Title: Slippers and Thieves - New & Lengthened 2020 Edition
Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4
Author: Christina Bauer
Publisher: Monster House Books
Publication Date: November 26, 2019
Source: Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley for review
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Chapters
Synopsis
Years ago, Elle ― never call her Cinderella ― escaped her evil step family in order to build a new life for herself in Manhattan. Today, Elle’s awful past is a distant memory. In fact, Elle even attends West Lake Prep, an exclusive high school where regular humans mix with members of the Magicorum, such as fairies, shifters and witches. Although she still must live in hiding from her evil step family, Elle always has found ways to get whatever her heart desires.
That is, until Alec Le Charme. Sure, Alec is the heir to the Le Charme dynasty of high-end jewelers, but he's also kind, charismatic, and has a knee-melting smile.
Long story short, Elle has fallen for Alec, hard. Unfortunately, thanks to Elle’s evil step family, the Le Charme heir is absolutely off limits. In fact, if Elle and Alec so much as kiss, it could start a magical chain reaction that would end in powerful factions of witches and wizards going to war. As a result, Elle and Alec vow to stay friends, no matter what. Then West Lake Prep holds a masquerade ball. Identities get mixed up and forbidden kisses are finally shared.
Time for the Magicorum to go to war, and for Elle to confront her hidden past in ways she never thought possible.
2020 edition includes typo fixes and a new appendix of extras.
My Rating: 4 / 5 stars
A retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale, Slippers and Thieves pulls you into a world with magic, romance and action with some secrets and betrayal added to the mix. The Queen of Hearts and Cheshire cat even make an appearance!
The story alternates between Elle's and Alec's narration, which I liked because it gave me a glimpse into how both of them think and feel. Elle is running from a tragic and painful past while Alec is navigating a problematic relationship with his parents as the heir to their high-end jewelry empire. The two happen to meet one day and fall in love. The problem is their love could spark a war.
I read half the book in one sitting the first time I picked it up! I loved the world Bauer has built with three races of magical beings--fairies, shifters, and witches/wizards--coexisting in a delicate balance. You get the feeling it wouldn't take much to upset that balance.
I loved the world building and the different kinds of magic the characters possessed and how they could use it. It was difficult when I had to stop reading for the night. I just HAD to know what new problem Elle and Alec would be facing next. It was really interesting to see how tangled the web was woven between Elle's and Alec's families with the purpose of keeping the two apart, and just when I thought it couldn't get more complicated, it did in the best way possible.
This is the second book I've read in this series. I read the first book, Wolves and Roses, which is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. There's enough info that allow you to read these books in any order. I now want to go back and read books 2 and 3! I definitely recommend this book and this series.
You can read my review of Wolves and Roses here.
