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Banished
Older teens and adults will love this sophisticated retelling of The Cinderella Story where the real world and fairy tale world collide in an epic tale of magic, love, and betrayal where there are kings, queens, knights, tyrants and a fair-haired prince that falls in love with a peasant girl.
An accident puts Elle Worthington into a coma, and when she awakes, she can’t remember her name or anything about her life. She leaves the hospital and returns to a home that’s anything but ideal—her stepmother loathes her, her stepsister resents her, and her father’s a workaholic who’s rarely ever home.
She soon discovers that she is the head cheerleader and is dating Edward Kingsley, the golden-boy quarterback who’s madly in love with her. Everyone tells her how lucky she is to be with Edward, but for some strange reason, Elle is instead drawn to Rush Porter, her next-door neighbor—a brooding, reckless newcomer who’s too good looking for his own good! From the moment she sees him, he captures her attention and haunts her dreams, and he seems to know an awful lot about her.
When Elle goes to work for her eccentric aunt Adele who owns a chocolate shop, she begins to get a glimpse of another life—a magical life in which she was a simple peasant girl whose life changed forever the day she caught the eye of the prince. A girl who might have lived happily ever after had her heart not had other ideas. She becomes trapped between loyalty and duty—betrayal and love, and a forbidden attraction so strong that it has the power to destroy her.
All is not as it seems on the surface. Dark forces are watching and waiting to claim what they deem to be theirs, and the fate of a kingdom rests in the hands of a girl who cannot remember who she is or where she came from.
An accident puts Elle Worthington into a coma, and when she awakes, she can’t remember her name or anything about her life. She leaves the hospital and returns to a home that’s anything but ideal—her stepmother loathes her, her stepsister resents her, and her father’s a workaholic who’s rarely ever home.
She soon discovers that she is the head cheerleader and is dating Edward Kingsley, the golden-boy quarterback who’s madly in love with her. Everyone tells her how lucky she is to be with Edward, but for some strange reason, Elle is instead drawn to Rush Porter, her next-door neighbor—a brooding, reckless newcomer who’s too good looking for his own good! From the moment she sees him, he captures her attention and haunts her dreams, and he seems to know an awful lot about her.
When Elle goes to work for her eccentric aunt Adele who owns a chocolate shop, she begins to get a glimpse of another life—a magical life in which she was a simple peasant girl whose life changed forever the day she caught the eye of the prince. A girl who might have lived happily ever after had her heart not had other ideas. She becomes trapped between loyalty and duty—betrayal and love, and a forbidden attraction so strong that it has the power to destroy her.
All is not as it seems on the surface. Dark forces are watching and waiting to claim what they deem to be theirs, and the fate of a kingdom rests in the hands of a girl who cannot remember who she is or where she came from.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2015
18 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Youngblood
175 books783 followersJennifer loves reading and writing clean romance. She believes that happily ever after is not just for stories. Jennifer enjoys interior design, rollerblading, clogging, jogging, and chocolate. In Jennifer’s opinion there are few ills that can’t be solved with a warm brownie and scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream.
Jennifer grew up in rural Alabama and loved living in a town where “everybody knows everybody.” Her love for writing began as a young teenager when she wrote stories for her high school English teacher to critique.
Jennifer has a BA in English and Social Sciences from Brigham Young University Hawaii where she served as Miss BYU Hawaii. Before becoming an author, she worked as the owner and editor of a monthly newspaper named The Senior Times.
She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family and spends her time writing and doing all of the wonderful things that make up the life of a busy wife and mother.
Jennifer grew up in rural Alabama and loved living in a town where “everybody knows everybody.” Her love for writing began as a young teenager when she wrote stories for her high school English teacher to critique.
Jennifer has a BA in English and Social Sciences from Brigham Young University Hawaii where she served as Miss BYU Hawaii. Before becoming an author, she worked as the owner and editor of a monthly newspaper named The Senior Times.
