought it was going to be one of those average fast reads and was so wrong. I'm not one for the whole political aspect in my stories but took a chance on this book was so glad I did. The story is complex and gives you a more depth look at love and real trials that couples go through when it comes to getting to know one another and trust. What I really love is how the characters are flawed and make countless mistakes. Both main characters are very self aware and are at a crossroads of growing up learning to see things beyond their own lives and how to forgive and move forward in their lives.

Retelling fairy tales is very popular in literature and media. Doing a search for all the variations would probably end in wading through several pages of information. Finding ones that are not boring or 'same-old, same-old' in slightly different dress can be much harder. I am not authorized to make declarations of 'most original', or 'best.' However, this story is, in my opinion, a well told Cinderella.
There are no singing critters, or sweet moments of instantaneous attraction. There are real-feeling people, who sometimes make real mistakes, and have to learn to forgive, understand, grow and grow-up, love, and even let go.
On a more OCD note, this story was also just plain well-written. I did not stumble over any obvious spelling or grammar mistakes. If there were any, I missed them in the midst of all the intrigue. (Kudos to the editors/beta readers) Best of all, this lady is *not* afraid of words. I was delighted to find uncommon words liberally scattered throughout the story. As someone often accused of not 'speaking English' while growing up, this was quite a heartening sight.

Very good. The story feels like a fairy tale being read to you. I could almost hear that perfect, distinguished female voice-slightly deep-in my mind. The author has an excellent vocabulary and this book presented to me the opportunity to learn some new words. I especially loved how the prologue and epilogue were both told omnisciently, unlike the rest of the novel. Fifth star added for the free audio version with KU, though I am not overly fond of the narrator.

I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited, then let it languish in my library for a while. I put off reading it because I'm a little tired of the fairy tale retelling genre. I'm sorry that I waited! The story is well written and moves along well, the characters are interesting and engaging. The only slight drawback is that some of the character's introspections seemed to drag out just a bit. But that was a minor distraction to an otherwise very good story. I've already picked up the next one in the series and hope that this is a prolific author!

I really enjoyed this twist on Cinderella. All of the main story curves were there: the evil stepmother and sisters, the shoe, the hunt for the mystery girl, and of course the happily ever after. The writing style / language is different, but I grew accustomed to it as I read. It was an enjoyable read. I plan to see what other fairy tales this author has worked her magic on.

I'm having a little trouble understanding my reaction to this book. It was decently well-written, well plotted; the main characters were pleasant (though the antagonists seemed pretty flat) and it had an active, motivated heroine. But somehow it lacked something for me, and left me feeling -- well -- "meh".

Maybe it was the fact that I like a little magic in my fairy tales. Maybe it was the fact that there didn't seem to be any real surprises -- or for that matter, any real suspense, because it was a Cinderella retelling. Maybe it was the fact that the first quarter of the book dragged (though it did pick up after that point). Maybe it was all of those things. I'm not quite sure.

I appreciate good writing -- there is so much bad stuff out there right now that just having an author who can put together coherent sentences and who knows what all the words mean is a tremendous relief (and though I don't put her up on the top echelon of writing skill, she is a solid and reasonably skillful wordsmith). I also give full props to the author for coming up with a reason for the romantic couple to misunderstand each other that _didn't_ seem contrived.

But I wanted twists that weren't obvious. I wanted the villains to be people who weren't set up to be the villains from the minute they were introduced (or before, in one case). I wanted the stepmother to have hidden depths that got more than a brief nod (or perhaps the stepsisters). As it is, only two extremely minor characters turned out to be more than they were presented as. And maybe that's what it came down to -- this was, despite the more complex plot, clearly just a retelling of Cinderella. And I wanted it to be more.

I got this book while it was free and was super impressed! The writing had issues with the show-don't-tell rule, but the story was good enough to keep it from bothering me too much. This retelling also leaves out some pretty iconic scenes from the original fairy tale, but again, I was too interested in the characters to feel the lack thereof. I really appreciated the author's finesse with big 'reveals', and the MC's character arc felt refreshingly genuine.

One of the better Cinderella retellings that I've read. I liked the characters of both Trystan and Ramsey. It was interesting that the ball happened fairly early on and a lot of the story took place afterwards as things continued to get more mired and dangerous. Trystan is in over her head, but she sinks in so gradually I completely understood how she got there.

It's a tale that has long captured the hearts of romantics and has been shared in many different ways over the years, but somehow doesn't get old. I thoroughly enjoyed this version where Embrie (Cinderella) is a spy and the couple has quite the journey to go one before finding their happily ever after. If you enjoy a classic tale with a twist, humor, and intrigue then you won't be disappointed with this book.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to satisfying end! I thought it was told well and the characters were well developed. The Cinderella of the story is not a simpering, boring, coward. She is brave, funny, and smart! The prince like wise is not a normal fairy tale prince. No erotic scenes ( thank you very much) just a great story that shows a real love in the end. Thank you for writing such a fun adventure!!!!

