Like damn, I get we’re learning the backstory to the “wicked” stepsisters but it was not until now that I appreciated the glimmer of hope that “In My Own Little Corner” offers in the musical versions (tbh always kind of annoyed by it, til now) amid all the sadness… anyway, I’ve decided life is too short to choose to be sad due to reading this. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to choose something else to be sad about

Wow. This book had me HOOKED. I have always loved Cinderella so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I will say it is very dark, there is absolutely tough parts of the book that reference mental, emotional, and physical abuse.

The light in this book comes from Dominic & Madame Lambert… they bring glimpses of hope throughout the book while there is so much darkness over the Tremaine household. But wow, I’d give this book a 9/10 just because it it pretty harsh at times & traumatic, but it builds into the Cinderella storyline so well. Def give it a read!

I absolutely cannot wait to read more books in this series as they come out.

I just finished up the Disney version of the telling of the stepsisters of Cinderella. Both Anastacia and Drisella find their mother impossible to live with. Though they are not friends with Ella, there is some care for her whike their mother torments ger as well. This diesn't have the fairy godmother aspect. There is no happy ever after marriage to the prince as this is not Ella's story so it was a fresh feel with the sisters' pov.

3.5 stars

This was an interesting take on the Cinderella story, written from the stepsisters' point of view. I'm a fan of retellings, especially when they're done well, and I enjoyed this one. However, it was a bit more depressing than I expected, and the ending completely dashed my hopes for a different conclusion! Thankfully, this is only the first book in the series, so I'm hoping for a more uplifting ending for all three sisters.

The interesting thing is that Ella's story is barely a side story and Robin does a great job of making you feel sorry for the two stepsisters. I would rather not say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything for other readers.

Some of the things I liked included Benway's thoughtful exploration of the relationship between Drizella and Anastasia. In a household where abuse and manipulation from the parent figure are the norm, the two of them still had the usual sibling rivalry, but there was also the desire to protect the other warring with the need to protect oneself. And while Lady Tremaine was absolutely horrible, you learn that Ella's father, while he adored her, was not a great parent to his stepdaughters, explaining some of their uneasy relationship with Ella. There were many times when I wished the three of them would have opened up to each other more and leaned on each other, but that was not the situation Lady Tremaine would have fostered. But it wasn't just Lady Tremaine who was horrible. And I liked that the author included other ways people could and were horrible to Drizella and Anastasia. In truth, many contributed to the two of them being the "Wicked Ones", with Dominic and Madame Lambert being the only bright spots.

Personally, this was not a happy story, and if abuse and neglect are triggers for you, I'd probably steer clear of this. But I still think it was well done and I am looking forward to the next book and crossing my fingers for better horizons for these three girls!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The beginning of the book made me feel like when i watch a movie that has a slow beginning while using my phone and then something suddenly happens that makes me look up and actually focus on the rest. I have to agree that is a good “prequel” to the movie and it was interesting seeing the stepsisters go from girls hopeful to see something more than their home (and mom) to the “ugly stepsisters” that they are at the end, the stepsisters we see in the movie that are so cruel to Ella. I do wonder how the author would interpret a future where Anastasia falls in love again (with a baker this time), or if a future encounter between Drizella and an older scientist lady (even the same) would change again her life. Entertaining overall :)

"'Ugly stepsisters,' Anastasia replies. 'They called us ugly.'
Drizella nods, then smiles. There's something in the look on her face that would have scared Anastasia before tonight, but now there's a familiarity to it, the darkness in Anastasia rising up to meet her sister's.
'There's all kinds of ugly,' Drizella continues. 'If people though we were ugly then, just wait.' She turns back and looks at the moon, waiting a few beats before speaking again. 'We will be absolutely wicked.'"

TL;DR: A prequel-of-sorts to Disney's 1950 Cinderella which attempts to both (1) humanize Cinderella's 'ugly' stepsisters and (2) show how they came to be so 'ugly' (on the inside). Unfortunately, IMO, trying to do both prevents Benway from successfully doing both. Since Drizella and Anastasia are sympathetic characters for most of the book, their 'turn' at the end requires a large suspension of belief, which ultimately didn't work for me -- and also raised a lot of questions about the plot of the story.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley & Disney Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Vibes: Disney's 1950 Cinderella + Ever After + Great Expectations' Miss Havisham with a dash of anachronistic feminism

Genre: YA/NA Fairy Tale Retelling
*Both Drizella and Anastasia read older than their 16/17 y/o characters (IMO) and I think Disney fans of any age might give this one a shot.

Romance Meter:

The Wicked Ones has such an interesting premise but unfortunately I just could not get into it. I wanted to love it and get the backstory of why they are the way they are and the villain origin but instead I felt confused and conflicted. Maybe that was the point of the book and I just didn’t like the feeling, but it was hard to watch their fall and their choices. It could also be that I have seen all the Cinderella movies and direct to dvds and so came in with some preconceived notions of how I thought things would go.

Nothing special or WOW about this one.
Sisters had separate interests, and then "tried not to" bully. Decide to be "wicked" in the last 2 pages...?
Stepmother is the root of wicked.

I don`t know what is worse, being abandoned by your husband or being abandoned and having your wedding ring stolen while you are sleeping. The latter happened to Lady Tremaine, and it was disheartening. This origin story of the ugly sisters uses Disney`s Classic Cinderella as the source material, but with a darker tone.
It is the kind of story that girls, whose mothers are toxic, will enjoy the most. I just hope they don`t turn out to become Drizella and Anastasia. At first, the sisters are not so warm towards Cinderella, whose appearance in the story is just kept to a minimum for storytelling's sake. As the story progresses, we realize that the sisters are just trying to survive the atrocities Tremaine puts them through. Unlike what the movie shows, The sisters deep inside loved Cinderella but they were too focused on their mother's plan to find and marry a rich guy.
I loved the book because it shows how moral harassment and constant humiliation related to one's appearance can have a negative impact on people's lives forever.
There is no happy ending as the end of the book is the beginning of the movie.