She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family and spends her time writing and doing all of the wonderful things that make up the life of a busy wife and mother.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 4, 2018
Bah!!! The only reason I’m not giving this a one-star rating is because I actually was enjoying the story despite several of its faults (and it’s not really this particular book’s fault for the low rating, it’s because of the way the whole series has been written, as explained shortly). But, then it ended with a cliffhanger and when I looked further into it, found that it’s an ongoing series. However, the version I just finished reading is revised as part of the next book, and in looking further into the other books, there is listed another book in the series that's a revised version of another edition. And so far there are five books, and the reviews of the last book were highly unfavorable as the chief complaint was that this latest book also contained a cliffhanger which hinted that there is yet another book due to be released; they are just tired of this story going on and on with no conclusion! So, my journey with this unfortunate series ends here, which is a shame since I felt like it had potential to be a really good, entertaining story. I’m getting so sick and tired of so many YA books not being stand-alones anymore; I’m tired of giving my hard-earned money to the greedy publishing companies who try to milk us book-loving customers for all money we got.
February 27, 2015
The Grimm Laws of true fairy tales
I love fairy tales. There's just something about the magic and the allure of them that draws me in. I've read so many spins on the stories that I have a high expectations when I start a new one. Coming into this novel, I wasn't expecting much from it. The blurb sounded generic and a little childish with mindless tv-like teenage drama. However, Cinderella is my favorite princess to read about after Sleeping Beauty so I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.
Banished is the first in a series which I'm intrigued enough to continue. I loved the intertwining stories between the older generation that we meet in the prologue and the younger generation of Elle, Rush and Edward. Combined with the magical plot line that I'm still not fully clear on, this novel is just full of drama and unanswered questions. I don't want to go too much in to detail, but I loved how as soon as one question is answered three new ones take its place. The authors constantly tease you, adding a few details on these characters here and there like a bread crumb trail. No matter how frustrated or confused you get stick with it. The story is worth the read. However, I will warn you that the plot isn't completely solved in the end. It's not a cliffhanger exactly, but it definitely leaves you wanting the next one. Oh and very, very angry.
Additionally, the two realms was a brilliant idea. I love how the present is set in modern day Earth while the past is told in flashbacks of a fairy tale kingdom like those from the medieval period. It was an interesting contraction and very original. Most novels choose one or the other. Having both was a good juxtaposition, allowing the reader to truly see the growth of the characters.
The characters themselves were a good, but not the novels strongest point. There were times where I felt that they fell a little flat. For example, Edward just wasn't a strong character for me. He just wasn't there enough to develop and get to know. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I wish that we could have gotten to know him a little bit better. I realize he was kind and loved Elle, but there has to be more to him. Perhaps, we will learn about him latter in the series. Fingers crossed because I really do want to like him. Other characters I'm dying to know better are Jack and Rae. Those two are funny together. I love how Jack teases and pushes Rae. Plus, Rae has been such a good and understanding friend to a amnesia suffering Elle. The little tease about who Rae and Jack are in the end has be eagerly anticipating their stories. Elle's family was a very interesting and diverse bunch. Her absentee dad seems like a good man, but he just feels hollow. He's not there anymore and we don't really hear much about him other than that he works a lot. My favorite scene of his was when he and Elle laugh at the message and reaction that Adele sent about Elle's stepsister. It showed a more loving and human side to him that he's not just a workaholic machine. Elle's stepmother and stepsister were very true adaptions of Cinderella's from the grimm tales. I enjoyed the elements they brought to the story. They forced Elle to grow and understand her past. Adele was a very magical and mysterious character that I will not go into much detail on. All I will say is that she is the driving force behind the storyline and I love her!
