Staff Pick
Not your standard fractured fairy tale! Sarah Prineas has crafted a thrilling original adventure in Ash and Bramble, borrowing elements from "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," and more. Prineas deftly navigates the murky waters of fate versus agency in a fantasy world where fairy tales want to come true, regardless of the consequences for the people stuck playing their archetypal roles. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story. Sarah Prineass bold fairy-tale retelling is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight.
Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmothers fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker.
Pin isnt free for long before shes captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy-tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after.
When the glass slipper just doesnt fit . . .
Review
Ash and Bramble is a delightful deconstruction of societys fairy tale myth, wrapped in an exquisite, spellbinding adventure. A must-read for teens who yearn to forge their very own story. Rae Carson, author of the best-selling Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy
Review
“A uniquely new fairy tale, full of beauty and danger. Splendid!” Tamora Pierce, author of Mastiff
Review
Ash and Bramble is a uniquely written story with a strong and engaging voice. 4 ½ stars. Romantic Times Book Reviews, Top Pick
Synopsis
A prince.
A ball.
A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.
The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.
But it is not the true Story.
A dark fortress.
A past forgotten.
A life of servitude.
No one has ever broken free of the Godmother's terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems like freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.
About the Author
Sarah Prineas lives in the midst of the corn in rural Iowa and can usually be found writing fantasy novels on a stealthy silver MacBook Air called Dash. Prineas's Magic Thief series introduced readers to the irascible wizard Nevery and his gutterboy apprentice, Connwaer. Sarah holds a PhD in English literature and recently taught honors seminars on fantasy and science fiction literature at the University of Iowa. She has an amazing dragon action-figure collection and occasionally bakes biscuits (although she says hers never seem to turn out as tasty as Benet's do in
The Magic Thief). She is also the author of
Winterling,
Summerkin, and
Moonkind.
Sarah is married to John Prineas, a physics professor, which comes in handy when she's writing about magic. They are the parents of Maud and Theo.