Brace yourself, dearies: it’s a fusion retelling!
Rumpelstiltskin meets Cinderella! Yes, I’m about to review a fairytale
re-imagining involving a favorite fairy tale of mine. In reviews like these, sometimes
I find myself on the brink of maniacal laughter. Why? Because my readers are no
doubt sick of seeing yet another book
review focused on Rumpelstiltskin. And I’m too villainous to stop. Cue evil
laughter.
Maybe I wouldn’t make a credible villain, but at least I’d
be a memorable one, unlike those in Camryn Lockhart’s The Spinner and the Slipper. If you think I’m referring to
Rumpelstiltskin, the titular Spinner, you’d be quite mistaken. Now, I enjoy a
non-villainous Rumpel portrayal as much as—well, more than most people—but I also like my Rumpel intriguing, complex,
and sympathetic as well as flawed. This Rumpel is … a little too tame for my taste. Given his role
in this Rumpelstiltskin/Cinderella crossover, it’s understandable why he comes
our more “hero” than “trickster.” As for Cinderella, well, better start from
the top. There’s a lot more to cover with her.
We open with a parent death scene. Ah, a classic fairy tale
trope that will never die. How ironic. Said death is centered on the mother of
this story’s Cinderella. Eliana, our soon-to-be-orphaned heroine, is only a
child at this point, but she understands that her kind mother is breathing her
last, and she desperately hopes for a miracle to save her. Instead, as a
parting gift, her mother bequeaths a necklace and ring that seem to be made of
gold. She explains that while these will be precious tokens of her love, Eliana
must be willing to give them up when asked. Why? Uhhhh … no time to explain. Must
die now!
