Cinder House

De: Freya Marske

Narrado por: Anna Burnett

Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske—a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.

Ella is a haunting.

Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.

Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.

You think you know Ella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.

You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.

Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this debut novella from "the queen of romantic fantasy" (Polygon).

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com

©2025 Freya Marske (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Gorgeous, whimsical, romantic, and bittersweet, Cinder House both whisks you away and holds you over a flame. I was bespelled.”—Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"One of the best retellings I've read! With immersive prose, memorable characters, and a glittering world, Marske has breathed new and fiercely feminist life into the classic Cinderella story. Ella is a heroine who will haunt you forever."—Heather Walter, author of The Crimson Crown

“Compelling characters, a spellbinding haunting and a powerful yearning that transcends death; Cinder House burns for you.”—Lex Croucher, author of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

Didn’t quite work

I wanted to like this more than I did. It seemed to be going in one direction and then collapsed into something else very quickly that hadn’t been developed well enough to feel earned. I found myself missing the promise of the premise and not satisfied with the what felt like a glib ending. I wish it had worked for me because it was really creative and clever at times.

Put a smile on my face

I thought nothing could ever beat Swordcrossed and while that's true, this was the warm fuzzy socks in front of a crackling fire story I didn't know I needed. And the ending did not disappoint. Wonderful narration as well. Save this one for when you've got a couple of evenings to spend curled up with a blanket, a cat, and a thoroughly enjoyable story.

A unique retelling

I loved the unusual choice of the protagonist being a ghost, it allowed for some intriguing difficulties. I enjoyed the subtleties of the various relationships, everything wasn’t just black and white. To my surprise there was some spice, it worked well. The narrator did an excellent job. I especially appreciated how the book achieved its happily ever after.

The Robin McKinley vibes are strong with this one

From the time I was about 10 years old, I have loved Robin McKinley‘s fairytale retellings, as well as her other books. She always writes strong female main characters, inverts tropes, treats magic as matter-of-factly as real world concepts and paints incredible imagery with words. If you took one of McKinley‘s fairytale retellings and subbed in queer characters, you would get this book. I’ve enjoyed Freya Marske’s other fiction, and I’m looking forward to reading more of it, but this book really hit me in the feels because it reminded me so much of the McKinley stories I grew up reading, some of which are even now sitting in my audible favorites list. I don’t typically enjoy books that are on the shorter side, but. Marske fits a full, colorful story with a lot of depth into these few hours. Definitely worth a listen, especially if you’re a McKinley fan.