Rating:

I will be honest with you: I almost put this book down. It took me so long to finish this because I was struggling.

The first half is slow. I was this close to a DNF and I am so glad I didn’t, because the second half of this book is where everything comes alive and suddenly all that slow build makes sense. I finished the second half in 3 hours. 😅

If you grew up on Disney’s Cinderella, you already think you know Lady Tremaine. The woman who made Cinderella’s life miserable while​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ while her daughters got everything. Rachel takes that character and completely reframes her and it works. This isn’t a redemption arc exactly, it’s more of an origin story. We watch Elin’s stepmother become who she is, and along the way we see something much more complicated than a villain. We see a mother, a stepmother, a woman navigating impossible circumstances trying to protect her girls in the only ways she knows how. As a fellow mom, I love this wholeheartedly. 😭

And now LUCY.

I will not spoil what Lucy the falcon does in this story but I will say is that Lucy is the hero of this entire book. She deserved better. She deserved everything. Lucy if you’re reading this, I’m sorry.

4/5 stars. Slow start, stunning finish!