11/7/2023 0 Comments Dark ascension![]() I would rather not say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything for other readers. The interesting thing is that Ella's story is barely a side story and Robin does a great job of making you feel sorry for the two stepsisters. However, it was a bit more depressing than I expected, and the ending completely dashed my hopes for a different conclusion! Thankfully, this is only the first book in the series, so I'm hoping for a more uplifting ending for all three sisters. I'm a fan of retellings, especially when they're done well, and I enjoyed this one. This was an interesting take on the Cinderella story, written from the stepsisters' point of view. If you like villain stories, consider picking this book up! Overall, I really enjoyed this dark dive into the world of Cinderella. If you’re looking for a light hearted Disney read, this book isn’t for you. I do want to note that there is bullying, abuse, and neglect in the story and there isn’t a happy ending. By the time you reach the end, you understand how and why they became evil and why they dislike Cinderella so much. The sisters are very likable in the beginning and you can’t help but root for them to pursue their dreams. The character development was also well done. It highlights how the sisters weren’t born being evil, they became evil. The rest of the book is told in alternating points of view between Drizella and Anastasia, with an epilogue in the viewpoint of Lady Tremaine. I liked that the book started off with a prologue in the viewpoint of their father, which helped set up the story and shed some light on Lady Tremaine and her motives. This book serves as a prequel to the Disney movie, Cinderella, and explores how Drizella and Anastasia became evil stepsisters. I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Hudson. Robin grew up in Orange County, California, attended NYU, where she was a recipient of the Seth Barkas Prize for Creative Writing, and is a graduate of UCLA. In addition, her non-fiction work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bustle, Elle, and more. Her most recent book, Far From the Tree, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the PEN America Award, and was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, Entertainment Weekly, and the Boston Globe. In addition, her novels have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly, and have been published in more than 25 countries. Her books have received numerous awards and recognition, including the PEN America Literary Award, the Blue Ribbon Award from the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, ALA’s Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. Robin Benway is a National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of six novels for young adults, including Far From the Tree, Audrey, Wait!, the AKA series, and Emmy & Oliver. This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood. On the cusp of the royal debut party―their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations―the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. They'll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.īut both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves―and each other―that they'll be different. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. "Blood is blood.and one way or another, we all bleed."ĭrizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine.
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