We Kept Her in the Cellar

W.R. Gorman’s We Kept Her in the Cellar is a dark retelling of Cinderella, told by her stepsister Eunice. Here, Cinderella is no victim but a monstrous force, hidden in the cellar by her family to protect the world from her wrath.

Gorman’s chilling narrative blends gore, tension, and moral ambiguity, forcing readers to question who the real villain is. Twisted, gory, and unforgettable, this retelling transforms a beloved fairy tale into a nightmare.

Well this was certainly a gory twist to the fairy tale of Cinderella! In this version of the story Cinderella is a monster who must be kept under lock and key in the basement of her parents home. Eunice, her stepsister is in charge of feeding and caring for Cinderella, a very dangerous job. When Cinderella escapes to go to a ball at the palace all hell breaks loose and Eunice must deal with the fallout, which unfortunately is quite gruesome. This really was a fun is frightening take on the tale of Cinderella and fans of fairytales and horror novels will enjoy this twisted tale. Recommended. 4 stars
Many thaks to Net Galley and Highbridge Audio for a chance to listen to an ARC version of this novel.

This gruesome retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale is really good if you can handle it. We Kept Her in the Cellar is a horror retelling of the classic fairy tell but in this fairy tale Cinderella is a nasty creature who must be kept away from society and it's her step-sisters job to do it. But on the night of the ball Cinderella gets out.
This was a really good story! I'm surprised more people haven't read and reviewed it, especially those horror fans. My guess is the terrible title is putting potential readers off. It is quite gruesome so the sensitive reader might have difficulty reading this book.

What if Cinderella was part fae and very, very scary? I wasn't sure what to rate this - I think it was quite good, with characters that stay with you, but the body horror was a little much for me.

This was a super dark and interesting re-telling of Cinderella.

I love how the step sister is responsible for Cinderella's care and ends up taking on the responsibility of the kingdom. I will definitely be reading more of W.R. Gorman's work in the future!

EJ Lavery did a great job creating a spooky feel for this story, the pace and ambience made listening to this story a wonderfully creepy experience.

“We Kept Her in the Cellar,” by W. R. Gorman

I loved this book! I loved that it was in the POV of the wicked stepsister and where Cinderella was the evil sister. I loved how romance was in the book but wasn’t actually the highlight of the book. My favorite themes and different spin on the Cinderella story were the rats, cats, the sisters, the shoes, and the tasks, I loved all the elements together. Will definitely be reading any other book by W. R. Gorman that I can find. 5 out of 5 stars, perfect.

-Magic
-Cinderella Retelling

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.