End of Ever After

End of Ever After #1

by E.L. Tenenbaum

"I had never wondered about Snow White once her prince kissed and whisked her away. I had imagined a similarly happy fate for the Sleeping Beauty.
Would either have warned me had I asked for the truth?
That 'Happily Ever After' doesn't exist?"


When the invitation to the prince's ball was put in her hands, Ella imagined a single night of wonder, a single night to escape her wretched life and be anyone else for a while. She never expected to turn the prince's head, she certainly never expected to run off with his heart.


Five years later, Ella looks back on her faerytale rise from soot stained cinderwench to the queen the people call CinderElla. Ignored and humiliated much of her life, she could hardly believe her sudden good fortune. Nor could she anticipate what was to follow, not the lies, not the betrayal, not the truth of her handsome Prince Charming.


Ella is desperate to figure out how, despite her best intentions, everything went so horribly wrong. And what, if anything, she can do to get back her ever after.


End of Ever After is the first in a five part companion series that rewrites the classic tales of happily ever after.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Romance, Fiction, Cinderella

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2018

About the author

E.L. Tenenbaum is an author, writer, wordsmither-er, and versificator. When not distracted building new worlds or puttering around her Substack, she enjoys presenting about writing, and has been a visiting author at schools around the world.

Reviews

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

End of Ever After is the first in a series of fairy tale re-tellings by E.L. Tenenbaum. After reading this one about CinderElla, I can only say that I WILL be reading the others. This was a fantastic re-telling of the original story, rather than the Disney version. I loved how it was played out, told as past and present tense intermingle, giving you hints of what is to come without knowing the full details.

I thought the names given to the characters were excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed putting the descriptions of the characters and their new names to the ones I already know. Some of the characters hide their truths, others wear them as a shield. Either way, this book is full of characters to love or loathe. I will say from the start that Matteus was a favourite of mine, and I only hope for a HEA in his future! As for the ending here? Sheer perfection for the story. I couldn't envisage it any other way, and don't want to either.

With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading, I found this book to be wonderfully paced, giving a rich story without too many or not enough embellishments. I loved this world, and can't wait to return to it. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 14, 2018

[Sydney (sydneysshelves) West]

DNF at 12% bc I can’t with the writing. Weird and badly worded sentences that just confused me. No thanks.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was SO lucky to get to read this book prior to publication, as I'm the acquisition editor for Fire & Ice YA Books.

I was utterly entranced with this story. I read four of the five books in this series back to back and it took a lot to pull me away from each story.

This version of Cinderella starts out exactly how you expect, but soon you realize Cinderella and her Prince Charming aren't quite as happy as we've been led to believe. Things get dark, but not too dark, and though the ending isn't the happy one you would expect from a Cinderella tale, it has it's own form of happy.

HIGHLY recommend this entire series!

(NOTE: As acquisitions editor for Fire & Ice YA Books, I read this book prior to publication. I am also the cover artist. The review above contains my own thoughts and opinions. )

(Psst! My favorite of the series is Beautiful To Me - E.L. Tenenbaum's take on The Little Mermaid! Although I haven't read Snow White's tale yet. I contracted that one without having read it because I KNOW it's going to be amazing!)

[Nicole Vanadia Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this retelling. Lots of new details and a different spin on a classic. I loved that the story continued past the marriage and the "happily ever after." That was new and exciting. Ella's character was very consistent even near the end when you think it would be a character deviation. I didn't love the super sweet ultra forgiving personality but it worked for the book. The other characters were also great but my issue (and why I deducted 2 stars) was the storytelling itself. The entire book read as a flashback with very obvious foreshadowing. It was as if Ella was telling you the story instead of just reading the story. Previous scenes were reexamined with fresh eyes and everything was explained out. It was more like the author wasn't sure we would get it without telling us what the look between the characters meant, and how it could have been taken one way when they were "in love' and completely different when they were not. I wasn't surprised by any of the secrets or the character arcs because of all the "and then I found out the truth" or "little did I know.." pieces. It gave too much away, too soon and didn't allow the treachery to really exist because we were already told what was about to/going to happen. I may check out some of the others in the series to see if it's the same style. If they have more mystery and less foreshadowing, I'll be interested.

