** spoiler alert ** Where to start, where to start? Let me just start off by sayig this book was just the type of book I love to read. Of course I am a firm believer in fairy tales and love how Alex Flinn spices it up a bit and modernizes it up too.

Ok some spoilers may come so if you want to know nothing at all from the book I suggest you stop reading now!

The book starts off with Kendra as a young girl living in the 1600s about the time of the plague. Her whole family dies from it, except her little brother whom she saved through magic. And this is how Kendra, the witch is born! Since she miraculously saved her brother from a disease that wasn't curable, they decide to run away..

Which brings us to the gingerbread house.
At this Gingedbread house lives an old witch who cooks children, who eat her house, into gingerbread fence posts. So sad I know! While all this is happening the witch catches Kendra and her brother charlie and holes them captive. Kendra makes a deal with her and the witch teaches her more magic and she becomes more powerful. Charlie and her end up killing the witch by throwing her in the oven to burn. One of the only ways a witch can truly die. Once they kill her all the children that were baked into gingerbreads were all set free. Happily ever after right? Wrong!The children tell their parents what happen and Kendra and Charlie have to run for their life. And poor Kendra never sees her brother again.

Now is the story of Lisette and Emma. This is where the story gets real good. Its a Cinderella story told from the not so pretty step sister. Emma is smart, plain, and not very cool. In comes a step sister she never knew she had from her father. Lisette is around her age and is everything that Emma is not. Beautiful, talented, and everyone loves her. Except me, I despise Lisette to the max! She is a manipulative, coniving little brat and i spent the whole story wishing something bad would soon happen to her. It wasn't fair what she had done to Emma, I get that she was upset that she lost her father and he was stolen from her at a young age. But my God, there are better ways to handle things. She ended up taking away Emma's father, her boyfriends, her bedroom, and her clothes/other materlistic things. It enrages me because if it were me I would not have cared if she told about me busting up the pumpkin. Thats just me though, Lisette's blackmail was lame..and Emma sure acted stupid for falling for that. I hate stories where the beautiful girl is a real jerk. I liked how in the book it touched up on that. How in the movies the bad guy is always ugly but in books the villian is portrayed as beautiful. I think no matter what the villian wil always be ugly whether they are pretty or not. Its just easier to see a physically ugly person as the villian for some reason. The way Emma's story ended was sweet. I loved how she was the "cinderella" of the book. She had a mouse and got Prince Charming in the end. I feel like I am a lot like her. I would probably take a book to a party and just read too. The only thing is, most guys wouldnt find that too attractive. But its her I am and I am glad Emma stuck to who she was and never faltered. I admired her for that.

Some other fairy tales in the book was The Princess and the Pea, which I am not too familiar with. But I am familiar with The Little Mermaid. I loved Alex's take on the little mermaid. It was not a happily ever after and I found myself sad after reading it. I wish it could have ended differently for Doria. Her story was so tragic. She saves the boy she loves from drowing after the Titanic sinks. Also another thing i loved about the book, all the historical notes she put into this. It was well thought out.

I recommend this book to people of all ages, its just that good. If you love fairy tales, you will eat this up!
I am so happy to have recieved and early copy of the book, it has been good!