Lady Tremaine

When I saw that this book was a retelling of Cinderella but from the 'wicked stepmother's perspective, I snagged a library copy. 

The Reese sticker on the front should have warned me off.

This book had an interesting premise but didn't deliver. Initially I was intrigued with getting the evil stepmother's perspective and perhaps seeing Cinderella in a new (and negative) light, giving credence to the stepmother's poor treatment of her stepdaughter. 

But the first third of the book is dull, excessively wordy with a weak plot and an ending that's tacked on like a bookish Hail Mary. I assume it was added to give some much needed (yet icky - iykyk) oomph to a slow-moving story that didn't have enough of the original fairy tale in it. 

I'm not sure what the author was trying to do here but it didn't work for me. Who is the reader supposed to root for? Ethel? Personally, I loved Sigrid (and Lucy the hawk) and that's not a good sign. 

Final Thoughts: Premise with potential. Awkward and uneven execution. It's a nope for me but I'm in the minority. 

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Rachel Hochhauser

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: March 3, 2026

Read: April 16-19, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: A breathtaking reimagining of Cinderella, as told through the eyes of its iconic "evil" stepmother, revealing a propulsive love story about the lengths a mother will go to for her children

A widow twice-over, Etheldreda is now saddled with the care of her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon. Her entire life has become a ruse, just like the manor hall they live grand and ornate on the exterior, but crumbling, brick by brick, inside. Fierce in the face of her misfortune, Ethel clings to her family’s respectability, the lifeboat that will float her daughters straight into the secure banks of marriage.

When a royal ball offers the chance to secure the future she desperately desires, Etheldreda must risk her secrets, pride, and limited resources in pursuit of an invitation for her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the heir of the kingdom unfolds with unnerving speed, she discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she’s sought for years and the wellbeing of the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.

As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairytale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.