Stepsister

Powell's Midyear Roundup

The Best Books of 2019 (So Far)

By the time Isabelle cuts off her toes to squeeze her foot into the glass slipper, she’s already spent years slicing parts of herself away to better fit in a world that insists only a certain type of girl is worthy: demure, charming, and — most importantly — pretty. To build a future past the end of the fairy tale, Isabelle must toe the line between Fate and Chance, rectifying her mistakes and reclaiming the pieces she’s left behind to become the woman she’s meant to be. Not perfect, not pretty, but fully and entirely herself. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com

A startlingly fresh, fiercely feminist reimagining of Cinderella from the bestselling, Printz Honor-winning author Jennifer Donnelly.

Isabelle should be blissfully happy — she's about to marry a prince. Except that Isabelle isn't the girl who lost the slipper. And the glass shoe on her foot is filling with blood...

Isabelle isn't the beauty who captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fool him. When the prince discovers Isabelle's deception, she's banished. It's no more than Isabelle deserves. She's a plain girl in a world that values beauty. A stubborn girl in a world that wants her to be pliant. Her destiny is a life of misery.

That's what Isabelle believes until she finds herself in the midst of a battle between Fate and Chance. Cruel Fate believes that an "ugly" girl with so much bitterness in her heart can never change her destiny. Roguish Chance believes otherwise. And so, Isabelle is given the opportunity to harness strength she never knew she possessed, and learns that while "pretty" is a noose around your neck, "ugly" is the sword that cuts you free.

"Printz Honor winner Donnelly offers up a stunningly focused story that rips into the heart of familiar fairy tale. Isabelle [is] a shattered but not unreedemable girl with a warrior's heart." Booklist (Starred Review)

"Isabelle's emotional and triumphant journey of self-realization proves that beauty can be found in so much more than just a pretty face....A breathlessly exciting and utterly satisfying fairy tale." Kirkus Reviews

"Focusing on beauty's many guises, what contributes to hatred and cruelty, and people's power to take charge of their destinies, the retold fairy tale advocates autonomy and empowerment." Publishers Weekly

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal, Revolution (named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library, and was nominated for a Carnegie Medal), the Deep Blue series, and many other books for young readers, including Lost in a Book, which spent more than 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.