Audiobook Review:

I thought this may be another ‘Cinderella’ tale, which I’d readily read, because it is a tale hard to grow tired of. However, it has its own unique twists and is truly very glorious, leaving me with an afterglow of extreme satisfaction where good does prevail over wicked.

I enjoyed listening to this story, told in first person, some chapters told in first person by Ashara Millende, others told by the Emperor of Selende, Torric Deveras. Both these individuals are in cages, one gilded and one of drudgery and hopelessness.

Narrator Valerie Gilbert is terrific in her depiction of the step-mother, her moments of hysteria and her harsh treatment of Ashara are over the top. Additionally, a very memorable moment is when the emperor’s representative spoke with Ashara questioned about where Ashara worked previous to her present station. This is when the emperor is searches for Ashara all over the kingdom. No, there is no glass slipper here.

Torric and Ashara were smittened at first sight. Torric has always wanted to marry for love, but when an emperor is it even possible? The story is sweet when he quickly makes his mind up after meeting some 400 women of eligibility in his realm she is the one to grace his arm as queen. But then, she disappears!

Narrator Valerie Gilbert does such justice to this tale. She tells a tale of a man living in a gilded cage, yearning to be free and learns much from his sister to guide him to the path of happiness.

We see the palace through Ashara’s eyes. She hasn’t seen such opulence in her life. Author Pope creates the wonderland we dreamers wish to discover.
Ashara’s life with her step-mother and two step-sisters is nothing but drudgery. She is ill-used where in fact, she should be mistress of their town-dwelling, for the property is left to her by her father.

The emperor is looking for a bride. Ashara’s long lost aunt suddenly appears, who happens to have some very unusual magic at her fingertips. (Has no one told her magic is a criminal act in the kingdom?) Will Ashara take the risk to change the misery of her life?

If you are one who loves endings full of happiness, without too much agony getting there, you’ll love this story. It is made more perfect by its narration by Gilbert. Her understanding of the tone of wickedness, arrogance, purity of spirit and charming princes, makes this listen even more enticing. I, for one, would love to continue reading the rest of the series. ( )

Inferior retelling of Cinderella (the author has done so much better with other books), and I think that there were equipment problems for the narrator (who I normally enjoy!)
Wish I could say something nicer, but..... ( )

Having loved fairy tales as a child, and still owning many of my childhood favorites, I looked forward to receiving a copy of Ashes of Roses and reading the retelling of the tale of Cinderella. This book is told from both the viewpoint of Prince Torric of Sirlende and Ashara Millende with some overlapping at times. The plot follows the story of Cinderella fairly accurately with a few twists including the fact that the fairy godmother is a maternal aunt who left the kingdom due to magic being outlawed and her abilities for glamour being a problem that could have led to her death. Prince Torric has five days of events to look through over 400 marriageable women to find his bride. The descriptions of location, clothing, and interactions are detailed. I enjoyed the some of the side characters as much as those of the two main characters. I did find it difficult at the beginning of some chapters to know which person was telling the story but it was not a huge drawback. If you like descriptive love stories (without explicit sex scenes) that are set in the past you will probably enjoy this book. ( )