If you’re into that, read on!
To be perfectly honest, I’m not a huge fan of fairytale spin-offs as a rule.
Lately, there’s been an influx of books geared toward modernizing the traditional stories we’ve grown up with, such as The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer, that includes titles such as Cinder, Scarlet and Cress. These books are based loosely around the original stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel , with a heavy dosage of science fiction thrown in.
Though this series is really appealing to YA readers and I’m certainly not hating on Meyer’s writing (do ya thang, girl), I can’t seem to force myself to enjoy books that tarnish the magic and mysticism of the OG versions .
So I was (extremely) pleasantly surprised to absolutely fall in love with Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly. It has a modern twist, but not in the superficial way I’ve found in other books attempting to mix up the story chemistry, just for the sake of doing it.
There’s a deeper message in here, specifically for young women who feel marginalized because of how society perceives them and how they are expected to view themselves.
If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll have picked up on the fact that I’m a big fan of YA books that empower girls and allow them to view themselves through a more compassionate lens. Characters who develop throughout the story by struggling with their perceived differences and finding the ability to embrace and celebrate themselves are the bees knees and I will sing their praises everywhere.
Stepsister, as you may have guessed, is a retelling of Cinderella.
In this version, part of the story is viewed through the perspective of Isabelle, one of the ugly stepsisters. At the beginning of the book, Isabelle and her sister Tavi are being pressured by their mother to cut off their own toes in an attempt to deceive the prince into believing they are the owner of the glass slipper he is using to find his one true love.
Suffice it to say, the scheme does not work in their favor; Ella (Cinderella) escapes her confinement and is spirited away to the castle by the prince, and Isabelle and her family are openly threatened and ostracized by their village after their actions towards Ella (who is now a princess of France) have been discovered.
There’s another layer added to this retelling that made this book for me. Isabelle is adamant about redeeming herself. She believes the only way she can do this is to become physically beautiful, which she thinks will make life easier for her and her family.
Isabelle searches for the fairy queen Tanaquill, to aid her in her quest and grant her wish. Tanaquill, though reluctant to help her, tells Isabelle that she must find the three missing pieces of her heart; only then will her true heart’s desire be granted. But there are forces far greater working against Isabelle’s progress.
Donnely personifies Chance and Fate, two characters who compete with one another to alter the course of Isabelle’s life. Fate places obstacles in her path in an attempt to prevent Isabelle from successfully altering her life’s trajectory, while Chance aids Isabelle in being fearless, finding a fire within herself to brave the things that are most frightening, and to turn a deaf ear to those who wish her demise.
Real talk: I LOVE THIS VERSION MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL.
As a book purist, I’m fairly surprised by this. It’s one of the most beautiful stories of redemption I’ve ever read and allows the reader to forgive all the transgressions of a formerly fallen character. Isn’t it nice when everything pans out?
If anything, I think Isabelle is a heroine of epic proportions; she’s everything I ever wanted to be. More than pretty, more than graceful, more than the box she’s expected to place herself in.
I can’t wait to pass this copy on to a girl I think will appreciate it as much as I did.
Happy & healthy reading!
Lexi
