Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Cinderella's Shoes (Cinderella's Dress, #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Cinderella's Shoes

(Fairy-tale Inheritance #2)

Shonna Slayton (Goodreads Author)

3.98 · Rating details · 318 ratings · 55 reviews

The war may be over, but Kate Allen’s life is still in upheaval. Not only has she discovered that Cinderella was real, but now she's been made Keeper of the Wardrobe, her sole responsibility to protect Cinderella’s magical dresses from the greed of the evil stepsisters’ modern descendants.

But Cinderella’s dresses are just the beginning. It turns out that the priceless gla ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 400 pages

Published October 6th 2015 by Entangled: Teen

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Cinderella's Shoes, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Fairy Tale Retellings to Adore

294 books — 154 voters

YA Retellings of Cinderella

78 books — 108 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.98 ·

Rating details

· 318 ratings · 55 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Cinderella's Shoes (Cinderella's Dress, #2)

Jan 27, 2015 Shantelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star, historical, young-adult, fairytale-retellings, reviewed, on-my-bookshelf, read-in-2015, romance, 1920s-to-ww2

Aw, I loved it! I really enjoy WWII-era historical and fairytale retellings ... and Cinderella's Shoes by Shonna Slayton was both! Ominous, but fun. Real, yet whimsical. This is one Cinderella retelling series you don’t want to miss!

Kate Allen recently discovered the magical qualities of some ancient dresses … and her destiny to become the Keeper of the Wardrobe; but shocking secrets still abound.
World War II has ended, but Mr. Allen has yet to return. Even though he was reported missing-in-ac Aw, I loved it! I really enjoy WWII-era historical and fairytale retellings ... and Cinderella's Shoes by Shonna Slayton was both! Ominous, but fun. Real, yet whimsical. This is one Cinderella retelling series you don’t want to miss!

Kate Allen recently discovered the magical qualities of some ancient dresses … and her destiny to become the Keeper of the Wardrobe; but shocking secrets still abound.
World War II has ended, but Mr. Allen has yet to return. Even though he was reported missing-in-action, Kate won’t give up, and is hoping Cinderella’s legendary shoes can help. So, along with her boyfriend, Johnny, she embarks on a crazy journey filled with twists and turns; excitement and danger.
Will she find what she’s looking for? Or lose everything?

After quite enjoying Cinderella's Dress (Book One), I was so excited to get my hands on this one and continue Kate's journey! The war is over, but the aftermath is still shockingly real. The historical aspect of Cinderella's Shoes is great; it was thoroughly interesting and I learned a lot, actually! And we got to travel outside America too! The fairytale aspect was also rich and captivating. -The history of Cinderella! ^_^ So fun. So fascinating. (view spoiler)

I got annoyed at Kate a few times, but this was a journey of learning and realizing for her! She's actually a relateble and likable character overall, to me, and I so enjoyed reading two books about her and Johnny! *smiles* I hope there's another one!! Oh, and speaking of Johnny ... he was great! And sweet! And just ... they're so adorable! I wish we could have had more time with Johnny! (A couple times he got left out!) But it was good. And that ending made up for it all!!

Besides being great historical and a lovely fairytale retelling (of sorts), Cinderella's Shoes has a bit of magic. It's all mellow and fun though. Nothing huge. Just a touch of fairytale magic here and there. I really liked it!

So did I mention the ending? *swoon* It was sooo sweet and beautiful and happy!! I'm so, so glad that it ended like that! (view spoiler), because a lot of YA novels don't. I just loved it! Made me sigh happily. Such a sweet ending to a sweet Cinderella romance series. Although, I do hope there's more books to this series! Even if not about Kate, maybe about another character we met! Lidka, perhaps? *grins* Speaking of her, she was quite the interesting character! Hard, and hiding secrets, but strangely vulnerable and confusing at times. I would like to have a story dedicated to her!

So, all in all, Cinderella's Shoes is a sweet, exciting YA historical romance filled with surprises, secrets, danger, and touches of magic! I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and recommend to historical and fairytale lovers alike! So much fun! I want to read more! ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2015 Hannah Rodes rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Cinderella’s Shoes by Shonna Slayton

Rating-three point five stars.

