Cinder & Glass tells the story of Cendrillon, aka Cinder, aka our late 1600s French Cinderella, as she tries to win the heart of the Prince to escape her evil stepmother.

Cinder & Glass was a pretty fast read and I flew through it really quickly. It was light and fluffy, but actually quite a bit darker. After all, this book is a Cinderella retelling and so we all know Cinderella lives a pretty miserable life until her fairy godmother shows up.

Cendrillon makes a nice Cinderella. I really enjoyed reading about her and watching her character development. She did give a lot of second-hand embarrassment, though. Like, enough to involve some speed reading as my only way to get through it. But embarrassment aside, I really did feel for her and how bad her life is going and how poorly she’s treated. Her terrible situation even got me to tear up a bit. Which was impressive since everything she was going through was predictable based on how the retelling was progressing and the abundance of foreshadowing.

I do wish there was some more mystery that would leave me guessing what’s going to happen next. The story was far from boring, but I wasn’t the least bit surprised at anything that happened. Beyond changing up the setting and the characters, Cinder & Glass didn’t really deviate that much from the original fairytale, or rather the popular Disney version of Cinderella.

That said, it was quite fascinating to see how history and fairytale are woven together in this novel. It did such a good job of transporting me to 1600s France and all the glamour that goes along with it. I really did feel like a fly on the wall, watching everything happen.

As for the romance, it’s not bad, but I think it could have been better. There’s a love triangle, which was kind of annoying, even if I did eventually grow to like both the male love interests. I do wish the primary romance was a bit more developed, though. It’s not that it’s not convincing enough, but it kind of feels a little random since we learn about the basis of the relationship directly from Cendrillon rather than see it happen in real-time.

In conclusion, Cinder & Glass is a nice Cinderella retelling with interesting historical elements, but ultimately was too predictable for my taste.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I wish I had read the description better because I definitely did not have the right expectations for this book. That being said, it was still a very good book with a captivating story and compelling characters. Despite being such a familiar story, both the setting and the characters gave .it a uniqueness that kept it feeling fresh and still kept the reader wanting to know more.

It was my bad that I didn't have the right expectations, but if you love period pieces and retellings, this would be a great book for you!

Melissa de la Cruz's most recent YA novel is a historically accurate retelling of Cinderella. Set in 1680s France in the court of King Louis XIV (around the time it was probably written), Cinder & Glass not only provides some historical context for the fairytale, but a dose of realism as well. In this version, court politics take the place of magic, but I still like what de la Cruz did here. ⁠
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Cinder and Glass follows Lady Cendrillon, whose life is upended when her father hastily marries the pompous Lady Catherine and dies shortly thereafter. It has all of the elements of the Cinderella story that we all know, but with more complicated relationships. de la Cruz does a great job of creating nuance around Cendrillon's whole family dynamic. While her stepmother and one of her stepsisters, Severine, are pretty clearly antagonistic, the other stepsister Alexandre is a complicated character. We see how blatant favoritism impacts the stepsisters and how Alexandre wants to stand up for herself but keeps getting knocked down. ⁠
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Of course, a major part of the plot revolves around a ball at Versailles and Prince Louis's search for a wife, but de la Cruz complicates this with matters of the heart. We see how desperate Cendrillon is to win over the prince because she knows marriage is the only way out of her abusive home, even as she finds herself falling for his illegitimate brother Auguste. I really like the way that de la Cruz writes relationships, and I loved how Cendrillon and Auguste held a torch for each other even though literally everything was standing between them. ⁠
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Overall, this was a great retelling.

The story unfolds as expected, but the selection/bachelor style competition around the midpoint was an interesting twist.

This was a cute retelling of Cinderella by Melissa de la Cruz. The world building here was not as strong as it usually is for a Melissa de la Cruz novel, but it did remind me a bit of Ever After, one of my favorite movies.

I enjoyed this historical fiction twist on Cinderella and think it will be a fantastic addition to our campus collection.

Okay, I’m mad I waited so long to pick this one up off my to be read pile lol. I absolutely adore Disney’s version of Cinderella and fairytale stories in general so I don’t know why I’m so surprised that I enjoyed this one as much as I did!

This is definitely a reimagined version of the Cinderella that know and love but I think Cruz did such an excellent job! There was little to no magic, no talking mice (Gus was my favorite in the OG), no helpful birds and no magical fairy godmother. However, Cendrillon did have a very loving father and loving godmother.. the same godmother that would obviously play a key part. I really enjoyed the fact that we had more of a background story for Cinder’s father then we did in Disney’s version, it helped to really make us feel for her when things inevitably turn south for her. Also the character I viewed as “Anastasia” in this version reminded me a lot of the version of Anastasia in Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, where she has a sort of villain redemption ARC. In Cinder & Glass, Cinder is lucky enough to have one not completely evil stepsister lol.

