Reign of Cinders and Glass by Linsey Hall, Veronica Douglas

Fated Fairytales #1

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 2

Plot: 4.5/5

Primary Genre: Romantasy

Trigger Warnings: Violence, gore

Favorite Quote: “Touched by the Fates?” Aamon scoffed. “She’s a drunk. She’s touched by whiskey, not prophecy. You know as well as I do that there’s no magic beyond these walls.”

Blurb: In a world ruled by immortals, her only hope may lie in the heart of their darkest prince.When my sister Belle goes missing, I venture deep into the cursed woods to find her. Ruthless vampires rule over our kingdom, and I’m terrified she’s been murdered like so many others. As I’m searching, I’m caught by the worst immortal of them Prince Cassius, dark Lord of the Bloodvale. I barely escape with my life, and the memory of his cruel beauty haunts me. So does the thought that Belle might be in his castle. When I join the mortal resistance, I get the chance to infiltrate his stronghold. I’ll find Belle and fight the vampires from within. It’s not easy. I’m worked to the bone by a pair of wicked sisters and danger abounds, but the secrets I discover are worth it. The castle is filled with magic…and so am I. I’ll have to keep my mission and power hidden if I want to survive, but the prince’s stormy gaze follows me everywhere. When he chooses me as his personal servant, can I hide the truth? Or will the magnetic pull between us drag me to my doom?

Reign of Cinders and Glass is a standalone Cinderella Romantasy with vampires, a dark prince, and a powerful heroine who will endure any risk to save the people she loves. Prepare for action, danger, and a steamy romance with a HEA.

This adult Cinderella retelling

A strong heroine with a secret power

A brooding vampire prince who is obsessed with the heroine

Touch her and die

Enemies to lovers

A one-horse moment

Found family

Discovery of magic

Cinderella favorites – a masquerade ball, a handsome prince, wicked vampire sisters, devoted animal friends, a (tipsy) fairy godmother, and of course, a Happily Ever After

The Good:

* Even as a fairy tale retelling, the story strayed far away enough from the original that it stands on it’s own. All of the Cinderella story characters and elements are there but the story is completely reworked into something new, refreshing, and entertaining.

* I liked that the story had a touch of darkness and a morally gray/touch her and die MMC. Not S&M morally gray, more like total asshole morally gray. It’s so opposite of any Disney prince, it’s refreshing. This is NOT a dark romance, for anyone who may be thinking that based on this bullet point.

* I loved the strong female MC, the opposite of most Disney princesses waiting for a man to come and save them. Ella is a very “grab life by the balls” type of girl, rather than sitting around waiting around for something to happen.

* The story held my attention really well, there was never a dull moment. And just when I’d think I had things figured out, BAM! Plot twist. It made this book very hard to put down.

The Meh:

* I know Ella is a kind and compassionate character but I really would have liked to see her exact some revenge on those rotten sisters after everything that they put her through.

* I also would have liked to see Ella square up with her stepmother at the end, it didn’t feel like the loose strings of that tension got tied up. And if my stepmother did the type of stuff hers did, there would be a confrontation.

* There are two spice scenes in this book so if you’re someone who likes lots of spice, you may be disappointed. However, the spice on the page is well done. It’s not overly vulgar and integrates well into the storyline.

Bottom Line:

Linsey Hall is one of my favorite authors so she could publish a 25 page short story and I’d read it but I truly enjoyed this book. The plot was unpredictable in all the right ways, which is important in a fairytale retelling. The story strayed JUST far enough away from the original to be absolutely fascinating. The Bloodvale world is immersive and complex, with an intense vampire vs humans feud that fuel the plotline. The love story is forbidden and fated. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who likes romantasy, vampire books, fairytale retellings, fairytales and/or happily ever afters. I’m going to need a physical copy for my trophy shelf!

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