So, Cinderella’s shoes was a quite anticipated read and when my sister gave this to me for Christmas I was ecstatic. I loved the new characters and the change of scenery we saw in Cinderella’s shoes. Kate was still the awesome Kate. Johnny was still the charming guy, who was simply amazing! I loved how you were never quite sure of Lidka. It kept me guessing and I love that in stories. (Well, who doesn’t.)

Even though I loved t ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2015 Courtney Toohey rated it liked it

I received this book from Netgalley and Entangled Teen in exchanged for an honest review. See the full post for the blog tour at http://www.themoralofourstories.com/b...

For many young girls, there is no better dress than the one that graces the pages of the fairytale Cinderella. In their wistful imaginations, they close their eyes and transport themselves to The Ball in their magical new gown sewn with magic, searching for Prince Charming. But the story doesn’t end there. We all know that at th I received this book from Netgalley and Entangled Teen in exchanged for an honest review. See the full post for the blog tour at http://www.themoralofourstories.com/b...

For many young girls, there is no better dress than the one that graces the pages of the fairytale Cinderella. In their wistful imaginations, they close their eyes and transport themselves to The Ball in their magical new gown sewn with magic, searching for Prince Charming. But the story doesn’t end there. We all know that at the stroke of Midnight, Cinderella must dash away as to not reveal her true identity. But in her wake, she leaves behind one token that proves her existence. The magnificent glass slipper. These shoes have spurred many a dream and an abundance of shoe addictions. These are the shoes to rule them all. But what if these shoes were real? Would they hold the same magical powers as predicted in the story told for generations and generations hence? Or, would they be even more powerful than we could have ever imagined. This is what Shonna Slayton explores in the sequel to her first book, Cinderella’s Dress.

Shonna Slayton has landed upon a very interesting angle in which to work the fairytale retelling craze by not simply remaking the Disney version of Cinderella. Instead, she has taken a story that we all know, and made it the derivative of her own original plot. While the story rotates around the crux that is Cinderella’s story, she creates her own plane of reality, which is set in the era of the 1940’s. Slayton picks up where she left off in Cinderella’s Dress by immediately addressing the absence of the shoes. So if you haven’t read the first book, TURN BACK NOW or you may encounter some spoilers. However I will do my best to conceal any major plot points.

I appreciate where Slayton has taken each of her characters. Now that the war has ended, her characters are now left to live in the post-war world, which leaves them all changed in their own way. War touches everyone, and Slayton does a great job of showing that, even in the most subtle of ways. Each character has evolved and has begun to grow into themselves. Each character is well rounded and has their individual arch which is something that not many authors achieve. Her follow through in this development is very well done and not hard to miss.

In the first book, I felt that there may have been an imbalance when it came to the plot about just Kate’s day to day life as opposed to her life in reference to being a Keeper of the Wardrobe. There was a lot of backstory that I felt could have been left behind, and not enough about the dress. In fact, there would be several chapters with no mention whatsoever about the dresses. However I wanted to keep going and see how things changed in the second book. I believe that Slayton has found a better balance between the plot about Kate, and the plot about Kate and the story of Cinderella. It is a difficult task to manage two seemingly similar plot lines throughout the same story, and I believe that Slayton has gotten better at this with the practice of writing this series. I do still wish that there was more in reference to the legend of Cinderella, but perhaps that is not the goal of the book. In any case, I enjoyed the plot for what it is, and will not try to wish it into being something else.

I appreciate the attention to detail that Slayton has placed on the accuracy in this work. Her nuances are spot on, all the way down to the slang the teenagers used in that time. I love this time period, and its existence in this book was the second reason I was so drawn to this book, the first being that it was about the wardrobe of Cinderella. For this, I very much enjoyed being ushered into that time in a realistic way. It was refreshing to take a break from 2015 and relax in the times of the 1940’s, even though that time period was nothing but chaotic. The fact that I was able to so vividly picture the reality Slayton has created within the confines of the 1940s is only further proof that her development of the story in this regard is sound.
I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars I was so very excited to read this book and its predecessor, but it some ways was left wanting. When the title is Cinderella’s Shoes, you expect the majority of the book to be dedicated to that purpose. What I encountered was closer to half. So in this regard I was slightly disappointed. However, the rest of the book and its charms were quite refreshing and a pleasant read. It was delightful to read a story that took me back to a rich time period and engrossed me as soon as I arrived. For this, the book is outstanding. Should the intertwining of the stories been more seamless and balanced, the work would be perfect.
...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2015 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copies, fairy-tale-retellings