Now to the central and my favorite characters, Elle and Rush. I loved them, especially Rush. (Big surprise there. What? He is just so CU-te!) Elle has lost her memory when the novel starts. She has no recollection of who she was or what she's done. What she learns is that she wasn't a very nice person. In fact, she was nasty. Elle was the stereotypical head-cheerleader, Queen Bee of her school. I found this take on Cinderella great and completely original. Her past showed you how Cinderella could have turned out if she had chosen to be hateful like her step-family. Of course the new Elle has a new perspective on life and questions who she was, choosing to be better. To see this growth was fun. Overall, Elle was just a great character to read about. Rush, on the other hand was just wonderful from the get go. Or at least in my opinion he was. Rush was perceived as the bad boy and watching him struggle to fight his reputation was beautiful. Right from his introduction I just knew that he was going to be my main reason in wanting to finish this story. I must know if he gets his happy ending. I just...I don't want to say too much and spoil the story. What I will say is that he deserves love. This boy has a big heart, loving fully and completely. He deserves to be happy. The other characters were just as great, but discussing them is too spoilery.
The book as a whole was definitely worth it and I'm eagerly anticipating the next one. I recommend it to anyone that loves a good fairy tale remake. Enjoy :D
I love fairy tales. There's just something about the magic and the allure of them that draws me in. I've read so many spins on the stories that I have a high expectations when I start a new one. Coming into this novel, I wasn't expecting much from it. The blurb sounded generic and a little childish with mindless tv-like teenage drama. However, Cinderella is my favorite princess to read about after Sleeping Beauty so I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.
Banished is the first in a series which I'm intrigued enough to continue. I loved the intertwining stories between the older generation that we meet in the prologue and the younger generation of Elle, Rush and Edward. Combined with the magical plot line that I'm still not fully clear on, this novel is just full of drama and unanswered questions. I don't want to go too much in to detail, but I loved how as soon as one question is answered three new ones take its place. The authors constantly tease you, adding a few details on these characters here and there like a bread crumb trail. No matter how frustrated or confused you get stick with it. The story is worth the read. However, I will warn you that the plot isn't completely solved in the end. It's not a cliffhanger exactly, but it definitely leaves you wanting the next one. Oh and very, very angry.
Additionally, the two realms was a brilliant idea. I love how the present is set in modern day Earth while the past is told in flashbacks of a fairy tale kingdom like those from the medieval period. It was an interesting contraction and very original. Most novels choose one or the other. Having both was a good juxtaposition, allowing the reader to truly see the growth of the characters.
The characters themselves were a good, but not the novels strongest point. There were times where I felt that they fell a little flat. For example, Edward just wasn't a strong character for me. He just wasn't there enough to develop and get to know. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I wish that we could have gotten to know him a little bit better. I realize he was kind and loved Elle, but there has to be more to him. Perhaps, we will learn about him latter in the series. Fingers crossed because I really do want to like him. Other characters I'm dying to know better are Jack and Rae. Those two are funny together. I love how Jack teases and pushes Rae. Plus, Rae has been such a good and understanding friend to a amnesia suffering Elle. The little tease about who Rae and Jack are in the end has be eagerly anticipating their stories. Elle's family was a very interesting and diverse bunch. Her absentee dad seems like a good man, but he just feels hollow. He's not there anymore and we don't really hear much about him other than that he works a lot. My favorite scene of his was when he and Elle laugh at the message and reaction that Adele sent about Elle's stepsister. It showed a more loving and human side to him that he's not just a workaholic machine. Elle's stepmother and stepsister were very true adaptions of Cinderella's from the grimm tales. I enjoyed the elements they brought to the story. They forced Elle to grow and understand her past. Adele was a very magical and mysterious character that I will not go into much detail on. All I will say is that she is the driving force behind the storyline and I love her!
Now to the central and my favorite characters, Elle and Rush. I loved them, especially Rush. (Big surprise there. What? He is just so CU-te!) Elle has lost her memory when the novel starts. She has no recollection of who she was or what she's done. What she learns is that she wasn't a very nice person. In fact, she was nasty. Elle was the stereotypical head-cheerleader, Queen Bee of her school. I found this take on Cinderella great and completely original. Her past showed you how Cinderella could have turned out if she had chosen to be hateful like her step-family. Of course the new Elle has a new perspective on life and questions who she was, choosing to be better. To see this growth was fun. Overall, Elle was just a great character to read about. Rush, on the other hand was just wonderful from the get go. Or at least in my opinion he was. Rush was perceived as the bad boy and watching him struggle to fight his reputation was beautiful. Right from his introduction I just knew that he was going to be my main reason in wanting to finish this story. I must know if he gets his happy ending. I just...I don't want to say too much and spoil the story. What I will say is that he deserves love. This boy has a big heart, loving fully and completely. He deserves to be happy. The other characters were just as great, but discussing them is too spoilery.
