[about the book] This is one of the books from the Tales of the 500 Kingdoms series. It's basically a retelling of the Cinderella story. It's my favorite version so far: better than the original and the Disney versions in my opinion.

[about the “world”] The story is set in a British village during WWII. The concept of “magic” is quite different from Lackey's Obsidian Trilogy and the Enduring Flame series. The system of magic is closer to concepts of tarot cards. The system of magic is probably the most interesting thing about this book. If you're interested in systems of magic in fantasy books, I highly recommend this book.

[about the characters] Some characters from the other books in the series, “the pilot” and the “Indian doctor,” make appearances. The character development of the leading lady is pretty simple and a bit cliche, bit still interesting. The leading man's development is more complex and quite similar to the development of superheroes from modern American comics. The antagonist(s) are quite simple, but Lackey takes extra care to display their cruelty.

[about the plot] It's a rendition of Cinderella, so as expected it follows the standard Cinderella plot. There are significant differences though. One is the inclusion of the leading lady being “trained” in magic. Another would be the violent deaths of different characters. The love-story aspect is also nicely developed. The main characters don't just fall for each other unreasonably quick: their relationship develops quite realistically.

[what's bad about it] The only thing I didn't like about it is that there are many typo and spelling errors– probably due to a lack of quality proofreading.

[the final verdict] It's a good read if you don't mind typo's here and there. Very interesting love story. Very interesting system of magic. Everything “feels” like a British village in WWII. The main male character's de­velopment is pretty cool. Highly recommended to Lackey fans and fantasy fans. Probably better for young adult readers (due to the violence, excessive drinking, and horrific deaths).

[about the book] This is one of the books from the Tales of the 500 Kingdoms series. It's basically a retelling of the Cinderella story. It's my favorite version so far: better than the original and the Disney versions in my opinion.

[about the “world”] The story is set in a British village during WWII. The concept of “magic” is quite different from Lackey's Obsidian Trilogy and the Enduring Flame series. The system of magic is closer to concepts of tarot cards. The system of magic is probably the most interesting thing about this book. If you're interested in systems of magic in fantasy books, I highly recommend this book.

[about the characters] Some characters from the other books in the series, “the pilot” and the “Indian doctor,” make appearances. The character development of the leading lady is pretty simple and a bit cliche, bit still interesting. The leading man's development is more complex and quite similar to the development of superheroes from modern American comics. The antagonist(s) are quite simple, but Lackey takes extra care to display their cruelty.

[about the plot] It's a rendition of Cinderella, so as expected it follows the standard Cinderella plot. There are significant differences though. One is the inclusion of the leading lady being “trained” in magic. Another would be the violent deaths of different characters. The love-story aspect is also nicely developed. The main characters don't just fall for each other unreasonably quick: their relationship develops quite realistically.

[what's bad about it] The only thing I didn't like about it is that there are many typo and spelling errors– probably due to a lack of quality proofreading.

[the final verdict] It's a good read if you don't mind typo's here and there. Very interesting love story. Very interesting system of magic. Everything “feels” like a British village in WWII. The main male character's de­velopment is pretty cool. Highly recommended to Lackey fans and fantasy fans. Probably better for young adult readers (due to the violence, excessive drinking, and horrific deaths).