I'm putting this in the fantasy column after some thought. I enjoyed it and I do recommend it at work if it seems to fit the customer's likes. I didn't like how it ended though. I see where the author was going with it but like "The Life of Pi" I would have prefered to have the author just tell the story and leave well enough alone. ( )

Cinderella, but through the eyes of the fairy godmother.

Cinderella is destined to go to the ball, fall in love with the prince, and become queen. And Lil is the fairy who has been chosen to make sure everything happens the way it is supposed to. But then the unthinkable happens; through her connection with Cinderella, Lil experiences human emotions and desires and becomes infected with her intense longing for love … and Lil falls in love with the prince. For her selfish mistake, she is exiled to the human world, to live in a human body, for centuries. Until one day, while working in a bookstore in New York City, Lil sees her chance to bring together two lonely people and finally right the wrongs of her past.

Just like Turgeon’s Mermaid story, this one is deeply emotional and sensual. Not sure that I loved it, but I did like it, and it is certainly different from any other Cinderella story I’ve read before. Although, given that it’s the title of the book, I wish it had done more with the concept of being a Godmother; it’s briefly mentioned that this role sets Lil apart from other fairies, but doesn’t go into much depth about what that difference actually entails, and I think that could have been really interesting lore to explore.

Warnings: Implied suicide and self-harm ( )

I wanted to like this bookclub book... and then it went in an unexpected direction, which I didn't feel had been set up. Meh. ( )

This book would have been so much better if I hadn't seen the ending coming through the last 8 chapters. Very depressing. ( )

This is an enchanting story, a real page-turner, sweet and very sad, incredibly touching and vivid. I didn't want to put it down and the final twist at the end left me stunned. Set in New York, it is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but also a story of love and loss, regrets and redemption. My only complaint would be that the present-day parts were much more detailed and interesting than the fairy part of the story, which was curiously flat and underdeveloped. This is supposed to be a Young Adult book, but I wonder if younger readers will connect with this story. Unlike with most YA books, the main character is not a 16-year old with her, or his, whole life in front of them, here the narrator is an old woman with a lifetime of regrets and sorrows. I found it as spellbinding as it was heartbreaking and, while not perfect, truly memorable. ( )