When Isabel's mother dies in childbirth, she is sent to a nearby village to live with a wet nurse in the family of a blacksmith. She grows up as a peasant girl, although she is friends with Prince Julian who lives at the village castle since Beatrice, Bella's adoptive mother, was his wet nurse as well. Meanwhile, their country has been at war with a neighboring country for nearly one hundred years, wreaking havoc on the lives of all the citizens. But when Bella is thirteen, everything falls apart: she finds out that her father is a knight in the city who has just remarried and decided to bring her home, away from the only family she has ever known. Unfortunately, her "new" family is not any more excited to see her and life is complicated for everyone. It will take courage, ingenuity, and a little bit of magic to make everything come out right again.
Although this is an unusual retelling of Cinderella, it felt a little dry to me, and not much like a fairy tale at the end (though several Cinderella elements were there). The story is told from several different points of view, which helps to understand all of the characters involved and the plot is unpredictable enough to stay interesting. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans that enjoy books that are a little serious.
- If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Aurelie, Beauty, The Other Book, or Warbreaker
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