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So This is Love
416 pages
A sweeping, alternate-path fairy tale where a beloved heroine trades her glass slippers for a spool of thread and a chance to save the kingdom herself.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a familiar dream that suddenly takes a thrilling, unexpected turn. The atmosphere is steeped in the lush, courtly magic of a late nineteenth-century fairy tale, yet it pulses with the brisk, suspenseful energy of a political thriller. The prose is accessible and enchanting, lingering on the tactile details of a seamstress's work while keeping the narrative moving at a propulsive clip. It is a deeply hopeful and earnest story, tracing an emotional arc from quiet desperation to fierce, self-reliant empowerment. Fans of reimagined classics will devour this empowering twist, delighting in a world where the heroine doesn't just wait for a rescue, but actively stitches together her own destiny and saves the kingdom in the process.
- Mood
- magical
- courtly
- suspenseful
- whimsical
- Tone
- earnest
- hopeful
- adventurous
- romantic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- forging one's own destiny · overcoming prejudice · inner strength · redefining true love · political intrigue
- The writing
- Accessible and enchanting, weaving lush period details with swift, engaging YA pacing.
- The arc
- Moves from quiet desperation and longing for escape to empowered self-determination and courageous action.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave empowering twists on classic fairy tales where the heroine takes an active role in her own rescue.
Content notes
- emotional abuse
- confinement
- prejudice
About the book
Unable to prove that she's the missing princess, and unable to bear life under Lady Tremaine any longer, Cinderella attempts a fresh start, looking for work at the palace as a seamstress. But when the Grand Duke appoints her to serve under the king's visiting sister, Cinderella becomes witness to a grand conspiracy to take the king – and the prince – out of power, as well as a longstanding prejudice against fairies, including Cinderella's own Fairy Godmother.
Faced with questions of love and loyalty to the kingdom, Cinderella must find a way to stop the villains of past and present... before it's too late.
Description from Open Library.
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