The Stepsister Adventure

19 March 2010 | Filed Under Book Reviews 

A Review of The Stepsister Scheme, by Jim Hines

“Sometimes the stories are wrong.”
- Talia

Ever wonder what happens to fairy tale princesses after their “happily ever afters?” This book gives us the answer: they kick butt.

Danielle (a.k.a. Cinderella) is happily married until her stepsister tries to kill her. Then she finds out her husband’s been kidnapped. She tags along with Talia (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty), who uses her fairy gifts to perfect her skill at martial arts, and Snow [White], a sorceress specializing in mirror magic, to rescue her prince.

The action never stops, whether the princesses are snooping around Danielle’s old house for clues, or facing the newly-magically-endowed stepsisters in Fairytown. Definitely a book that’s hard to put down.

The characters are all well-developed, complete with dark pasts. If you’re expecting the Disney version of these princesses, think again. Their fairy tale backgrounds encompass all the original gory details, including Danielle’s stepmother chopping off parts of her daughter’s feet to fit into the glass slipper. As you can imagine, that’s bound to leave some emotional scars on our heroines and supporting characters.

The dialogue is a fun repartee. I especially enjoyed Danielle’s solutions when bargaining with tricksy fairies. And the bickering between Talia and Snow is a treat.

Without giving anything away, it’s safe to say that the final reveal of what’s really going on is a great twist to the story. Artfully done.

A random yet awesome find. Can’t wait to read the sequel!

My Rating (out of five stars)
★★★★

Comments

4 Responses to “The Stepsister Adventure”

  1. Sara S on March 19th, 2010 4:10 am

    Haha, that sounds like a fun read! I’m on the second book of Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy – a relatively random find by my bf Brian at the bookstore. We were looking for books to take to Canada and he came across the first one, and having read Williams’ Otherland series I went for it. Ruling: awesome. =D

  2. Jenn on March 19th, 2010 9:12 am

    I should read those then! Thanks for the tip!

  3. Kim on March 26th, 2010 8:32 am

    Thanks for the review, Jenn! I’m totally going to pick this up next time I’m in the book store :D

    As a side note…I hear that Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is a fun read. I haven’t touched it myself, but I’m definitely going to pick it up! :D

  4. Jenn on March 26th, 2010 8:37 am

    You’re welcome!! The sequel (The Mermaid’s Madness) is very good too! :)

    Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is definitely fun. Nothing says awesome like zombies interrupting the ball at Netherfield. (Just don’t bother with Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters. I couldn’t get past the first page.)

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    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

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