Review : The Stepsister's Tale by Tracy Barrett

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : The Stepsister's Tale
Author : Tracy Barrett
Publication Date : June 24th 2014
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble 

What really happened after the clock struck midnight?

Jane Montjoy is tired of being a lady. She's tired of pretending to live up to the standards of her mother's noble family-especially now that the family's wealth is gone and their stately mansion has fallen to ruin. It's hard enough that she must tend to the animals and find a way to feed her mother and her little sister each day. Jane's burden only gets worse after her mother returns from a trip to town with a new stepfather and stepsister in tow. Despite the family's struggle to prepare for the long winter ahead, Jane's stepfather remains determined to give his beautiful but spoiled child her every desire.

When her stepfather suddenly dies, leaving nothing but debts and a bereaved daughter behind, it seems to Jane that her family is destined for eternal unhappiness. But a mysterious boy from the woods and an invitation to a royal ball are certain to change her fate...

From the handsome prince to the evil stepsister, nothing is quite as it seems in Tracy Barrett's stunning retelling of the classic Cinderella tale.

Personal Thoughts

The Stepsister's Tale intrigued me just from its synopsis. We all know the tale of Cinderella and have probably watched the Disney movie multiple times. But how many times have we given thought to the evil stepsisters? Me? Never. I was curious to see the author would weave this story line without falling into the stereotypical mean girls zone and I was pleasantly surprised with how she dealt with it.

Fair warning, The Stepsister's Tale is a story that is extremely character driven and very slow when it comes to the actual plot line. It probably will not bode well for readers who seem to have a preference for a more substantial plot, but it worked for me. Tracy Barrett put all her energy and talent into crafting the characters and developing them into individual easy to relate to. Jane, the eldest stepsister, was especially an interesting one. She is definitely not the same stepsister we see in Cinderella. Hardworking, genuine and caring are words I would use to describe her personality. She was interesting to me because despite having positive qualities, she also had blemishes to her personality. What normal person doesn't though? She wasn't straight up good or straight up evil, but she was somewhere in between, in that area of gray. It was fascinating and realistic. In fact, every character in the book was fleshed out in such a way that they weren't too evil or too nice. Isabella, the presumed Cinderella of the story, especially was a piece of work when we first meet her. Her spoiled brat attitude wasn't flattering and made me want to pull her hair at times. Then she would show moments of vulnerability and kindness that would make me see her in a different light. 

While the characters themselves were strongly written, the plot was the opposite in my opinion. It was rather tedious and seemed to drag a bit. I only began to notice it three quarters into the book though and I think that might be because I was so latched onto the story line in the first half of the book, where most of the character development took place. I feel like a few scenes in the book could have possibly been cramped for a better reading experience. As far as romance goes, The Stepsister's Tale did have one, but it was so mild, it might as well not have been there. While I'm known to be a romance junkie, I wouldn't have mind if one hadn't been implemented into the story. In all honesty, I found myself having a hard time rooting for Jane and her love interest. I was ... for lack of a better word, disinterested in them.

While I may have had some obvious issues with the actual story line of The Stepsister's Tale, I do think it's a book that could appeal to readers who are more into character driven plot lines. Tracy Barrett wrote an interesting twist to Cinderella's story.

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the e-ARC of The Stepsister's Tale.