Review: What if Cinderella was a werewolf? And so was the Prince?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
What if Cinderella was a werewolf? And so was the Prince? And the Stepmother was not only Wicked but Insane? This is not the Cinderella story your Daddy told you – unless your dad was a cross between Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.The heroine is Loupe and as the Cinderella character she is used and abused, far beyond the usual scrubbing floors and waiting on the Stepsisters. [Since this is werewolf story, naming the heroine ‘Loupe’ is a bit of tell.] She was bitten by a dying wolf which began her secret life as a loup garou and further complicated her situation. She fears her secret being revealed, she fears what she might do as a wolf, and she especially fears her Stepmother who has made a career out of poaching wolves out of the King’s forest… Despite her fears Loupe exhibits warmth and courage under adversity.The Prince is Etienne, a lycanthrope [born werewolf as opposed to the loup garou who are made werewolves], who was ‘saved’ by a well-meaning witch. At least she thought she was saving him by putting a spell on him to make him permanently human. The spell is time-sensitive so to break it he must be bitten by a loup garou before he becomes permanently human. To find one they plan the great ball…Of course we all know how the ball worked out, only this time rather than turning back into a scullery maid the heroine turns into a wolf… Of course, she’s the wolf of the prince’s dreams AND the cure for his not-so-little problem so it’s all good.It’s a good read with a few light-hearted moments and several exceedingly grim ones. Although this is basically a stand-alone novel, the opening line of the prologue - “The werewolf, the vampire, the demon, the angel, and the god. Oh, Blessed Goddess, I have my work cut out for me.” - makes it obvious that it is part of a series based on preternatural princes making their perfect matches. Looks good, I am anticipating the next one.Copy received from Netgalley and publisher for an honest review.