World War II has been over for a couple years and Kate’s father has been declared missing in action and then deceased. Why, then, isn’t Kate able to accept his death? Although the descendants of Cinderella’s stepsisters are horrible, but perhaps there is some truth to their insinuation that the missing glass slippers might be able to be used in finding people. Perhaps there is some hope for Kate’s dad after all. Now, if only she could make it to Italy and Poland…

Shonna Slayton’s Cinderella’s Sho World War II has been over for a couple years and Kate’s father has been declared missing in action and then deceased. Why, then, isn’t Kate able to accept his death? Although the descendants of Cinderella’s stepsisters are horrible, but perhaps there is some truth to their insinuation that the missing glass slippers might be able to be used in finding people. Perhaps there is some hope for Kate’s dad after all. Now, if only she could make it to Italy and Poland…

Shonna Slayton’s Cinderella’s Shoes is the continuing story of Kate as she grows up, falls in love, and searches out the mysteries behind her family history and the treasures of the Polish Cinderella. Kate, her boyfriend Jonny, and the owners of the dresses travel to post-WWII Europe to spend the summer. As they battle the evil stepsisters’ descendants, they grow as individuals and as friends. It was beautiful to see.

One thing that surprised me when I read the first book, Cinderella’s Dress, and that continued into this book, was that the story does not solely focus on the dresses or the shoes. Instead, a major part of the book was spent in daily experiences with only hints as to the importance of the treasures. You watch Kate and her friends grow up and live their lives in and around WWII—letters to soldiers, fashion trends, refugees, and the like.

After reading the book, I could tell the author did her research into the time period. The aftermath of WWII in Europe was clearly evident when Kate visited. Although the war was over, the people had much struggle to do in order to make peace against prejudice and to rebuild their lives after the war decimated their homes and families. Reading in such a manner about people who hid illegal refugees in their barns or who had survived the labor camps was not something I will soon forget.

Lidka is a character that will stick in my mind for a while to come. The young woman worked in the black market during the war and was later forced into the horrible labor camps. Although her experiences and motivations made her hard to like, I feel she exemplified some of the people surviving WWII. Not only that, but Lidka, as hard as she was inside, was still a young woman in need of love and compassion, and the author did a good job of showing the facets of her character through the story.

As for the shoes, they were an important part of the story. The novel is focused on them because they provide the key to finding Kate’s lost father, or at least, that’s what she believes. But the characters learn that shoes are not the most important thing. Rather, it is people and the peace between them.

Overall, the novel quite enchanted me. The rich historical details brought the story to life and taught the characters lessons and the dresses and shoes added the bit of magic necessary to make it truly a tale of Cinderella. But let us not forget the fairy god-mother.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2015 Pamela rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015-books, net-galley

3.5 stars. I hadn't read the first book in this series, but that didn't take away from this one. Overall this was pretty good. It's classified as YA, but the characters are just heading into college, so it is a little older.

I definitely liked the premise, and I thought the author had some unique twists to the classic Cinderella story that we all know (and love). She also threw in the aftermath of war which gave the book a little edge. I felt it was interesting to have Cinderella be Polish, that ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2015 books are love rated it it was amazing

this book does not need Cindrella’s dress to be read and understood but by reading Cinderella’ s dress first you get a better idea and background first. You also get more depth to the characters and the parts they play. Each character has a role and has importance even if it isn’t seen at first.

The building of the era and the surroundings is excellent and needed so that you can transport yourself back to this time. the descriptions and stories make you feel as if you are there living it. The his
this book does not need Cindrella’s dress to be read and understood but by reading Cinderella’ s dress first you get a better idea and background first. You also get more depth to the characters and the parts they play. Each character has a role and has importance even if it isn’t seen at first.

The building of the era and the surroundings is excellent and needed so that you can transport yourself back to this time. the descriptions and stories make you feel as if you are there living it. The history of Cinderella as we know it is upended and this viewpoint and tale is just as wonderful and beautiful.