The romance and competition in this book was also just so charming and fun. I wish the competition was slightly longer but I appreciate that the story wasn’t dragged out. I also loved that cinder has two besties (i wish we saw more of the guy one) since there were no talking mice or birds in this story lol.

Overall, I thought this book was charming and a perfect escape from reality 🥹.

I finally got around to reading this and I thought it was a fun read! I think the plot could have been fleshed out a little bit more but I loved following Cendrillion on her journey and thought it was a very true-to-the-retelling story of Cinderella. I love retellings and I love Melissa so this was a good pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book at the time prior to release. Unfortunately my taste in books have changed a good bit in the last couple of years, and I am not reading as many YA books. Also as a mood reader, it can be quite difficult at times to read book around the time of release. If I read and review the book in the future, I will add my review here. Thanks again for the opportunity.

France, 1682: Cendrillon de Louvois was the daughter of the King’s trusted advisor. However, once her father died suddenly leaving her to live with her stepmother and stepsisters, Cendrillon disappeared from the Royal court. Now, her goal is to get a better life for herself and her family’s seamstress, Elodie. When their family receives an invitation to a ball held in honour of Prince Louis, Cendrillon’s stepmother ensures that Cendrillon doesn’t attend with them. Cendrillon’s godmother helps her get to the ball and she is reunited with her childhood friend, Auguste, at the ball. Cendrillon is chosen to compete for Prince Louis’s hand in marriage. Marrying the prince seems like the perfect way to escape her evil stepmother, but Cendrillon must decide if she’s willing to marry him and give up the possibility of true love with Auguste.

This story was a beautiful retelling of Cinderella. There was some basis in real history, being set in Versailles in 1682. Cendrillon is Cinderella in French. I enjoyed the mini competition that the Prince had to find a wife. Instead of just choosing Cendrillon to be his wife after the ball, he chose 25 girls to spend more time with and choose one for a wife. It was like a “Bachelor” competition. That was a fun twist on the usual Cinderella story.

Cinder and Glass is a fun retelling of Cinderella!

Thank you G.P. Putnam’s Son Books for Young Readers for providing a digital copy of this book.

Melissa de la Cruz is the queen of retellings and I am here for it! I love her books and this one was no exception. Her writing and characters were fun to read, as always, and I really enjoyed this twist on the tale of Cinderella. I thought it was interesting how there wasn't really any magic in the book- a usual staple in fairytales and something I love in a book, but I loved the take so I didn't mind the lack of magic. If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the characters felt a little two-dimensional. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I will definitely read the next book!
This book felt like Cinderlla meets the Selection and I highly recommend it for fans of fairytale retellings and the Selection

ThisbCinderella retelling set in 17th Century Versailles was a quick and charming read. There was enough language and imagery to set the scene for it taking place in the 17th century without it feeling like a historical fiction or ending up feeling tedious. As an adult reader, I found myself wanting a bit more in terms of the plot. I found some parts felt rushed, but I think younger readers (as in the teens the title is intended for) will appreciate the quick pace, the sweet romantic moments, and the friendships. I appreciated that the romantic descriptions were appropriate for a teen audiences. I would suggest this title for teens who enjoyed The Selection or are seeking a fairytale retelling.

Cinderella retelling with queer relationships and a feel of “the selection”. Although De La Cruz writing might not be for me, I can see the appeal for other readers.

A delightful retelling of Cinderella with the backdrop of Louis XIV's versailles. Adding in the queer relationships of characters that make the story more poignant and realistic.

I absolutely loved this cinderella retelling. Which while some bits are the same. The Prince, the ball, getting there, this Cinder seems to be headstrong and knows what she wants to do in life and I love it.

After giving many de la Cruz’s books a try, I’ve decided that her writing style just doesn’t fit my tastes.

Cinderella meets The Selection, but set it in the late 1600’s in the Palace of Versailles. I mean, need I really say more?

I thought this was such a fun retelling of the classic fairytale. There was a lot of backstory for Cendrillon (Cinder) which I absolutely loved. I adored her character and even came to love one of her step-sisters.

If you are in the mood for a fun YA fairytale retelling, I would highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Penguin Books for a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A cinderella retelling! I usually love fairy tale retellings, but this one fell a little flat for me at times. While it had interesting changes, I didn't enjoy the pace all the time or the characters. I might have enjoyed it more if I was a younger teen.

A very cute, well thought out YA book. Melissa is incredibly talented and definitely knows how to build a story!! Beautiful cover too!

Cinder and Glass is a wonderful Cinderella retelling with historical figures and events mixed in. I think Melissa de la Cruz is a fantastic author and I love her writing style. This was a fun and fast read. Perfect for fans of retellings and “will they, won’t they” romances.

This book had me glued to it from the first page. I could not read it fast enough. I love that this Cinderella retelling is grounded in reality. However, even with it not being a fantasy book the writing and story were magical enough.