#stepsister book

[ireadyabooks]

Books To Be Thankful For

‘Tis the season to be grateful and give thanks! We’re thankful for books all year round, but since it’s Thanksgiving time, we wanted to take a moment to call out a few books that have meant a lot to us lately. ❤️

STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly

It’s about time that the “ugly” stepsisters from Cinderella had their story told! In this retelling of the classic fairytale, stepsisters Isabelle and Tavi deal with the fallout after Cinderella leaves for the palace - and go on a journey of redemption and empowerment. We can all take some inspiration out of this story and learn that there’s truly nothing more beautiful than courage.

CALL DOWN THE HAWK by Maggie Stiefvater

Anyone who has read The Raven Cycle has a LOT to be thankful for this holiday season now that Ronan Lynch’s story has continued in the first book of The Dreamer Trilogy! Luckily for everyone, this story has plenty to offer for non-Raven Cycle fans, too - from fantastical dream-creatures to art forgers to the end of the world. Reading Call Down the Hawk will prove to you that anything is possible!

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST by Mason Deaver 

This year, we’re thankful to have read this incredible debut from Mason Deaver about a non-binary teen coming out to their parents and finding love, acceptance, and friendship. If you haven’t read this book yet, move it to the top of your TBR pile, because I Wish You All the Best is the perfect book to remind us that while we all have our own struggles, what matters most is being true to yourself. 

SHADOWSCENT by P.M. Freestone

Sometimes you need a fantasy to really envelop all of your senses. In Shadowscent, P.M. Freestone has created a stunning world where magic is linked to fragrance. We’re thankful to have spent time in the Aramtesh Empire on an epic quest and to have been brought in so fully to this world! 

TARNISHED ARE THE STARS by Rosiee Thor

Tarnished are the Stars is the sci-fi fantasy adventure that we’re thankful to have read this year! Anna, who has a clockwork heart and supplies black market medical tech, is such an inspiration as she fights to save her people from an epidemic of heart defects. If you’ve wanted to see queer representation in fantasy, this is absolutely the book for you.

[srtmoony]

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[fracturethefairytale]

A Dark and Feminist Story of Redemption, Empowerment, and a New Definition of Beauty. 

Start reading Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly, the story that starts where Cinderella ends.

[ireadyabooks]

A Story by Any Other Name

There’s nothing like re-invented a classic story and twisting an original narrative. We have a soft spot for retellings of all kinds - so today we’re rounding up our favorites! 

#1: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

This dark retelling starts where Cinderella ends––when Cinderella leaves with the prince and the ugly, vindictive stepsisters are left behind. But this story is about what happens when “ugly stepsister” Isabelle has a chance to change her fate, and reinvents the classic story at every turn. Start reading Stepsister! 

#2: Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury

Anastasia...in space?! Say no more! Actually, we have a lot more to say about this one. After rebellion swept the galaxy and the entire Leonov royal family was murdered, a new order rules the Belt of Jewels. When it’s revealed that Stacia is in fact the last surviving member of the Leonov family, she must race across a galaxy turned against her to save those she loves.

#3: Storm-Wake by Lucy Christopher 

This list wouldn’t be complete without a Shakespeare retelling. This atmospheric and romantic retelling of The Tempest is sure to have you ready to re-read all of the Bard’s work. Moss has grown up on the strangest and most magical of islands. Her father has a plan to control the tempestuous weather that wracks the shores. But the island seems to have a plan of its own...fall into Storm-Wake now! 

#4: Dark Breaks the Dawn and Bright Burns the Night by Sara B. Larson

This dark retelling of Swan Lake is a duology packed with romance, betrayal, and deception! On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. In order to defeat dark forces plotting against her, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price. Intrigued? Start reading! 

#5: Everland, Umberland, and Ozland by Wendy Spinale

In the Everland series, you get THREE retellings for the price of one! Starting with a retelling of Peter Pan, then Alice in Wonderland, and closing out with The Wizard of Oz. Book one, Everland, starts in London, which has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only way to grow up is to survive. Start reading! 

[ireadyabooks]

Our Favorite Misunderstood Villains

Halloween is JUST around the corner, and we’ve been thinking a lot about our favorite misunderstood villains. Here are a few villains who have more to their story than just being evil! 

Who are some of your favorite villains that might not be as evil as they seem? 

THE UGLY STEPSISTERS IN CINDERELLA

Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters get a pretty bad reputation in the fairy tale, and an even worse fate (in the original, crows peck out their eyes!). But in Jennifer Donnelly’s dark retelling, the story picks up where Cinderella ends, and gives us a deeper look into the stepsisters’ lives. It brings one stepsister, Isabelle, on a journey of redemption and empowerment that will have you rethinking this classic fairytale. 

DRACO MALFOY IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES

Draco Malfoy is your CLASSIC school bully from the first moment we meet him at Hogwarts. But throughout the series, we see how much pressure he’s under from his family and from the legacy of Slytherin pure-bloods that he’s supposed to uphold. He doesn’t exactly get a redemption arc, but we do get to see the cracks in his armor and get an understanding for why he does what he does.

REGINA GEORGE IN MEAN GIRLS

Everyone knows that Regina George is the quintessential evil queen bee. But in the novelization of the classic movie, we get to see behind her plastic facade and read things from her point of view! She might still be mean, but she’s not quite evil. Why? You’ll have to read to find out!

[ireadyabooks]

There’s nothing like NEW BOOKS! 📚

How we feel about all the amazing new books we get to add to our TBR:

Are you ready?! Here are the books we’re running to the bookstore to get!

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

This fiercely feminist retelling of Cinderella is empowering and will redefine the way you look at beauty. Start reading! 

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

I Wish You All the Best is the emotional and powerful story of a non-binary teen finding love and acceptance after coming out to their parents. Start reading! 

On A Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott

On a Scale of One to Ten is the harrowing and powerful story of a girl in a psychiatric institute fighting for her future while hiding from her past. Start reading! 

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

The city of Noor is a refuge to a thousand faiths, where one young woman is caught in a magical battlefield between two clans of powerful djinn. Start reading!

[ireadyabooks]

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly is the fiercely feminist story of redemption and empowerment that we all need in our lives. 🔥 ✨ Start reading STEPSISTER today!

[ireadyabooks]

Don’t just fracture the fairy tale...

SHATTER IT.

Isabelle should be blissfully happy-she's about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe . . . which is now filling with blood.

Isabelle tried to fit in. She cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. Sweet. More like Cinderella. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. Now she has a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

Evoking the darker, original version of the Cinderella story, Stepsister shows us that ugly is in the eye of the beholder, and uses Jennifer Donnelly's trademark wit and wisdom to send an overlooked character on a journey toward empowerment, redemption . . . and a new definition of beauty.

Start reading your exclusive excerpt of STEPSISTER now!

Stepsister Excerpt by on Scribd

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