Shonna Slayton has taken a fairy tale we all know and adore. One we wish would happen to us and upends it a little. We now have the descendants taking a role but the dresses and shoes are magical. the fairy godmother is a woman named Esmerelda but known to others as something else.

this adventure takes place when Kate is on her way to Italy with the Kodolenko’s and Johnny. Johnny is on his way to work with his dad for the summer, the Kodolenko’s back home after claiming the dresses and Kate to find Cinderella’s shoes and her dad.

Nessa is the next in line for the dresses and boy is she spoiled. she loses sight of what is important and begins to treat Kate as a servant. She forgets that as a princess she is to serve others and not boss them around. The dresses take over her thoughts and she lets the greed that all is warned about consume her. We do however get glimpses of the real Nessa throughout the book and at the end when she learns her lesson. Overall Nessa is a nice caring girl who gets caught up in the idea of being a princess and having something others want.

In a way so does Kate, she doesn’t get spoiled but more possessive. Her fear of not doing what is best for the dresses has her become more green. She thinks of herself as the owner instead of the keeper. It is Johnny and her adventure that has her see this. Her and Nessa are the next generation for the dress and shoes and they are to change the role this has. I hope we get to read how this happens in later books.

Johnny there aren’t enough words for him. He is swoonworthy. So loyal kind and amazing. He loves and supports Kate as she does him. He has the patience of Job for understanding about the keeper role and waiting for Kate to find her way. He is steadfast and wonderful. What lesson he learns when they are pulled into a game and left behind is that he needs to trust Kate like he asked her to trust him. This goes a long way in helping their relationship get stronger. Their belief in one another is never ending and their support of each other is infinite as is the love and respect they have for each other. He is a true Prince Charming and I want to see more of him and Kate and how their relationship builds more in later books.

The story itself is unique and as said before upends the cindrella tale. We get a fun twist about the dresses and shoes and see them be used for good and hopefully find a new tale with them. The adventure through Poland is eye opening and dangerous for Kate. She has to learn to rely on Lidka. Lidka who wants to love but is afraid of losing everything again. Who is angry about the war. When Lidka realizes she was used, she shows herself to Kate and helps her out. Lidka is the complex character who shows us all what can happen when you lose everything and are afraid to show your love. She is the one who helps everyone learn lessons from their greed and want of the dresses.

This is a creatively written, beautiful and alluring tale of hope, dreams and love. About finding faith in those around you and in the love you have for others. About reunions that show what it means to have love and have a fairy tale happen with a happy ending. About finding someone to love and trust and about beginning to open your heart and let someone in. A great adventure for a pair of shoes that can lead to finding a father that leads to danger and lesson learned but also finding out how much someone means to you and learning what greed can do. I hope that this series has more to come because with each book the story got more alluring and entrancing and drew you into the characters, era and tale being unfolded before you. Each book drew you into the book more and had you feel you were living in the moment and feeling what the characters were. A wonderful book and series so far.
...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2015 serena482* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairytale-retelling, preteen-to-teen-books, five-star-books, books-ive-reviewed, books-i-d-like-to-be-made-into-movi

Cinderalla's Shoes, was such a good book. I liked this one even better then Cinderella's Dress. IT WAS SO GOOD! Everyone should read this. Sorry for the terrible review i am no t a writer. :P I recommend it to ages 12 and up. :) ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2015 Lynn rated it really liked it

Shelves: beautiful-covers

Overall, I liked this. I thought it was a really solid sequel to "Cinderella's Dress," and it was so good to see the conclusion of everyone's story.

There was a lot less of Elsie in this book, which was sad. But I understand why - her health is failing, and she's no longer the Keeper. Most of this book actually took place out of America, so we only got a bit of Josie and Kate's mom, too. But it allowed other characters to shine, which I liked. We also got to meet Johnny's parents - Mrs. Day is a Overall, I liked this. I thought it was a really solid sequel to "Cinderella's Dress," and it was so good to see the conclusion of everyone's story.

There was a lot less of Elsie in this book, which was sad. But I understand why - her health is failing, and she's no longer the Keeper. Most of this book actually took place out of America, so we only got a bit of Josie and Kate's mom, too. But it allowed other characters to shine, which I liked. We also got to meet Johnny's parents - Mrs. Day is a sweetie, and Mr. Day seems like a really OK guy.