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. The Story is captivating, and I highly recommend it to lovers of "fairy tales" The "magic" of this book is love in all its different forms. I enjoy the rich vocabulary of the author, and the beauty of the romance written. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I really loved this book! I fell in love with the characters Trystan and Ramsey right from the beginning, and I loved the sweetness of their early courtship. I thought the political intrigue was a great story line and a wonderful means to draw the hero and heroine together, and I was as interested in that resolution as I was the romance between them.

If you are looking for an author who writes well, with a clear, smooth style and voice, and who can juggle a meaty plotline just as well as a character romance, give this book a shot! I couldn't put it down, and I read it in a day and a half!

This is not just a Cinderella re-telling. The traditional fairy tale plot line is the driver for Trystan's big decision, but there is so much more to this story than that. Our heroine must grapple with putting what she knows is right, not just over what she wants, but ultimately over her own freedom from an oppressive life, no small thing. She becomes a changed person in the process, but once decided, never wavers.

The main characters are fully fleshed out and likable, their banter together is fun, further rounding their personalities. I definitely rooted for them, and enjoyed the supporting characters as well. As a debut novel I think this was great, and I'm looking forward to more from Kenley Davidson!

This is the first book I've read of Kenley Davidson. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more. Her characters are interesting and well developed and imperfect. Her story hints at the fairy tale but takes interesting twists. The ending was great.

I loved the new take on events of the original story... No fairies or magic, but what might have happened if the events happened in the "real world".
It was so hard to put down!
I can't wait to read the next book.

Intrigue, adventure, murder, love. Poor Trystan only wanted to escape the boredom of being a lady. She hated embroidering and her life under her stepmother's rules. When a chance to be the companion of a neighbor appears Trystan hopes it will free her of her problems.

I can definitely see the similarities in Ever After, but that's ok. I liked the movie and I enjoyed this book. It was definitely a slight twist to it with the espionage and brothers. Although, I was just wanting a little bit more from it... I still kept me glued to the pages.

I loved this book!
First of all, it's great FINALLY hearing a Cinderella retelling with a heroine that actually has a backbone! Trystan was very satisfying, and I appreciated her endurance and how she stood for herself when nobody else would. Prince Ramsey was okay, but a bit too bland and serious for my liking.

The plot was suspenseful and intriguing, even if I did guess what was going to happen before it happened. While reading however, some parts may seem boring so my advice is to just keep going because it will pay off in the end.

The dialogue was beautiful, and I almost cried in the end. In all, bravo to the author! I certainly recommend this book!

Yours Truly,
Book Queen

Great writing and sense of humor! Consistent mild-moderate swearing throughout (20+ occurrences), but never took the Lord's name in vain. Clean romance and mild violence. Really enjoyed it, thank you!

This book was masterfully written. I found myself smiling throughout - truly enjoyable to read. The dialogue was especially impressive. If you loved reading Elizabeth and Darcy going back and forth you will love this book as well.

What an excellent fairy tale! I was so delighted and impressed with this author's style. Finally, I've found some clean and witty books my teenage daughters can pour over this Christmas. I'm just thrilled with this book! What a beautiful proposal scene... I will definitely read more of this author in the near future.

When I read the description I thought “ ugh another Cinderella remake”. But I’m a sucker for fairy tales, so I had to give it a shot.

I will forever be glad I did.

Never has a rendition of the classic tale been told so engagingly. I could barely put it down to go to bed, and picked it back up the first chance I had.

I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this is the best telling of a Cinderella type story I’ve yet to come across. Anyone could enjoy this tale, and you’ll not regret giving it a go.

I couldn't put this book down and I was so hard to have to when I was reading it during work. This is an amazing novel and I cannot wait to continue with the series. It had me intrigued, worried, heartbroken, confused (in a good way) and happy all through out. This is a book I would recommended to everyone and it is an amazing and different take on Cinderella. If I could give more than five stars I would!

I could not put this down! The dialogue is intelligent and deliberate. This is incredibly welcome, as many recent novels in the YA genre seem to be written only in anticipation of a future movie script. Even with a story that felt familiar, I still found myself shocked and surprised at each cliffhanger. The turns and twists are unpredictable; this was so refreshing. I'm excited to read what Davidson has in store for the rest of The Andari Chronicles.

I absolutely loved this book. The author added depth to the basic Cinderella story. The addition of the political intrigue and the fleshing out of the motivations of the two main characters kept me intrigued throughout. I can't wait to read the next in this series.

A retelling of Cinderella that is almost possible. Enjoyable believable characters that kept my interest till the very end. I seldom review a book unless I strongly like or dislike the story. This one I highly recommend.

I loved this book! It is a Cinderella reimagining that will suck you in with it's hilariously honest noblewoman and duty-bound prince. This book is worded wonderfully and will leave you wanting to read more.