Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before ...
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Jan 19, 2009
Elizabeth
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There are 141 reviews of this book with 5 star ratings. 5 stars. I give 5 stars to books that change my world view; books that overwhelm me; books I could read a dozen times and still learn something new from them; and, admittedly, a couple of books that are old friends and make me feel better when I've had a bad day or when I am sick and grumpy (like today).
Isn't this how everyone rates? They don't just slap five stars on books that have nothing new in them, do they? There's a fathe More...
Isn't this how everyone rates? They don't just slap five stars on books that have nothing new in them, do they? There's a fathe More...
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Apr 24, 2011
Cara
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Extremely wary was I of this one. There have been tons of Cinderella retellings and begs you to ask the question what could this little book have to offer? A substaintial amount as it turns out.
Cendrillion is blamed for the death of her mother. Not by everyone mind you but by her father. He wishes to never to see her again until he can receive peace and when he comes to visit his dead wife's grave he brings another life with him. A little baby boy to be exact. His name would be Raoul More...
Cendrillion is blamed for the death of her mother. Not by everyone mind you but by her father. He wishes to never to see her again until he can receive peace and when he comes to visit his dead wife's grave he brings another life with him. A little baby boy to be exact. His name would be Raoul More...
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Oct 16, 2009
Valerie
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Maybe I should have read this book earlier; when I was 13 and a fresh book lover. I've read a substantial amount of Cinderella retellings since then so its hard to give it any new twists or magic. Its got the basic framework of all the Cinderella retellings: mother dies (check), stepmother and sisters(check), and a happily-ever-after with the prince (check).
There is always something different about each retelling that I've read. In Ella Enchanted it was the curse, in Just Ella the pr More...
There is always something different about each retelling that I've read. In Ella Enchanted it was the curse, in Just Ella the pr More...
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Feb 21, 2009
Ruth
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I am an absolute sucker for retold fairy tales, and even though the Once Upon a Time series is targets teen readers, I look forward to see what new spin each installment brings to old familiar stories. Cameron Dokey is the most prolific and - in my opinion - best author contributing to the series. In order to craft her own version of the Cinderella story, Dokey went back to the Grimm and Perrault versions of the tale. In a nod to the Grimms, there is a tree planted on the grave of Cendrillon's m
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Jan 16, 2008
Alice
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What a pleasant surprise for any lover of retellings of fairy tales!
I feared this small book, one of the "Once Upon A Time" series, would be a poorly written disappointment. Instead, it was a well written twist on the Cindrella story. It achieved two ends: 1. The writing style captures the magic that fairy-tale readers long for; and 2. The intriguing analysis of the father, the first wife, and the step-mother adds the new dimension to the old tale.
I plan to read
I feared this small book, one of the "Once Upon A Time" series, would be a poorly written disappointment. Instead, it was a well written twist on the Cindrella story. It achieved two ends: 1. The writing style captures the magic that fairy-tale readers long for; and 2. The intriguing analysis of the father, the first wife, and the step-mother adds the new dimension to the old tale.
I plan to read
Feb 05, 2012
Sonia
rated it:
Continuing right along with my reading of all things fairytale is this retelling of the story of Cinderella.
When Cendrillon's mother dies just after giving birth to her, her father is devastated and leaves the estate and his daughter into the care of Old Mathilde. He also leaves a mysterious baby boy with instructions that this boy was to never leave the estate unless he was sent for. Thus Cendrillon and Raoul are bought up together in the care of Old Mathilde, who magically believes in More...
When Cendrillon's mother dies just after giving birth to her, her father is devastated and leaves the estate and his daughter into the care of Old Mathilde. He also leaves a mysterious baby boy with instructions that this boy was to never leave the estate unless he was sent for. Thus Cendrillon and Raoul are bought up together in the care of Old Mathilde, who magically believes in More...
May 05, 2011
Dorothea
rated it:
So- I'm noticing a trend in these Cameron Dokey fairy tales. I LOVE the fresh ideas she brings to all of them. Just when you thought you couldn't find anything new in a retelling of Cinderella, Dokey manages to bring some fresh twists to the tale that I truly enjoyed.
Spoiler alert begins here:
I struggle with my ratings of some of her stories. The two main reasons in the last two I read (this one and the retelling of Mulan) is that I think the love interest is going to be on More...
Spoiler alert begins here:
I struggle with my ratings of some of her stories. The two main reasons in the last two I read (this one and the retelling of Mulan) is that I think the love interest is going to be on More...
Dec 09, 2010
Lydia
rated it:
First of all let me say that I love Cinderella retellings. Whenever another movie with a cinderella plotline comes out I'm like "Oh boy, I can't wait to see it!" While certain people in my family simple groan "Not ANOTHER Cinderella story...". If you empathize with my family then you probably don't want to read this book however original I am about to say it is.
When I first started the book I didn't like the whole wishes and magic thing (which I usually try to More...
When I first started the book I didn't like the whole wishes and magic thing (which I usually try to More...
