Cinder House

Freya Marske became a member of my must-read list after finishing her The Last Binding series. Since then, she wrote and released one other standalone novel that I loved, confirming her place on that list. Her most recent work, the novella CINDER HOUSE, is yet another example of why I love her stories.

With Ms. Marske, you know that you are going to read a story that does not conform to any conventional trope. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the fact that in her retelling of Cinderella, the heroine dies in the first paragraph. CINDER HOUSE still contains the evil stepmother, evil stepsisters, and a dead father. There is also the ball, midnight deadlines, magic slippers, and a fairy. But that is where the familiarity of the story show more ends.

While there is a happily ever after, it is not anything you expect. Then again, after Ella dies, the story obtains a new trajectory, one where the idea of escaping to, or reaching for, freedom means something entirely different. Ms. Marske's idea of a haunted house is also quite new, and it takes a sentence or two to grasp the implications of Ella's new circumstances.

CINDER HOUSE may not end Ella's story in a manner that I find satisfying, but therein lies Ms. Marske's skill as a writer. The romantic in me may not like the ending, but I appreciate why Ella's story closes as it does. Anything else, no matter how I might wish for it, would not make sense given the constraints of the story. I accept that and the conclusion of CINDER HOUSE to be the best available closure for Ella.

Even though CINDER HOUSE is not my favorite of Ms. Marske's stories, I still enjoyed it tremendously. She took the Cinderella tale and gave it new life with her changes. She even expands on Ella's world by adding a sprinkling of politics, geography, and other essential world-building tools. There is a lot of story packed into its 136 pages, something not every author can accomplish, and she does it all without sacrificing character development or strife. If you are looking for a short but sweet fantasy and don't mind fairy tale retellings, you cannot go wrong with CINDER HOUSE. show less

Ella died right after her father did - he of poison, she falling down the stairs - and when the house got angry, she became a ghost. Tethered to the house, Ella keeps it clean at the behest of her stepmother and stepsisters, the only people who can see her, until she finds a way to leave under certain rules.

I do love a good fairy tale retelling, and this was an entertaining take on Cinderella. Not just "What if Cinderella were a ghost?" but... well, it's only a novella, and I can't spill the beans and spoil the story. There are a few twists to the conventional fairy tale that are entirely plausible in the way this story is laid out. I enjoyed watching everything unfold to the satisfying conclusion.

I particularly enjoyed this fairy tale retelling. I liked how it took the Cinderella story we all know (and many of us love), and gave it a twist (or two) and turned it into something new while retaining all of the bits I loved about the original. As the blurb says, "You think you know Ella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince. You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong." I love the way that Marske unfolded this story from the original and turned it into something new.

To discuss much of the story would include spoilers, which I really want to avoid (the journey is in the discovery of the ways the original fairy tale changes) but I can say that I enjoyed all of the characters in the book—even "enjoying" the way show more the villain behaved. I didn't think I would like the prince at first, but I came to like him a lot and hope for a future for him and Ella. I also was a bit turned off by the fairy godmother character at first, and her tricks, but I came to like her a lot as well.

If I have one complaint about this book, it is that it moves a bit more slowly at first than I had expected. Having now finished the book, I think that was intentional. I think we had to get established in Ella's slow pace of existing as a ghost and a house in order to make the nights of dancing at the ball more intense and lively. But while I was reading, I didn't put the pieces together, and so I kept waiting for things to happen. I think I'll enjoy the book even more on a reread as a result of knowing that the slow pace at the start serves a purpose. show less

When Ella dies just minutes after her father is murdered, she is caught up in the grief and rage of the house and becomes a ghost. With her connection to the house, her malicious step-family discovers that she makes the perfect free servant. The only freedom Ella has is when she discovers that, if she carries a piece of the house (like a chip of roof tile, for instance), she can walk through the public areas of the city from sunset until midnight. Eventually she discovers the night market, and a fairy trinket seller who can actually see her. When a royal festival is announced, the fairy offers Ella a bargain: three nights of dancing at the prince's ball, of tangibility, for a few small items (and maybe a slight loss of solidity for the show more rest of the time). Ella takes the bargain, and is presented with a pair of mirror-encrusted slippers that will effect the transformation. Of course, not everything goes the way you might expect from the tale: Ella is still, after all, a ghost...

I enjoyed the writing, world-building, and character work in this novella -- even in a small amount of space, most of the characters shone brightly, and I could picture Ella's house and the town around it. I enjoyed reading about her explorations, and the correspondence she developed with a scholar in a neighboring country. Like some other reviewers, I found the ending a little uncomfortable (squicky, even), and I hope that the earlier parts of the book are what linger in my mind. show less

I don’t love where this starts, but I adore where it ends up. Few authors can take us to T. Kingfisher heights, to Angela Carter heights, but Marske does in this lovely retelling. It’s hard for me to read fairy tales any more, knowing that you have to sit through the abuse to come to the triumph on the other side. This one was worth it.

Advanced Readers Copy provided by edelweiss.

Ella is dead, dying shortly after her stepmother killed her father. Now, she is the ghost that haunts her house, visible only to those tied to it. As part of the house, Ella has a compulsion to keep things tidy and do repairs, much to her stepmother and stepsister's delight. Ella grows with the house, testing the limits of her bounds and finding new ways to explore. Ella finds ways to go into town for short periods and develops a kind of friendship with a fey, but is always pulled back to the house by midnight. One of Ella's stepsisters has also developed magical powers, using them mostly to indulge herself and keep Ella in line. Ella decides to take a chance to feel alive again and makes a deal with the fey: she can attend the prince's show more ball for three nights to dance, be touched and eat again, but only for those three nights.

Cinder House is a unique take on the Cinderella story creating a magical and Gothic atmosphere. I loved the idea of Ella being part of the house and how she could sense when something was wrong or off within it through her own body. Since magic was a large part of Ella's world, her presence felt natural, as did her stepfamily's acceptance of her and her stepsister's development of powers. Ella's fairy friend, Quaint was an interesting friend and godmother. The two enjoyed each other's company, but Quaint couldn't go against her mischievous nature. The Prince's dancing curse was another interesting element that led to a surprising relationship only he could have with Ella. It seemed Ella almost had her fairytale ending, if only she weren't dead. Ella, the Prince and his new Queen create a surprising trio; however, and are perfectly suited to each other along with a few unusual accommodations. show less

It's a story of a Cinderella. A different story with a different outcome and involves ghosts and haunting a house and a step sister who thrives on being cruel, particularly to Ella who can be punished by damaging the house.
Then she learns how to stretch her limits but every day at midnight she returns to the house, at the spot where she died. Then she makes friends with a fairy charm-seller who offers her three nights of dancing, touch and eating. What happens then changes everything.
It's a lovely tale of haunting and life and I really enjoyed it and would like to spend more time in this world.