[Sarah Hickner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book. It was a great story, with a fun and interesting twist on the classic Cinderella. I loved how Cinderella’s name came to be and how she grew into a strong, good queen as well as the hint of romance that grew throughout. What gave it just 3 stars for me was the constant foreshadowing of what was to come. It seemed every 2 paragraphs Ella would make a statement about “that was then” or “but I was blind to the truth” or something. It was overkill in my opinion & made it difficult to push through the part of the book where Ella was retelling her past. A little past halfway the story caught up to present day (I think) and it was much more enjoyable to read.

[Nicole Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Julie Nichol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a different way of retelling. I loved it, but it was also fairly dark. I enjoyed the character of Ella, but I didn't enjoy the bitter undertones in the story. The story is written in a dark way to show that Ella regrets her actions. I liked how nice she was, but I struggled with how... how do I put this?She was almost clinging to the past. She couldn't let go of her mother, but she was willing to just let other people walk all over her. I am doing a terrible job of this reveiw.

Here we go again. Ella is a kind character who is not willing to stand up for her rights, and she tells the story in a bitter way to say that she regrets her actions, and there is no such thing as a happy ending. She gets an oppertunity to go to a party, and she seizes it with both hands. What bugged me the most was probably how needy she is for the first half of the book.

That makes it sound bad. I liked the book! I really did. There were some amazing characters, like Cap and the Princesses. I just struggled with how bitter Ella was.

That's it! I have done a terrible job of summarizing my feelings for this book.Three strikes and your out, so I'm done trying. Read the book, you'll know what I mean.

[Joha Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is right up there with Stepsister for my favourite Cinderella retellings. What a cool twist. Because it was told from a perspective where Ella was looking back I kept wondering and wondering at the twist, which kept me invested. I do agree with other reviewers that it got a bit repetitive when she said things like "But I wasn't to know this yet" or "We were both ignorant then" etc etc. But I honestly don't even mind it.

[Jeanette George · Rating 4 out of 5]

End of Ever After is fabulous; its like no other retelling I've ever read. It asks the question what happens to Cinderella after the fan fare and excitement of the glass slipper.

I really like how this story unfolds and the evolution of Ella. I especially enjoyed the ending.

This book is well worth the time.

[Angel Leya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a neat take on the old tale. The author grabbed elements from the original, not following the Disney path, which I could appreciate. I even appreciated the alternate ending. That happily ever after wasn't the end of her story. That there was so much more to it than even she appreciated until it was too late.

What I struggled with was the wistful narration. We're told the story from Ella's perspective, of course, but it's told by future her. The one who knows how the story ends. The one who makes sure we're interpreting the events as she tells them through the lens of what she knows now. It took a lot of the suspense out of things. We know, based on her narration, much of what's to come before it's time to know, which I found disappointing and a little irritating.

Otherwise, an interesting reimagining, and if such narrations don't bother you and you love Cinderella retellings, this might just be the book for you.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The End of Ever After explores what happens to Cinderella after the traditional fairy tale ends. Well written and enjoyable. Highly recommend.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! A great retelling because of a number of factors.

First of all, the writing was captivating, the descriptions spot on. Very, very soon the author got me with a description that sent me back to some ideal time in my life that I cannot even remember: "During spring and summer, the green lawns were hardly visible beneath the most wonderful shades of blue, pink, purple, yellow, and white flowers. They cozied up to tree trunk and popped out between blades of grass, their petals radiating in the sunlight in a way quite befitting a faerytale land."

The style was both fairytale-ish and mdoern, so while it did have very lyrical feel, it was also easy to read. I enjoyed that very much.

I also liked the way the author made ominous comments about future. It made me conspicuous about everything.
It also made me guess some plot twists earlier than E.L.Tanenbaum probably would've liked, but I did and here we are. It didn't spoil the reading at all and the ending was pretty unexpected even though I was like "if I were you, dear Ella, I would do this..." and she did it!

All the changes to the "original" story were very very good and did not feel forced. I liked meeting characters from other fairytales (or faerytales) and getting to know their real endings and I would enjoy reading about them, but I'd also enjoy reading other, less popular faerytales retold by Tenenbaum.

I enjoyed reading about all the characters and our faery godmother (or grandmére) had some very very smart sentences like: "A man who only loves you for your clothes is not a man who loves you very much at all."

All in all, this is one of the best retellings I've ever read, alongside the Lunar Chronicles for example. I am definitely going to read the next one for sure!

[B · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an absolutely horrendous retelling of Cinderella. The first third of the book was spent talking about the ENTIRE story, when, in my opinion, retellings should be...a retelling. Not the exact story in flashback fashion. And the rest of it was an awkward, nonsensical tale of a girl who didn’t know how to speak. I swear, every other line was “if I had only known then what I know now” or “at the time I didn’t see what was right in front of me”.