Nessa - I was never really sure how I felt about her. I liked her at the end of the first book, but in this one, I always felt kind of off balance. I never really hated her, but I never really adored her, either. (view spoiler)

Lidka was a new character in the book, and I felt the same way about her as I did about Nessa - just for different reasons. She was a very mysterious character, and her tie-ins with the family were surprising but understandable. She was a very difficult character, very hard and angry, but it made sense why she was the way she was. (view spoiler)

We didn't see quite as much of Johnny in this book as I thought we would, but I'm oddly okay with it. It made sense because, even though he's involved in this "fairy tale" through Kate, he's not really a part of it, at least not yet. So he kind of stayed to the fringes, though that doesn't mean the romance was lacking. There were several scenes with him and Kate, and the romance built up quite nicely to a very nice resolution on that front.

Kate herself went through a lot of changes. I think I went through almost as many phases with liking/disliking her as I did with Nessa and Lidka. Her confusion plays almost as big a role in "Shoes" as it did in "Dress," though it's more focused in this one. And there were some surprising revelations about her family and their past that gives her even stronger ties to the dresses, shoes, and feud than first thought, which I definitely liked...

And then there's the ending. (view spoiler)

On the whole, I really did enjoy "Cinderella's Shoes," and I look forward to re-reading it many times in the future. 4.5 stars out of 5, with the nice "I really liked this book and it left me with the warm fuzzies" kind of feeling at the end. I look forward to reading future books by this author! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2020 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, young-adult

It’s been almost four years since I read book one, but I still enjoyed this one. It’s sort of a ya historical with a fantasy/magical realism twist. The story was interesting and it was a quick read.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 11, 2017 Shannon Ross rated it really liked it

This series was good. It is not my normal read but I enjoyed it.
The characters, magic, and mix of history add to the overall feel of the twisted fantasy tale. It was worth it, but it's not on my going to read again list. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2018 Abi rated it really liked it

Shelves: amazing, good-writing, romance, inspiring, freaking-awesome, good, journey, wonderful, beautiful-cover, iwantmore

I read about half this book last summer, and then got frustrated with the characters, so I put it down. I forgot about it, and it went into my pile of doom (i.e. the pile of books beside my bed). But I'm trying to read books I've bought and not read/finished this year, so I picked it up today and finished the rest of it in one sitting.

This book in the sequel to Cinderella's Dress, and it picks up not long after the first book, with Kate going with Nessa and her grandmother to Italy, and her boy ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 08, 2017 Ciara Jammine rated it it was amazing

There will be mild spoilers in this book.

I've said it once and I will say it again, the ww2 time period worked so well with this story. I'm so happy I decided to binge the douollogy.
I don't think I talked about thus in my last review but the history of ww2 is so well researched. It felt like I was experiencing the after shock of ww2 with the characters. One of the best examples of this is Lidka. am the way that she interacted with the rest of the characters was so authentic. Lidka is an amazin ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 20, 2018 Lynndell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, series, asked-to-blog, family, loyalty

A lovely historical fiction book!
Cinderella’s Shoes by Shonna Slayton opens as the ceremony moving the protection responsibility from Aunt Elsie to Kate is performed by Princess Kolodenko. Kate is now ward of Cinderella's three dresses but the shoes have been lost. Kate gets the chance to travel to Europe with the royal family and teach Princess Nessa everything she knows about the dresses. Nessa has no respect for the dresses and she’s frivolous with them. After getting to Europe, Kate travels ...more

flag Like · see review

May 09, 2018 Anna Kuchina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: acheter, e-book, retellings, magic-realism, fantasy, historical

It is a good and solid historical fiction with elements of magical realism well woven into the post-war world.
It explores deeply how the war affects people, countries and the world. It also shows the importance of traditions but also explores the idea that the old need eventually to give way to the new.
However, the plot drags a bit in the beginning and there are some inconsistencies in the characters personalities.

flag Like · see review

Jun 12, 2017 Madison rated it it was amazing

This sequel was just as good as Cinderella's Dress and I loved reading it. I thought that it was very well written and loved how there was all of these characters that were connected in different ways and in the end it was all revealed. I also liked that fact that it was talking about what the countries were like after all the destruction of the war, something that is not mentioned very much. ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 30, 2017 An Extremely Avid Reader's Reviews rated it really liked it

This is an interesting take on the Cinderella fairytale using her shoes as a focus rather than Cinderella herself.

