What readers think of Lady Tremaine, plus links to write your own review.

I absolutely loved Lady Tremaine and devoured the book in one day. Rather than a retelling, per se, Lady Tremaine is a reimagining of the Cinderella theme that flips ‘happily ever after’ and other fairytale themes upside down.

Etheldreda’s background is filled in with a fascinating backstory that explains why she had to rely upon her cunning & resilience to survive relying only on her name, love for her daughters, and desire to see them live happier lives than she has done. Her stepdaughter, Elin, is not the waif of fairytales, abused by her stepmother and stepsisters.

The characters are well drawn with motivations that are explainable, if not always respectable. I particularly enjoyed Moussa, Otto and Lucy- the peregrine falcon.
This book cries out for a sequel. I would read it in a nanosecond. A brilliant debut by Rachel Hochhauser.

What a clever retelling of the Cinderella story. I was a bit leery at the start of the book but once the unnamed character narrating that first section became clear, the story rolled forth magically. Beautifully written, the author does a nice job of making Lady Termaine realistic: neither cruel or sweet. She’s a mother trying to make sure all three of the children under her care are feed, clothed and cared for. The author sticks to the main elements of the fairy tale without magic and then the twists at the end story add modern elements, again making the story realistic. No spoilers here; you have to read the book to appreciate the retelling. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

There seems to be a new trend of re-imagining the classic stories, especially with the twist of the villain becoming the hero. Now, Lady Tremaine seeks to make the evil stepmother of Cinderella into the heroine. In this rendition, the family has fallen on hard times after the death of Elin’s father and everyone has to pitch in. And everyone does. Well, everyone but Elin who is a self absorbed prig of a stepdaughter unwilling to dirty her hands with the necessities of surviving.

I adored Ethel, the stepmother. She’s the kind of strong willed, determined, resourceful woman I love as a main character. When faced with a moral dilemma, it’s a question as to how she will react and who exactly she owes her allegiance to. There are lots of interesting questions raised about family and motherhood.

The story is well thought out, even if the main romance arc is a tad obvious and predictable. The good news is that there’s no magic or fairy godmother in this telling. But there are plenty of secrets being kept by everyone. And plenty of evil as well.
I listened to this and Bessie Carter excelled as the narrator.