I get it, your fairy tale wasn’t you expected. Just shut the fuck up and tell me the god damn story! I hated everything about this, from the way it was written to the style to Cinderella herself. I wish this had been more of what it promised, but oh well. Don’t waste your time.

[E.L. Tenenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited for this series!
This Cinderella retelling is the first of a five-part, darker fairy tale series.
Although the books are companions to each other, I'd recommend reading them in order of publishing to avoid possible spoilers.
Also, keep an eye out for other tales and fables woven into the stories!
***
Listen to a Behind-the-scenes of the book on my podcast, Oh My Word!:
https://www.eltenenbaum.com/bonus-epi...
Hear an interview with the reader of the audiobook, Nichole James:
https://www.eltenenbaum.com/bonus-epi...

[Kathrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one. Which would be great, except that I wanted to love it. I enjoy a good fairy tale retelling (Beauty by Robin McKinley is by far my favorite). I like when the author gives a typical, heard it a million times story a new spin, especially if that means that the main characters are given some agency or you get a previously unknown point of view. Now granted, Cinderella is not my favorite tale. And really, as far as retellings go, Cinderella has been tugged and stretched and melted down and reformed too many times to count. But this one sounded like maybe Ella had a backbone (like in the movie Ever After, which I love). And she did. Sort of. Mostly. Though not at the beginning and not when her grandmere wandered into the story and certainly not when she was all naivete and forgiving of things she shouldn't have been. Skepticism is not a bad thing, dear Ella. When she did finally shed those rose-colored glasses (the ones over her lavender eyes...purple eyes seem to be thing with this author. I'm not a fan), gathered her fancy tulle and silk and stood up for herself and the people, then I liked her. I admit I cheered when she turned the tables on her would be Prince (not-so) Charming.

My biggest problem and the main reason for only 3 stars was the author's extreme over use of foreshadowing. It's fine if you want to hint that things aren't going to get better before they get worse or that your heroine is going to realize that hindsight is 20/20 a couple of times in your story. It's a whole other issue when you're doing all that every couple of pages. Nothing in the story surprised me because I was well informed that SOMETHING BAD was going to happen. After a while, I just wanted the author get on with the story already.

[Xena Elektra]

DNF 30%

My issue with this book is hardly unique. It seems like almost every reviewer is in agreement that the method for relaying this story is horrendous. Ella of the future is filling everyone in on her story. Which makes it feel like one huge prologue. I kept waiting for her to catch up to present time but I guess she never does.

It's hard to be invested with constant "but that would be the biggest mistake of my life." and "If only someone had known how horribly their decision to remove his mask would ruin my life." My favorite was

“You’re here for me and needn’t bestow your attentions on anyone else.” I melted, truly melted at those words. How was I to know then that the words were not sweet and romantic but possessive and demanding?

I'm sorry but I knew that was creepy. Being told it though totally breaks you out of the story. And every few paragraphs you're getting jolted out of the story. I want to be in the story going through it with the character. This felt like someone telling you a story about their past where not only are they no longer in the moment but they keep spoiling it for you.

There's really no shocks here. Cinderella things happen and she marries the prince who is awful and horrible and things are depressing and miserable until the end when she frees herself but we really don't get to see much of the happy after that. (I skimmed after the 30% mark)

Also I guess the rest of the series goes back and tells the stories of some of the side characters. Their pasts! Before even this story. So it's like this book is a spoiler for everyone else's past too. You're going to know how everyone's story from the next however many books ends because you're seeing their future too.

[Blaire Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

END OF EVER AFTER BY E.L. TENENBAUM SPOILER FREE REVIEW.

*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for a free and honest review.*

I just recently finished reading End Of Ever After and I have to say, straight off the bat, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an interesting, exciting, fresh take on a fairytale retelling and I loved reading it. It was a fantastic new spin on the world, the characters and the story we all know and love, and I found myself struggling to put it down.

I gave this book a four out of five stars. The writing, was excellent and easy to read, and the new ideas brought to what happens after ever after were different and insightful. I did take one star off my rating only because the foreshadowing at the beginning of the book was a little over done and became a bit too much at times. Unfortunately when it came time for the big reveals and the plot twists, I wasn't as surprised by them as I could have been as it had all been well hinted at throughout the first half of the book. Had it been woven into the story a little more subtlety, I think it would have made those big turning points in the story stand out a little more.