Check out my review of "Cinderella's Shoes" on my blog at:
https://axarr.blogspot.com/2017/11/re... ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 27, 2020 Cheri Pickslay rated it it was amazing

Shonna does a superb job in weaving a believable tale that continues to surprise and thrill. I loved the era it was written in and learned even more about what life looked like after W.W.II. The romance was sweet yet not over-done and kept me cheering for Johnny & Kate.

flag Like · see review

Jan 11, 2019 Sandra Kent rated it really liked it

2nd in the series. A little slow at first but understandable to build characters. Not predictable and some surprises to pull the stories together. Loved it.

flag Like · see review

Mar 09, 2019 Catherine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-unlimited, retellings

some fun twists. again, the historical setting seemed incidental to the story. I liked the relational resolutions the story resort L wrapped with.

flag Like · see review

Sep 27, 2019 Dominique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

3.5 stars

flag Like · see review

May 29, 2020 Erin(mortaldivergence) rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, read-2020

I really enjoyed this series! I loved the idea behind it!

flag Like · see review

Nov 01, 2020 Rachel D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I didnt thought that I would enjoy this book especially since I didn't read the first one its easy to read only the names are a little difficult ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 22, 2017 Sylviane Stoltzman rated it it was amazing

I was intrigued from the beginning trying to find out who was a friend and who wasn't. I love how the story kept me so involved and curious. I absolutely loved the ending. Fantastic story! ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 02, 2021 Stephanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Loved the story and cannot wait to continue onto the next book in the series. Cinderella's Shoes ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 28, 2015 Amy A rated it liked it

2.5

Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

I think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone knows the story of Cinderella. So what happens if the ‘story’ is less fictional, more true, and still full of magic? Kate Allen found that out for herself when she discovered she is descended from a line of “Keepers,” one girl that is tasked with watching over the three famed dresses of Cinderella (or as known in this story Kopciuszek): her servant dress, the ball gown, and her wedding dress.

Of course if Cinde 2.5

Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

I think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone knows the story of Cinderella. So what happens if the ‘story’ is less fictional, more true, and still full of magic? Kate Allen found that out for herself when she discovered she is descended from a line of “Keepers,” one girl that is tasked with watching over the three famed dresses of Cinderella (or as known in this story Kopciuszek): her servant dress, the ball gown, and her wedding dress.

Of course if Cinderella was a living breathing person, it’s safe to assume other aspects of the story are true as well, notably the wicked stepsisters. Yep, their descendants are still up to no good, and constantly trying to get the dresses and any power they may contain. In the process of thwarting their attempts at getting the dresses, Kate learns some very interesting information. Cinderella’s shoes are also a thing of truth, and not only that, but they can purportedly help the bearer find loved ones. Kate sees this as an opportunity to find her father who went missing in the war and whom Kate also heartedly believes is still alive. Kate’s search will take her to Italy and Poland, both countries ravaged by the war, and along the way she’ll be thrown into situations where she has to rely on her instincts more so than the people around her.

This one was a difficult one for me. Not having read the first book, I had no context as to where these characters were coming from besides what I gleamed from referenced situations in this book. I may be a little lenient here because it’s possible had I read the first book, I would have understood either the author’s writing style more—meaning certain things wouldn’t have been so off-putting while reading—or I would have already felt some kind of connection to the characters therefore understanding their actions more. So only based on the storyline in this book, it was just okay.

I wasn’t overly impressed with Kate as our heroine. She’s very recently discovered her lineage in being a Keeper, but instead of Cinderella’s descendant being welcoming and forthcoming with information, everything is shrouded in unnecessary mystery. You would think the Princess’ line would want their Keeper to know all the ins and outs of their job, but apparently not. You may be thinking ‘this isn’t Kate’s fault’ and you’d be right, but what is her fault is knowing that things are being kept from her and not speaking up. She just goes along with things willy-nilly throughout the whole book and I was waiting so patiently for her to get tired of it and stand up for herself. It never happens.

The mystery of finding the shoes and overall history behind them did spark my interest, but I felt like this gets shrouded by throwing too many ‘people of suspect’ at the readers. Too many coincidental meetings that didn’t make sense to me even when all the dots were connected by the end.

