Review: Hard to let this world go!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2014
I enjoyed the prequel book and the sequel was no exception.Though I am giving it five stars I did have a few problems with it, so I'll get those out of the way first.There are a few typos early on but those seem to disappear in the latter half of the book. These did not detract from my enjoyment though.The story is dark, sometimes almost so full of despair that it makes it seem as if this world is nothing but a series of endless suffering and lost hope. I understand what the author was going for but there are few if any moments of real happiness and even those are clouded by the knowledge that the joy is either an illusion or only temporary.My main gripe though is Cinderella herself. She has very little character development and I felt like I never got to know her.This stands in contrast to the Prince whom had the most character development of all and I felt like by the end I really knew him.There were also many loose ends left over, but those may just seem that way from my perspective. I guess that like in real life, not all questions have answers and not everyone gets closure.I also didn't care for the fairy sub-plot, I felt that it dragged the story down and ultimately was not needed (unless it somehow ties into another story in the Dark Woods series.)Now, as for what I enjoyed...As mentioned before, the Prince is where this story really shines. Though I enjoyed Cinderella's viewpoint and the powerful evil festering within the stepmother, I think that the prince had all the best parts of this tale and it truly felt like his story.His search for the only one for him was heart wrenching and made me feel his pain throughout. It also made me want to yell at him for being a dummy so many times, especially towards the end when his hope had run out. But the fact that the authors got me so involved with the character is proof of their storytelling abilities.The stepmother here truly is wicked, though I felt myself half rooting for her at times since she was such a strong character. She is insane, she is mean but she is motivated and dedicated. This is not the mean natured Disney stepmother, this is a ruthless woman with no love or compassion, even for her daughters. Only ambition and an oubliette to get rid of whatever gets in her way!Her words to Cinderella were very revealing, though she spoke only a handful to her and ignored her most of the book.The stepsisters though were really not all that likeable. They were neither good nor wicked really and had no character development or real purpose to the story other than pawns to the stepmother...but this works out just fine and makes them objects of pity rather than scorn.The characters here are all so special and memorable. I am already missing Grimwalde, a character I initially despised but came to care about. The minor characters such as the pirates, the random servants and villagers, they all made this story feel real and I miss them all.While the story feels dark and hopeless most of the time, it has it's highlights such as the brief glimpses at a better life seen through Cinderella's eyes and the kindness and wisdom learned by the prince.You'll have to read it yourself though if you want to see if these characters can truly find their happy ending.