4.5
Liar's Kingdom Book Cover Liar's Kingdom
Christine Calella
Young Adult Fantasy
Page Street YA
January 15, 2025

Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape. However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying. If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.

Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella is a unique retelling of the classic Cinderella story. There have been many retellings of the original over the years, and I’ve read several of them. This book took a unique approach to how the peasant girl is found by the prince. Ella doesn’t have a fairy Godmother, and she doesn’t attend the royal ball. Yet, when the prince comes to their house, the glass slipper fits!

Ella makes a difficult choice to save herself.

In an instant, Ella’s life is changed. She decides to pretend that she did indeed attend the ball and that it is her slipper. It’s not easy, as Ella is an honest person by nature; however, she is desperate to escape her abusive stepfamily. What follows is her journey to redeem herself, and earn the love and trust of the prince. It would have been relatively easy if the prince’s best friend and royal confidant to the king wasn’t so determined to prove her a liar.

I appreciated this new spin of the heroine’s character. She is no longer a dainty creature with perfect manners and without flaws. Ella is flawed in this story. Despite her good intentions, she continues to deceive the entire kingdom about her identity. She has secrets, and takes risks. Even if she’s not the demure princess that everyone expected, Ella is positively helping the kingdom in her own ways. YA fans will love this version of (Cinder)Ella’s happily ever after!

This book was provided in exchance for an honest review graphic
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