Despite this though, I still really enjoyed this book and 100% intend on continuing on with this series. The characters were well explored and the story, while familiar, still had little nuggets of fresh information that had me hooked. I look forward to reading more of this author's works!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to rate this 3.5/5 but the ending really earned the rest of the 4 star rating. The tale is familiar to almost everyone but this version shows what happens after Ever After and shows that things might not have been great for Ella even in her new role. I like that its not one ball and done, Ella gets 3 chances to go to the ball in a new gown that makes new fashion trends and is the envy of all. Not going to lie they sounded stunning. Like way better then the Disney version or Ever After movie and I've been crushing on those gowns for decades. In movies and other tells the Prince is the grand prize and he accepts Ella as she is and loves her and happiness ensues, not so much this time. As we're getting the story from an older Ella she's able to look back and go "and this is where I should have backed out" but clearly she doesn't. I'm not sure if I'd consider it a domestic abuse situation but there's some form of abusive relationship in there. I liked that Ella gets to meet other princesses from different stories such as Snow White who actually has a real name in this book. Things look hopeless for quite some time but the ending redeems the story as it would have been a really sad tale otherwise. Its not a perfect ending or even a Happy Ever After within a Ever After story but its satisfying and I liked it. I'm definitely going to read the next book which I believe is a Rumplestilskin retelling.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well written and beautifully done, full of the substance missing in many retellings. Real women build sense of self amid many descriptions of finery, alongside flawed men both with and without redemption. I almost expected a few hotline numbers to be included at the back, bit don't want to say more for fear of spoilers.

There were only two real weak points in this book: the backstory of the faery godmother and the moral discrepancy with how Ella's marriage and Kiara's marriage played out beyond the red flags. Also, I did not feel the names of characters and places matched up well, or were included at odd times. Of course the kingdoms are imaginary, but it felt random.

Highlights and abbreviated literary analysis-----

The pumpkin coach being bronze, silver, then gold reminded me of Olympic medals. Give my regards to the goose, mice, rats, lizards, squirrels, etc. That was quite the entourage.

Themes: The willingness to ignore truth, Compassion as heroic, betrayal, struggle for self-definition, loss of innocence, the value and purposes of dreams, restricted role of women, upper class v lower class, education as equalizer, courage, friendships, sisterhood, suffering, cruelty, mercy, self-sacrifice, appearances are deceptive, abuse, fantasy over reality

Mood: somber, bittersweet, regretful

Tone: understanding/empathetic, respectful, mature

[Florentyna Kerkmeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a refresing retelling of the well-known Cinderella story. It starts by telling us the story we already know, but in a way that is much more down to earth, without compromising on the magic. In this part, Cinderella makes some ominous comments about the future, hinting to something much darker. For me, this part was a bit too long without knowing where it was going. I would have preferred alternating chapters of the known story and Cinderella's present time. Sort of a fine line between mystery and spoilers.
As you probably understand when you start reading this book, it's not so happily ever after and I think that is such a welcome modern addition to the story. So many people think finding en getting their true love is it, when it is only the beginning and the work just started.
One thing I would have liked to see different, is the chapter length. Lots of chapters were 30 minutes or longer according to my Kindle, which meant having to stop in the middle of a chapter quite often (it's one of my pet peeves).
All in all I really liked the book and will have a look for the other ones.

[Nadia Vriendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading where CinderElla's "happily ever after" does not turn out to be so "happy" after all.
The beginning chapters are a quick review of the original fairytale, but told from the point of view of Ella herself, and with some alternative scenes here and there (which makes sense, as stories do get twisted around a lot when going from one person to the next).

There is also often an ominous foreboding interwoven, which makes you wonder what happened and anxious to read on. Perhaps a bit too anxious, because when I finally did find out what happened, I was a little bit disappointed. There is also a lot of "telling" by the main character. The prince himself remains mostly on the background. We don't actually "experience" his character much. So perhaps that is why I was left with a bit of a double feeling at the end.

But it was definitely worth the read.