Jun 24, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
This was a very quick read, and a cute book overall. It gave the Cinderella story a little more depth than I previously associated with it: a father overcome with despair, a daughter strong enough to deal with it, and a loving stepmother and stepsisters who helped the daughter realize who she is, who she could be. A large emphasis on the "power of love" and the ability of "love at first sight" (it runs in families, Old Mathilde says). I did find that corny and cliche, but wha
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Jan 07, 2012
Amy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 31, 2009
Kara
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My reaction to this book is the same as if I saw Disney's Cinderella decked out in black clothes and black mascara: "How cuuuuuuuuuute! She's trying to be serious! Whose a cute widdle Goth? Yes, you are! Yes you are!"
>cough< Sorry. A bit flippant, but I stick by my point that this book could have been a good fairy tale retelling, but it throws in some "serious" "political" themes ( I use those words loosely) trying to be a different class of More...
Sep 24, 2011
Kyle
rated it: 
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book - there have been so many tellings of Cinderella that I had my doubts about this one. I was pleasantly surprised though; this telling is actually very different from all the other ones I have read. It's definitely a fairy tale but in a more realistic way, if that makes sense.
There is still magic in the book although one that feels as though it really could exist and of course, happily ever afters. However, there are also plot t More...
There is still magic in the book although one that feels as though it really could exist and of course, happily ever afters. However, there are also plot t More...
Nov 01, 2009
Haley
rated it:
Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His beloved wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. Before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose identity he does not reveal. The girl constance (her mother's name), better known as Cendrillon (child of cinders), and the boy, Raoul, pass sixteen years in the servants' care until one day a fine lady arrives with her two daughters. The women ha
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Dec 28, 2011
Brandi
rated it:
12-28-11
Cendrillon entered the world with no luck and little love. Her mother died during the birth and her father, Etienne, was away on royal business. The only affection she received was from her godmother, Old Mathilde, who named the girl after her mother but instead chose to call her Cendrillon due to the baby’s bed amongst the ashes. One day when Cendrillon was still an infant, her father returned with a baby boy. Broken with grief, Etienne left the both babies in the care of More...
Cendrillon entered the world with no luck and little love. Her mother died during the birth and her father, Etienne, was away on royal business. The only affection she received was from her godmother, Old Mathilde, who named the girl after her mother but instead chose to call her Cendrillon due to the baby’s bed amongst the ashes. One day when Cendrillon was still an infant, her father returned with a baby boy. Broken with grief, Etienne left the both babies in the care of More...
Apr 02, 2009
cecilia
rated it: 
Putting the father back in the mix entailed his great sorrow for the loss of his wife after she gave birth to Cendrillon. The depression was so great that he refused to love Cendrillon and abandoned her at the estate with his servants while he returned to court and stayed there. Hence, Cendrillon grew up with the understanding that her father blames her for her mother's death.
When the stepmother and stepsisters arrived, it seemed that they too might also be villains. However, they had More...
When the stepmother and stepsisters arrived, it seemed that they too might also be villains. However, they had More...
Mar 05, 2011
Debbie
rated it:
I LOVE twists on fairytales. One of my favorite thing about Cameron Dokey is her ability to take a fairytale we think we know so well, and make it so drastically different, while at the same time adding enough elements of the original to make it a fun parallel. She made her version a lot happier then other versions, which I loved. My only qualm was that she gave so very little of the story to the main point of this fairytale: Cinderella meeting her handsome prince! Cindrellon doesn't even m
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Aug 07, 2008
Katelyn
rated it:
I love it when fairy tales are retold in a way that makes them make so much more sense. This is one of those books. Strangely enough, it also has a magical realism tint to things. For instance, tears cause plants to grow, anger causes a tree to die. The only faults I could find was that sometimes the magical realism was too heavy and that people seemed to fall in love too simply.
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Nov 18, 2009
Emily
rated it:
I thought this book was ok. I liked it. It just wasn't really a retelling of Cinderella. Sure the small details were like they're were pumpkins, she had a godmother (not a maigcal one) and she had a stepmother and stepsisters. Changes: Stepmother and stepsisters nice, two princes, father and the queens and the bad guys, no fairy godmothers, no changing into a regular person before midnight (even though it's the title)
Changes I liked: how before midnight her wishes come true, how she falls More...
Changes I liked: how before midnight her wishes come true, how she falls More...
Jun 14, 2010
Whitney
rated it:
Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. Before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised with her, a boy, whose identity he does not reveal. Sixteen years later a carriage arrives with de Brabant's new wife and her two daughters. When an invitation to a great ball reaches the family, the new Lady of the house will make a decision with far-reaching effects. An unconventi
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Jan 21, 2010
Katherine
rated it:
This book doesn't quite rate 3 stars but I'm a sucker for a re-written fairytale so I'll be overly generous here. There were aspects I liked; the author used some of the standard themes of the tale in an original manner, for instance, the stepmother and step-sisters take on a whole new dimension in this rendering. Or the how pumpkin figures in (no, in this one the carriage only looks like a pumpkin). Oh, and some really lovely interpretations of the meaning of loss and love as it relates to the
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Sep 19, 2009
Jenny
rated it:
What if Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters weren't evil, they just didn't know who she was? What if Cinderella's father were still alive and refused to acknowledge her as his daughter? And what if Prince Charming's court was plagued by suspicion and lies?
