Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: May 2010
ISBN: 9781599904788
Source: Library
Things I Liked:
This was a fun, sweet story. I like Poppy because she isn't a good, perfect, ladylike princess - she swears, she plays cards, she has an attitude and she is also quite blunt. The story itself is very cute - I especially enjoyed the Cinderella twist that makes for a interesting new view of the original tale. Plus, it's also refreshing to have the main character not actually be Cinderella. Lots of fun for younger girls and fairy tale lovers.
"All in all a most satisfactory evening," Marianne announced.
Poppy had to laugh. "It ended with us standing in the garden, looking over an unconscious prince and a red-faced Jasper Antwhistle." She paused, making sure that Lady Margaret was asleep before continuing. "Who was attacked rather haphazardly, by Prince Christian after I slapped him for trying to kiss me and pinch my bottom at the same time." p 33
"Any girl with a dowry is told from the day she's born that she has to marry just the right person for just the right reasons at just the right time." She grimaced. "All you can hope for is that he's got teeth. And hair." p 61Things I Didn't Like:
I didn't think it had quite as much sparkle and life as Princess of the Midnight Ball, which is essentially about Poppy's older sisters. Poppy was a delightful character, but the story was almost too simple and the ending fairly obvious from the start. I liked the humor and sarcasm, but it definitely lacked the magic of the first book.
Read-alikes:
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
though apparently Poppy can swear with the best soldiers, she never actually does so on page
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: none
Overall rating: ****
Got a favorite Cinderella story?
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I'm not sure what my favorite Cinderella story would be. I remember having read some of Ella Enchanted when I was younger, but I don't remember a whole lot, except for being furious at her step-sisters. The idea that Ella is forced to do things for others is, however, very creative - any other girl could easily kick over the bucket of soapy water and announce that she's leaving.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Yah content warnings! I love those!
ReplyDeleteI liked this one better than Midnight Ball, but then I didn't like Midnight Ball much, so that's not a big endorsement. :-D
ReplyDeleteI like Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix best. Very nice twist on the whole Cinderella story.
Nice review! I've added this to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteI love Cinderella stories. I liked Ella Enchanted and adored Just Ella. My most favorite is the picture book Fanny's Dream.
Wow, I gotta catch up on all these Jessica Day George books! So behind...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book, except that Eleanora annoyed the heck out of me.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I loved Ella Enchanted - totally agree that she would have left them behind if she had a choice.
ReplyDeleteJuju, I'm obviously a fan of the warnings myself :)
Melissa, I haven't heard of a lot of people who liked Glass better than Midnight Ball...I better go read your reviews again! And I too love Just Ella, though I can't remember much about it other than that.
alison, I have that picture book too and it is quite good - a down to earth version, I'd say.
Suey, and here I was hoping she'd publish a few more for me to read!
NotNessie, amen about Eleanora. Seriously wanted to slap her!