April 17, 2023
Soria makes her adult debut (after the YA novel Fire with Fire, written as Destiny Soria) with a clever if occasionally slogging twist on “Cinderella.” Ash Vincent, an orphaned scullery maid, hatches a plan with her stepfamily to con her way into becoming princess and thus secure fortunes for her stepsisters. She infiltrates the royal court of Solis as dazzling but demure Lady Aislinn under strict orders to charm Prince Everett, keeping him wrapped around her finger through illegal magic. But Aislinn has her own agenda, and things become increasingly precarious as war looms between Solis and neighboring country Eloria. Meanwhile, her growing feelings for and dangerous flirtations with Everett’s best friend, the Elorian hostage prince, threaten to derail Aislinn’s plans. As her careful lies slowly unravel, Aislinn becomes torn morally and romantically as she struggles to balance her two identities. It’s a fun premise replete with espionage and just a touch of magic, but the plot is bogged down by overly involved political scheming and the ending is disappointingly rushed. Still, fans of retold fairy tales will be drawn in by this savvy upending of a classic character. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.
June 1, 2023
An unlikely princess is driven by a secret political mission in Soria's take on "Cinderella." Lady Aislinn and Prince Everett's whirlwind romance was an instantaneous legend. An unknown noblewoman forced into servitude by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters sneaks into the prince's birthday ball, they fall in love, he finds her by using the shoe she left behind, and so on and so on. Everyone in the kingdom of Solis knows the story. But stories so rarely tell the whole truth. In Lady Aislinn's case, the truth is that she and her stepfamily schemed up the whole fairy tale, missing shoe and all, in order to get Aislinn married to the prince. That same wicked stepmother, Seraphina, has been training her stepdaughter and two daughters all their lives to be expert con artists and also to be so skilled in illegal magic that Aislinn knows how to cast a little spell to manipulate Prince Everett into falling for her. Seraphina's goal is to secure wealth and security, but Aislinn has plans Seraphina doesn't know about. Her motivation to secure her place in the Solisti royal family has little to do with money and jewels and more to do with a notorious political prisoner and the welfare of a downtrodden neighboring nation that Aislinn--supposedly--has no reason to care about. Soria effectively spins several layers of conspiracy here, and once the twists start coming they only keep building. While there is a somewhat perfunctory romance, far more interesting are Aislinn's relationships with the many finely drawn female characters, including Seraphina, her daughters, Aislinn's palace maid, and Mariana, the queen of Solis. And unlike fairy tales, which have clean moral lessons, this book is unafraid of the deep complications and compromises people in positions of real power and influence sometimes have to make in order to do what's right. A standout fairy-tale retelling.
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Starred review from June 1, 2023
Soria's (Fire with Fire) adult debut is a Cinderella retelling in a fantasy kingdom with access to magic. The story begins after the fairytale meeting, with twists and a true love that isn't expected. Ash and her stepsisters have been trained by her stepmother to use magic to manipulate and control, with the goal of forming an influential marriage. The day of Prince Everett's ball, Ash uses magic to get the prince to fall in love with her. After he sweeps Ash away from her evil stepmother to the palace, they begin to plan their wedding. Unbeknownst to Ash, however, there is another prince there, the hostage prince Rance of Eloria, whose charm is distracting Ash from her original scheme. VERDICT Soria's novel will grab readers right from the first page with her strong women characters and unexpected twists on a classic tale, as it alternates between the present and past, slowly revealing the real story and the depth of the characters. Fans of Marissa Meyer, Holly Black, and Rebecca Ross will enjoy this read.--Leigh Verburg
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from June 1, 2023
In her first foray into adult fiction after the young adult Fire with Fire (2021, as Destiny Soria), Soria reinvents a classic fairy tale to address physical, political, social, and economic abuse. Everyone thinks they know the true story behind Cinderella. But it was actually a con job, conceived of and brought about by a willing stepdaughter with the full cooperation of her stepmother and stepsisters. There was no fairy godmother, no transforming pumpkin or mice, and although there was a lost slipper, it was not made of glass. The scam worked mostly due to Lustre, a naturally occurring crystal that, when ground into powder, is used for casting magic spells. The goal was for Ash Vincent, otherwise known as Lady Aislinn, to embed herself among the nobility, arrange to find wealthy husbands for her stepsisters, and then allow her stepmother access to their power and influence. But Ash set her trap for a prince rather than the wealthy industrialist her stepmother chose and has another scheme in play, a secret one known only to herself. What Ash had not accounted for was that there were two princes, not just one. Fantasy fans will wish to explore this fascinating revisionist take on what really happens "happily ever after.
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