Ratings:
Book Rating: ★★★★☆
If This Book Was a Movie Rating: PG
Review:
I just binge-read this book in three hours and I'm absolutely grinning like an idiot.
Before I tell you all about this amazing wonderful gem, let me start at the beginning:
Isabelle was scrolling through her Amazon recommended on a Sunday afternoon (as one does), and she happened upon a title: The Soulless Slipper.
Naturally, she was intrigued.
She clicked onto its premise and found it was a retelling of both the Cinderella fairytale and the Hades & Persephone myth. Isabelle's curiosity finally gets the best of her, and she reads the first page.
She unwittingly proceeds to binge-read said novel for three straight hours.
Now.
What is this gem of a novel about?
Well. Let me explain.
(author's summary to follow in italics because i'm lazy tysm)
Cinderella meets Persephone and Hades.
Priscilla Korinder has been forced to work the fields of Mortalia ever since her mother disappeared when she was nine. Unfortunately for her, Mortalia is plagued with a curse that punishes any being who uses divine magic, leaving Priscilla covered in bruises at the end of each day. Despite her constant injuries, Priscilla’s stepmother is in disbelief that Priscilla could possibly be a divine one. She’s convinced her stepdaughter’s exhaustion is mere laziness…
King Hayden is the lone ruler of Underworth, a kingdom utilized only as a mass graveyard. He typically resides in solitude with his three-toed cat, until one day his peace is disrupted by his eager nephew. Prince Aaron of Olympia has grown infatuated with a nameless maiden in Mortalia and insists Hayden use his divine portal magic to deliver her to him. When he refuses, the prince decides to take matters into his own hands, and lure the girl out with an enchanting ball.
Will Hayden be able to stand by and do nothing as he watches his nephew draw the girl into a trap? He could always try to stop him, but how does one prevent a divine prince from getting what he wants? Hayden could always kidnap her first...
It's honestly so good. Like actually. I was going into this thinking "oh, I'll just read a few pages and keep looking for another fantasy romance," but like THIS WAS GOOD.
Hayden and Priscilla, the Hades and Persephone of this universe, were both strong, fell HARD for each other, and very intelligent. I added that last one because usually Hades & Persephone make Persephone sweet and very dumb and then turn Hades into this angsty moody dark boy. Like please, folks, have some common respect for these ancient mythological characters.
But I digress.
These MCs were smart, made plans, and were foolish at times, but knew each other well enough to figure out what the other would do and act accordingly. There was no third-act drama, and they suited each other wonderfully.
While the MCs were amazing, I also loved the addition of the side characters. Callum, Lilac, and Hayden's adorable three-toed cat Cerpurrus (cat version of Cerberus lol) added a bit more depth to the novel. Lilac's comedic relief provided a break from the near constant abuse Priscilla suffered from her stepmother Damaris (different from Demetria, Priscilla's actual mother...but I'm not explaining that you'll have to read the story hehe).
I also really liked how the prince was the villain of the story. I've never quite seen eye-to-eye with a lot of the original Disney heroes (I'm looking at you Mr. Nameless Prince from Snow White) so it was extremely vindicating to have Prince Aaron be inspired by Ares and be an absolute creep.
However, my favorite part was how the author worked in the Cinderella story in with the Greek mythology. It was absolutely flawless, and each story fit into the other perfectly. I never honestly would've imagined putting those stories together, but I'm so glad Abigail Manning did ❤️
Friend me on Goodreads (yes, you, I wanna be your friend): https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/136268749-isabelle
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