Cin d'Rella and the Water of Life (Circle of the Rose Chronicles #1) by S.J. West - April 2025

[Gem , Belle]

Hello Fellow Fairy Tales Readers,


Welcome to our discussion about Cin d'Rella and the Water of Life (Circle of the Rose Chronicles #1) by S.J. West.
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Summary

She is our Rose. We are her Thorns.

When Cin lost her father, she thought her world had been torn apart. Little did she know it was just the beginning of her story…

Being the sole heir to the d’Rella family fortune placed a target on Cin’s back that she wasn’t prepared to deal with at the age of ten. Luckily for her, she had a fairy godfather looking out for her best interests who whisked her away from her selfish step-family and helped Cin discover her true destiny as a Thorn within the formidable Circle of the Rose.

Thorns are an elite fighting force trained at an early age to protect Briar Rose and search for a way to awaken her from a seemingly eternal slumber. The city of Briardale has been cut off from the rest of the world for a hundred years by a spell no one seems to be able to break. Only by finding a cure to awaken Rose will the city be released from the magical curse and its citizens allowed to rejoin the world of Faloria.

A chance encounter brings Cin into contact with the dashing black sheep of the Prince empire, Coltan Prince. For years, his family has been thwarting the Circle of the Rose at every turn in order to keep Briardale isolated and completely at their mercy. Although Cin knows Coltan is the enemy, she feels inexplicably charmed by him for some reason. When Coltan goes to the Circle with information about the whereabouts of the fabled Water of Life, Cin worries that he’s just using them for his own nefarious purposes. Everyone knows you can’t trust a Prince, but a chance to find the magical elixir is too good of an opportunity to pass up. With her trusty daggers by her side, Cin offers to help Coltan on his quest. Not only does she hope to find a possible cure for Rose but Cin also yearns to discover why she feels so drawn to a man she’s supposed to hate.

[Lisa]

I'm enjoying this book. This is a very different take on the Cinderella tale than I have ever came across before. I like that the tale actually started with her childhood and progressed from there. I am loving how the author is blending in multiple fairy tales or at least references to them.

[Lisa]

I really liked this tale. I definitely would like to read the rest of the series, but as it is only available to me for purchase on kindle, I will wait. It isn't one that I feel I must finish immediately.