ARC Review: Cinder and Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

I would recommend this book for fans
of historical fiction and classic fairytale retellings.

~ UNDER THE COVERS BOOK BLOG

I became very excited after seeing the cover for Melissa de la Cruz’s Cinder and Glass, and learning that it was a Cinderella retelling and similar to The Selection. I should have read a bit farther though, as the comparison to Bridgerton was a hint that the book leaned more towards historical fiction and less towards fantasy.

I had to try very hard to finish this book, and ultimately I did but it was rough to get through. I wanted to love Cinder and Glass, but unfortunately, nothing particularly excited me. I never connected to the main character (she was a bit too much of an airhead for my tastes) and the setting was kind of boring. Despite this, there are definitely elements that I think will excite historical fiction fans. For example, there are multiple references to things that actually exist in our world like the Latona Fountain. The fashion seems to be on point for the time period the author set out to portray (I had to look up what a “justaucorps” is). There are also elements that will excite fans of the original fairytale (the evil stepmother and stepsister, the somewhat nicer stepsister, etc.) but they weren’t enough to change my mind and increase the overall rating.

The pacing of historical fiction books is usually slower than that of a fantasy book, and that was another issue for me. Action-packed books always tend to receive higher ratings from me. Cinder and Glass would not fall under that umbrella. Granted, the author did a good job making me empathize with Cendrillion when she’s bored because the court tutor is explaining all the different instances one must bow to the king, but it wasn’t enough to make me invested in Cendrillion’s story sadly.

Ultimately, I don’t think I was the intended audience for Cinder and Glass, but I do think the book will find a loyal fan base in other readers with different preferences. I would recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and classic fairytale retellings. I would not recommend this book for fantasy readers expecting a magical retelling of the Cinderella storyline. I will still be reading books by Melissa de la Cruz in the future, but I’m unlikely to read anything additional related to this particular storyline.

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