An engaging tale of life after the fairy tale marriage for Cinderella. Hines has delved into the fairy tales far beyond what Disney has presented to us and drawn out ideas of what consequences could have developed from what these young ladies endured. An enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more in this series. ( )

Everyone's heard the fairy tales that end with '...and they lived happily ever after': Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty... But what really happened to these women? What if these tales didn't truly end with that 'happily ever after'? Hines mixes the traditional, bloody Grimm brothers fairy tales with a bit of Disney and then adds in some action and adventure. The result is three kick-ass princesses who don't wait around for a prince to save them.

Danielle Whiteshore, better known as 'Cinderella', managed to get her 'happily ever after'--for a few minutes. When her prince, Armand, is kidnapped by her jealous stepsisters, it's only with the help of two other princesses--Snow White and Sleeping Beauty--that Danielle can hope to regain her prince and happy life.

I started The Stepsister Scheme assuming I'd love everything about it. Princesses rescuing their princes while kicking ass? I am all about that.

It was a rather rude awakening then for me when I found that the book failed to grab my attention (despite the first scene starting the action). I can't figure out exactly what was off-putting about the beginning of the book. Perhaps it was because the main characters seem just about as interesting as cardboard. Or perhaps because everything about the beginning is just a touch awkward: the dialogue, plot, characterization, the bumbling antagonists...

However, The Stepsister Scheme finally started to draw my attention around the middle point. Where the characters previously meant nothing or little to me, they instead gain an unexpected depth from their relationship and realizations about each other. Without even realizing when exactly it happened, I ended up really adoring the three main characters. I even developed a particular soft spot for Talia (Sleeping Beauty). Before I knew it, I was racing towards the ending.

The second half of the book made up for my discontent with the first half. I'm definitely willing to check out the second in the series in hopes that the characterization continues. Maybe I'll like the princesses' next adventure better.

A bit of a cold fish in the beginning, but warms up around the mid-point for a great finish. Just stick with The Stepsister Scheme past the awkward bits and it's worth the time invested. My guess is that this is a series that only gets better with each installment. ( )

Interesting take on the classic faery tales. More darker and closer to Grimm, but with a touch of Disney. Think of it as a PG-13 version. Quite a bit of action, along with adult humor and details. Once I started reading I finished within a few days. Good write and can't wait to read the next one. ( )

So you think you know the stories of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Sleeping Beauty? Cinderella?

Think again.

And what happens after the "Happy Ever After?"

Jim C. Hines takes us to the world of fairy tales with his newest series of books. It starts off with the book "The Stepsister Scheme," picking up after Cinderella's wedding. Things begin to get interesting when one of Cinderella's evil stepsisters tries to murder her in her own quarters, and then it's revealed that Prince Armand has been kidnapped and taken to Fairytown. It's then up to Cinderella and her two new acquaintances, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, to go and try to rescue him and bring him home. Complicating matters a wee bit is the fact that Cinderella 1)is pregnant, and 2)has no combat experience, unlike her two companions.

There is no shortage of action in the book, whether it's Sleeping Beauty trying to train Cinderella how to actually fight with a sword to confrontation with Cinderella's evil stepsisters or their minions along the way. It keeps you reading as you turn the pages to see what these three Charlie's Angels-esque characters are going to run into next. I know this book is fantasy, and in the land of make-believe and fairy tales, anything can happen, though at some points the usual suspension of disbelief can't be overcome, though, as things are just too conventient or over-the-top. One point of the book I don't care for is near the beginning as they are at Cinderella's former home and it turns out that her mother's spirit is in a tree in the backyard and ends up giving Cinderella her magical sword.

Otherwise, this is a great book and a fairly quick read, as Mr. Hines puts his own twist on the classic fairy tales. Sometimes, though, his twist may be a little bit too twisted--specifically regarding the method of which Sleeping Beauty says actually woke her up. In a way, it serves to illustrate that life is never as easy as it seems in the stories, that everyone is human, and bad things happen to good people. So, while the overall feel of the book is fun, there are dark elements to the story as well. ( )

Cinderella, or in this case, Danielle de Glass, may have had it rough before she found her Prince Charming, but with happily ever after, everything is supposed to BE happily ever after, isn't it? Not in this case - Danielle's stepsisters aren't going away, or rather, they are, but they've taken her husband with them. If she wants him back, Danielle will have to fight for him along with two new friends, also victims of gone-wrong happily-ever-afters.

Great premise and there are some exciting moments, but it doesn't quite live up to the "Charlie's Angels" allusion on the front cover. I loved Hines' Jig the Goblin series, but this one's off to a slow start. ( )