AUDIOBOOK
About
Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske – a queer Gothic romance novella perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.
You think you know Cinderella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.
You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.
Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her furious ghost is trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.
Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.
Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.
Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this spellbinding novella from Freya Marske, the queen of romantic fantasy. Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth and A Marvellous Light, the latter of which became an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Award for Romantic Fantasy. Her work has appeared in Analog and has been shortlisted for three Aurealis Awards. She is also a Hugo-nominated podcaster, and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia. Meet Cinderella as you've never seen her before in this debut novella from Freya Marske, international bestselling author of the Last Binding trilogy – a Gothic fairy tale romance where the roles of the ghost, the house and the ingenue are all played by the same character.
You think you know Cinderella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.
You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.
Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her furious ghost is trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.
Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.
Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.
Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this spellbinding novella from Freya Marske, the queen of romantic fantasy. Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth and A Marvellous Light, the latter of which became an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Award for Romantic Fantasy. Her work has appeared in Analog and has been shortlisted for three Aurealis Awards. She is also a Hugo-nominated podcaster, and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia. Meet Cinderella as you've never seen her before in this debut novella from Freya Marske, international bestselling author of the Last Binding trilogy – a Gothic fairy tale romance where the roles of the ghost, the house and the ingenue are all played by the same character.
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Reviews
"Anna Burnett narrates an unexpected reimagining of "Cinderella." After having been murdered at 16 by her stepmother, "Ella" now haunts her family home. Burnett deftly handles Ella's transition from a lonely girl to a lonely ghost. Burnett's portrayal of her longing and frustration is heartrending, especially as she confronts hard truths about herself and her family. Add a royal ball, a handsome prince, a clever princess, and a looming confrontation between Ella and her stepfamily--and the tension is ratcheted up to nearly unbearable levels. When Ella finally embraces her rage, Burnett's performance is stunning. By story's end, a profoundly satisfying resolution is achieved. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
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