[D.G. Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Cinderella retelling. Ella is an interesting and well thought out character. The story is a solid retelling of the classic fairy tale (with, if I'm not mistaken, a solid nod to the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical version) for the first half of the book. It takes a while to get to the "ever after" part, but that is where it gets interesting. The author drops lots of ominous "but I didn't know yet" type of phrases throughout to keep you hooked and waiting for when everything is going to go askew. She makes you wait for all the balls to drop and then everything comes to a big climax in the last twenty pages. I did enjoy the book a lot, and she has created a world similar to the show Once Upon a Time where all the fairy tales and magic are mingled in one place. The cover is stunning. I'm interested in reading more of these books.

[Katt Faëhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book actually surprised me. I’m not usually a fan of books like these. But being a fan of Cinderella retellings I had to give it a try.

I liked how she was telling us her story and how she should’ve seen the signs. It just shows how everything can look so perfect on the outside and be completely rotten on the inside. How people can use love to manipulate you and make you docile without you ever noticing.

My heart broke for my favourite princess and I fear this may have ruined Prince Charming for me lol. Let’s hope not. Oh but the captain… I was BEGGING for him to show her how he felt. But he was too much of a gentleman. Bummer.

But Ella remains my favourite. A badass with a kind heart. Because even when her true love was a two faced, arrogant, vomit inducing, rage triggering shell of a man, did she not break.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts I liked of this Cinderella retelling and parts that I did not. I liked the premise that after the "happy ending" there's more to the story. I was pleased that the author is trying to showcase a stronger woman but I think it missed the mark in that regard. Ella is vain and yet kind which can be a dangerous mix, she's insecure and yet has been strong enough to survive. And while she's supposed to be strong and not needing a man, a man was right there - almost from the beginning - and I'm not talking about the Prince. Usually they take out the magic or make it dark or twisted but this one keeps the integrity of the original faerie tale magic and I liked that.

There's more of these retellings, not sure if I will read the rest of the books - there's supposed to be 5.

[Eva_812 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good first 40% of the book is just a retelling of the original fairytale, so nothing new there. Only then the story takes off. Unfortunately, the author has given Ella 2 qualities: kind and tiny, and she mentions this so much that I swear Ella is just 60 cm tall. Tiny frame, tiny hands, tiny feet: everything about her is tiny. She's also naive or not really smart because anybody could've seen that "twist" coming from miles away. The end was a bit too sweet and perfect, and unrealistic. No way would the king, a hardened soldier, have been like "oh a choice between drinking poison or fighting for my life? Let's drink!". He would've fought like hell and she'd have lost, and we all know it.

[Astrid Rudloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily review an ARC.
Recieving this book I thought I'd get a Cinderella retelling where some characters are changed or roles reversed.
But this book tells the whole story from the childhood till the perfect conclusion years after the fairytale wedding. There are so many new facts noone told me before forming a bigger picture like mosaic tiles.
I liked the development of the characters and the including of many well known stars of other fairytales.
This book is fluently written, but the repeated hints like "I should have known..." were a bit too much for my taste.
Nonetheless I recommend this book and would like to read the next retellings.

[Emma Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Different Kind of Happily Ever After

Tenenbaum takes the story of Cinderella beyond the fairy tale and into the life after Ella married her prince. Definitely a twist on the tale but one that encourages young girls to look to themselves to make something of their life instead of wishing someone else to do it for them. At the same time she shows how love can flourish when both people open themselves up to each other in honesty. It is a good pairing of reality tinged with hope. Lovely read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this retelling of Cinderella. It isn’t a Disney version of the story. I have never read a version where it is three different events when Cinderella and the Prince meet.

Although I had predicted parts of the plot very early own nothing was one hundred percent confirmed until the last chapter. I was kinda disappointed that I had put it together so quickly.

I know there are other books in the series, and I hope the author has the next main characters visit with Cinderella so we can she how her Ever After continues.

[Kadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This completely surprised me in the best of ways. Of course i love the classic Disney stories but this dark take was so captivating and exciting.

I loved how when reality sets in you realise that sometimes everything you wish for isn't exactly what you need. Seeing everything from a new perspective was great and the romance is not where you think it would be.

I'm glad it all got wrapped up very well and you can read this series without cliffhangers. Will definitely be reading the rest in this series.

[Mercy]

End of Ever After is a bold and haunting twist on the fairy tales we grew up believing. This isn't the Cinderella you remember, it's deeper, darker, and painfully human. Ella’s voice is raw and honest as she unravels the illusion of “happily ever after” and confronts the cost of chasing a dream that may never have been real. The story is both beautifully told and heart-wrenching, offering a powerful reflection on love, identity, and betrayal. A must-read for anyone who ever wondered what really happens after the ball ends.