Well, if it were, you'd get Before Midnight, Cameron Dokey's sweet retelling of the Cinderella story. It's certainly the best of the Once Upon a Time series that I've read yet. The characters, while not fully fleshed out, had More...
Well, if it were, you'd get Before Midnight, Cameron Dokey's sweet retelling of the Cinderella story. It's certainly the best of the Once Upon a Time series that I've read yet. The characters, while not fully fleshed out, had More...
Jul 24, 2008
Mary
rated it:
I am definitely a fairy tale groupie (is that possible?!) and I enjoyed this new take on Cinderella. Wicked is one of my favorite books and it too was a different take on the usual story. Lessons in how a situation can be interpreted in many different ways depending on who and how it is explained.
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Dec 29, 2010
Tiffany
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Cendrillion was brought into the world at the cost of her mother's life. Her father, a landed nobleman, felt his heart split in two. He curses the land where his wife is buried and vows never to return. That same night, however, he leaves behind an infant boy to be raised alongside Cendrillion. The two grow together, best friends, equals, until one day, Cendrillion makes a wish for a more and two sisters to love and her wish is answered.
This take on Cinderella is absolutely fresh, orig More...
This take on Cinderella is absolutely fresh, orig More...
Feb 04, 2010
Sally
rated it:
Again, the Once Upon a Time series offers up a "princess" who takes her story in her own hand. This Cinderella does the housework because it needs to be done, and everyone pulls their own weight. She also isn't a complete orphan - her father, cold as a diamond and twice as hard, lives at court to avoid the sight of his only child.
Cinderella goes about her business in the ordinary way, doing her duty to her king, country, and a stepmother who is not as aloof or cold as she More...
Cinderella goes about her business in the ordinary way, doing her duty to her king, country, and a stepmother who is not as aloof or cold as she More...
Nov 11, 2009
Lindsay
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Before Midnight: A Retelling of "Cinderella"
By Cameron Dokey
Publisher: Simon Pulse
# of Pages: 208
Age Rating: 11+
My Rating: 3 Stars
Synopsis:
"ONCE UPON A TIME" IS TIMELESS
Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose ide More...
By Cameron Dokey
Publisher: Simon Pulse
# of Pages: 208
Age Rating: 11+
My Rating: 3 Stars
Synopsis:
"ONCE UPON A TIME" IS TIMELESS
Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose ide More...
May 20, 2009
Mackenzie
rated it:
So when i read the book i had high expectation since i had read others in the series some very good and others disappointing and this one was really good not my favorite but it was still good in the story that is a retelling or a different version of fairytale this story is a retelling of Cinderella "duh on the title" lol but it was very good i liked very much how the step sisters and step mother are very kinda too Cinderella. Though i liked this book i didn't rate it five stars . Why
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Oct 11, 2010
Sara ♥
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I reason liked this story! I'm fairly partial to the Ever After version of Cinderella, but this was a whole new spin on the classic fairy tale! I read the author's note at the end... And apparently in the original story, Cinderella's dad was NOT dead! Shocking! (Reminds me of The Princess Diaries...) So he played a fairly significant role in the story...
I liked the feel of the magic in the story, although the idea of the "wishes" was not explained very well... I hate when authors don't exp More...
I liked the feel of the magic in the story, although the idea of the "wishes" was not explained very well... I hate when authors don't exp More...
Jun 07, 2010
Joanna
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Cendrillon's mother died before Cendrillon get to know her well. She learned more about her mother's story through Old Mathilde, the healer. Old Mathilde had promised Cendrillon's mother that she will be Cendrillon's godmother and raise her well. Other than living with this healer, Cendrillon grew up with a father who did not treat her with respect, because he wanted a son and not a daughter.
Authors rewrtie stories to reveal the way they wanted the sotry to be. I thought this book w More...
Authors rewrtie stories to reveal the way they wanted the sotry to be. I thought this book w More...
Mar 15, 2010
La Cendrillion (the French form of Cinderella) was shunned by her father at an early age, because it was her birth that caused her mother’s death. La Cendrillion stayed on her home land until her Father marries again, without telling La Cendrillion. The new stepmother and stepsisters come to La Cendrillion’s home, and that’s where all of the mysteries of La Cendrillion’s past unfold. The evil stepmother and stepsisters showed sides to themselves that you cannot imagine! There are many twists and
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Jun 22, 2009
Kim
rated it:
Overall, the storyline was actually quite interesting. If only Dokey had written it better. It had an awkward writing style with several typos and a lack of conflict resolution distorted the tale too much (it seemed to me her step family warmed up to her too fast and were saying how much they loved her before there was really any falling out between them). Similarly, the ending was highly predictable and there was never any depth in the relationship she had with the prince (which I suppose nev
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