Library Journal
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DEBUT It isn't just an invitation to a party; it is a chance for a better future. At least, that is how twice-widowed Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley views the invitation to Prince Simeon's ball. However, after opening the card, Ethel discovers that the invitation is meant for her stepdaughter Elin. There is no mention of Ethel's daughters, Mathilde and Rosamund. What is a mother to do but pull every string to ensure her daughters are not left out when it comes to landing a prince? Debut author Hochhauser gives Cinderella's stepmother her due with a brilliantly crafted story that skillfully delves into Ethel's own backstory, which includes a fascination with falconry. All this is contained in a spellbinding tale about a fiercely determined mother who could give Mildred Pierce lessons in matriarchal sacrifice. VERDICT Hochhauser doesn't shy away from the grimmer literary lineage of fairy tales with this perfectly executed remake of a classic story. It will delight readers who fondly remember Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber or who fell in love with Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale and Heather Walter's Malice.—John Charles

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Twice widowed and struggling to maintain the decaying manor house she and her daughters are trapped in, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley does everything in her power to obtain an invitation to a royal ball that could change their lives forever. After the death of her second husband, Ethel finds herself without any money, in charge of a rapidly crumbling house and its staff, and struggling to look after her daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, and their self-righteous, stick-in-the-mud stepsister, Elin (aka Cinderella). It’s a challenge, to say the least. Ethel clings desperately to the image of a proper and well-to-do lady while doing whatever she can—including hunting in the woods with her peregrine falcon, Lucy—in order to protect her family and make ends meet. When word reaches her of an upcoming royal ball that could lead to a highly coveted engagement to the prince, she becomes determined to help her daughters earn an invitation, only to have Elin be invited instead. As time passes and the engagement unfolds quickly, Ethel comes to realize that Prince Charming and the royal family are not all they’re chalked up to be, and that she must choose between the life she’s sought for years and the well-being of a stepdaughter who’s never loved her. Ethel is so much more than the cartoonishly villainous Wicked Stepmother that fans of Cinderella have come to know over the years. Instead, Hochhauser has created a desperate and prideful woman who would do anything in her power to ensure that her daughters have an easier life than she’s had. Readers will no doubt find themselves rooting for Ethel as she recounts the life she once had, the love she’s lost, and her unwavering devotion to her daughters. A bold and beautifully written examination of a mother’s love told through the eyes of Cinderella’s “wicked” stepmother. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Hochhauser’s splendid debut retells the “Cinderella” story from the stepmother’s perspective. Twice-widowed Lady Etheldreda Tremaine Bramley has a title and a manor house but virtually no money. Her daughters Mathilde and Rosamund face bleak futures if they cannot marry well, so Etheldreda sells some of her possessions and, with her daughters’ help, takes on household chores to keep up appearances. Meanwhile her shy and sanctimonious stepdaughter, Elin, who has never taken to her father’s second wife, stays aloof. When the queen hosts a ball for her only son, Etheldreda asks the three girls to sew themselves suitable gowns and earn extra money for their adornments, such as feathers. Elin, who neither sews nor sells the household ashes for lye-making as requested, stays home until the fateful night, when she borrows a dress, makes a late appearance, outshines her stepsisters, and wins a proposal from the prince. Though royal connections will be advantageous, Etheldreda grows alarmed by the haste and secrecy of the prince’s wedding plans, the reason for which she uncovers with the help of a trusted court adviser. Hochhauser grounds her tale with a convincing depiction of the medieval setting and offers a stirring exploration of maternal instinct and female strength. It’s a winner. Agent: Alyssa Reuben, WME. (Mar.)