Overall, I loved what Shonna Slayton tried to do in bringing a fairy tale into the real world. That was very interesting, but I still wanted that fairy tale magic, and while it is present, we only see it utilized very briefly and even then we’re never given the purpose of its use. This one just missed the mark for me. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 13, 2019 Riley rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, once-upon-a-time

While this one wasn't as strong as the first, I still enjoyed it. The fairy tale element definitely makes up a much bigger part of the plot and many of the questions at the end get answered with 'magic'. It still ended in a way that was both bittersweet and also hopeful, as the reader is left to image what will happen next for these characters as the next set of descendants in a constantly changing world. ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 Brianna Brown rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Even more exciting than the first book

I made the mistake of starting this book before bed. It was such an exciting page turner that I finished it all in one night. Highly recommend this book for all ages.

flag Like · see review

Oct 06, 2015 Lauralee rated it liked it

Shelves: fairy-tales-mythology-retelling, historical-fiction, fantasy, adventure, world-wars-i-and-ii, young-adult

Cinderella Shoes is set after WWII. Kate Allen has been given a hard task to protect Cinderella’s dresses from the descendants of Cinderella’s evil step-sisters. She finds out that Cinderella’s shoes also exist. Kate, her boyfriend, Johnny, and a few friends journey from New York, Italy, and Poland to search for the missing shoes all along as Kate searches for her dad who has gone missing in the war.

Kate is stubborn and hopeful. She still has hope that her dad is alive, and she stubbornly cling Cinderella Shoes is set after WWII. Kate Allen has been given a hard task to protect Cinderella’s dresses from the descendants of Cinderella’s evil step-sisters. She finds out that Cinderella’s shoes also exist. Kate, her boyfriend, Johnny, and a few friends journey from New York, Italy, and Poland to search for the missing shoes all along as Kate searches for her dad who has gone missing in the war.

Kate is stubborn and hopeful. She still has hope that her dad is alive, and she stubbornly clings to that hope even by trying to prevent her mother from dating. Throughout the novel, Kate is very persistent in finding her dad and is always on the lookout for clues to where he might be. She is also intelligent and curious. Kate asks tons of questions and is very observant. She sees things that her other companions have missed. It is through Kate’s observation that she finds clues that lead to her dad’s whereabouts. I do find that Kate is very insecure. She believes that Johnny fell in love with her through the magic of Cinderella’s dress. Therefore, she has occasional prones of jealousy.

Overall, this book is about love, friendship, family, and hope. This book is filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. I did feel that the characters were not developed fully. I felt all of the characters were cardboard characters and very one-dimensional. The characters felt blended in together and I could not distinguish them from one another. I also felt that this book was slow-paced for it did not pick up action until halfway through the book. Still, I felt that the setting of the aftermath of WWII to be very interesting. I suggest that you read the first book in the series, Cinderella’s Dress, so that you can get into the feel of this novel. Because Cinderella’s Shoes picks up where Cinderella’s Dress ended, and I have not read the first book, I was lost in the beginning and had to re-read to understand what is going on. Still, I felt this to be a touching story about a girl searching for her dad. I recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy, historical fiction, and World War II and its aftermath.
(Note: I read an ARC copy of this story in courtesy of Netgalley.) ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 29, 2016 Kathy Filardo rated it it was amazing

I really liked how the fairy tale elements here were woven into the post WWII settings of Italy and Poland. It was really clever and intriguing how this was done and the resolution was also witty and interesting. Would def read more from this author!

flag Like · see review

Feb 21, 2017 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-book, read-2017

Fantastic! I read the first chapter one day and then the rest of the book today. I finally got out of my reading slump with this book! such a wonderful retelling of Cinderella! This is a great duology!

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish	1	2	Mar 28, 2015 11:29AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Historical > Historical Fiction

15 users

Young Adult

13 users

Fantasy

13 users

Romance

12 users

Retellings

8 users

Fairy Tales > Cinderella

7 users

Fantasy > Fairy Tales

6 users

Historical

5 users

Fairy Tales > Fairy Tale Retellings

5 users

Fiction

4 users

See top shelves…

About Shonna Slayton

Shonna Slayton

314 followers

SHONNA SLAYTON is the author of the Fairy-Tale Inheritance Series of young adult novels, beginning with Cinderella’s Dress.

She edited curriculum for an education company before homeschooling her own children using literature-based whole book learning. She’s taught writing using fairy tales in school classrooms and workshops, as well as in public libraries as a writer in residence. Instead of seei ...more