Of Slippers and Secrets: Book One (Ellie Kate Marchand)

Ellie Kate Marchand is not interested in finding a husband or falling in love. All she wants is a night off and a chance to wear a fancy dress and attend a ball. But when she unintentionally catches the eye of Prince Fillip, who’s looking for his princess, she gets much more than she bargained for. When she receives an official offer of marriage from the prince, Ellie is not in any sort of position to refuse. Seeing it as a way out of her miserable life with her stepmother and stepsisters, Ellie trades in her rags for riches as she prepares to become the Princess of Trenway. However, things are not as they appear at the famed Glass Castle. Whilst everything is physically transparent, Ellie sense that much is obscured in her new life and she can’t shake the feeling that she is in danger. When she discovers that she is at the heart of a secret conspiracy, Ellie realizes she faces a mortal threat. But even as her newfound enemies plot against her and initiate the steps to facilitate her downfall, Ellie makes a firm stand and vows that she will not go down without a fight: they messed with the wrong girl. This book is the first in a series. It begins as a fairy tale retelling of "Cinderella" but turns into so much more. I was interested in exploring the vague implications of "happily ever after", and with this book series, I aim to illuminate that mysterious denouement present in so many fairy tales. I want to provide my own interpretation of what might have happened to Cinderella after the ball. This book is similar to fairy tale retellings written by Robin McKinley, Donna Jo Napoli, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Shannon Hale, and Gail Carson Levine.