The book as a whole was definitely worth it and I'm eagerly anticipating the next one. I recommend it to anyone that loves a good fairy tale remake. Enjoy :D
April 24, 2015
Loved it! It was just like a movie would be, when it switches screens back and forth. I also love how they made it clear who's point of view we were reading from.... Only problem is that it didn't end... I should have noticed the whole "book one " thing, clearly stated in the title but as anyone would presume, I'm an idiot. An idiot who didn't even pay much needed attention to the title... At all... But I still loved the book overall.... It wraps into the mind of the original Cinderella nicely with a couple twists.
July 22, 2017
I loved this retelling of cinderella. the book sicker me in. I especially loved Adele!
January 18, 2018
Great story that sucked you in. Definitely can't wait to read the next one.
June 6, 2015
It was an entertaining read. A bit ambitious, trying to go back and forth within a fairy tale world and a modern world. It kind of reminds me of the show Once Upon a Time. There was not one character I actually fell in love with, not even Elle, maybe Rae a little bit. All of them had something that annoyed me and made me want to slap them out of their silliness.But maybe that is what the authors are going for. I am a bit disappointed because I think I wanted to like the story and the characters more than I actually did. Anyway, if you are a fan of fairy tale retellings, and enjoy the show Once Upon a Time, I think you should give Banished a try. Warning though, it is part of a series, and it ends with a lot of loose ends.
August 19, 2016
Banished
When Elle worthington wakes up from a coma she can't remember anything. As her life unfolds before her, it is a life that seems like it wasn't true. When she begins to work for Adele, her aunt, her old life begins to slowly unravel before her eyes but not everything is what it seems.
I didn't like how the stories kept jumping back from one to another, it was confusing to the reader. The characters were overly silly in my opinion, I wanted to like them more than I did. It is a series but absolutely nothing was resolved.
When Elle worthington wakes up from a coma she can't remember anything. As her life unfolds before her, it is a life that seems like it wasn't true. When she begins to work for Adele, her aunt, her old life begins to slowly unravel before her eyes but not everything is what it seems.
I didn't like how the stories kept jumping back from one to another, it was confusing to the reader. The characters were overly silly in my opinion, I wanted to like them more than I did. It is a series but absolutely nothing was resolved.
March 7, 2015
I would have rated this higher, but for two things: 1st - it kept jumping back and forth from story to story (I know they all converge together at the end but still it's irritating) and 2nd - It didn't end. That is way more irritating than the jumping back and forth. I so don't like to get a book and find out it doesn't end. I don't mind sequels, but the story has to end for me, not expect me to read the next book to see how the story ends. Don't like that at all.
May 18, 2015
I was hoping for more. It left me hanging. Although I knew it was the first in a series, I thought the problems would be resolved. The story feels like it was drawn out & ended abruptly. Don't know if I'll read the next book yet.
April 12, 2015
Worth a read.
A fun read. Even if it is a bit mushier than I like.
The authors have done a good job with a story we have all heard.
A fun read. Even if it is a bit mushier than I like.
The authors have done a good job with a story we have all heard.
August 9, 2015
Great book
This book is an attention getter and keeps you endlessly fascinated til the end. Loved the cliff hanger ending makes me want to read more now.
This book is an attention getter and keeps you endlessly fascinated til the end. Loved the cliff hanger ending makes me want to read more now.
April 9, 2016
Good love story
It's a good love story, we know as Cinderella, with a twist. Fun to escape to a different world. Enjoy!
It's a good love story, we know as Cinderella, with a twist. Fun to escape to a different world. Enjoy!
January 8, 2017
I hate cliffhanger endings!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews