Ashes of Glass Book Review
Book Description
A servant struggling to survive.
A prince becoming a leader.
A snake seeking power.
Arella Marceau, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, finds herself diminished to a lowly servant who must obey the every whim of her stepmother. Then she meets Freddie who is handsome, kind, strong, and of course, very charming. They spend an afternoon together, exploring ruins, becoming lost in the forest, and dealing with gypsies and Arella begins to fall for the young man. When a mysterious debt arises, it inevitably tears Arella away from what she thought might have been a shred of happiness.
Arella accepts her dismal fate, but working as a scullery maid at the palace is a tumultuous task. For it is soon revealed to her that Freddie is Prince Friederic, heir to the throne of Ormandy. Even though discovery would mean life-shattering consequences, Freddie and Arella defy social expectations and meet in the safety of a secret garden. To complicate things further, Arella’s creditor seems to be frighteningly fascinated with her, as well as with the monarchy. What kind of secrets does he keep behind his black eyes?
As Arella’s life spins out of control, she must hold to her love for Freddie and to her belief that God has a perfect plan.
My Thoughts
Fairytale retellings are a weakness of mine, which is why I was very excited to read a copy of Ashes of Glass by E.J. Hill. A Cinderella retelling, it focused on Arella and her very own Prince Charming, Freddie. At the start, the first few chapters seemed like a retelling of Ever After, and I debated on whether I should continue reading. Thankfully, I did and this tale became one of more than just love, but also of intrigue.
As a whole, I loved the book. The plot was engaging, the characters memorable, and even though I figured out the bad guy pretty easily, I was still interested enough to see how he met his justice. What I didn’t so much love was the writing itself. It was very simplistic, and maybe geared more toward a YA audience. Truth be told, it’s been a long time since I last read a YA book so I could be mistaken. The writing here simply lacked depth. It was told in first person, but back and forth between Arella and Freddie. Freddie’s portions were unnecessary, in my opinion. It would’ve been fine to read the entire story from Arella’s perspective only. Last but not least, there were multiple grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
The book cover is beautiful, and the romantic elements of this sweet fairytale made this book worth my reading time. I would like to see it edited to give another reader a more enjoyable experience. There is lots to love in this dreamy story.
3 Stars
**Many thanks to the author for providing a copy to review through BookSirens. I was not required to provide a favorable review. All thoughts are my own.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I may be compensated upon your purchase of items through those links.
**Jewelry has been designed for this sweet book! Click here for the Jewelry Stories post featuring Ashes of Glass and three new designs inspired by the book.
