The Ugly Stepsister

By: Aya Ling

Narrated by: Luci Christian

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you are trapped in a fairy tale book?

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old childhood picturebook, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella - as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: The other stepsister is movie-star gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince isn't interested in balls at all. Can she ever return to the real world?

Cover Design by Clarissa at Yocla Designs

©2015 Aya Ling (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Amazing!

This book was amazing and I couldn't put it down. It's totally kept my attention from beginning to end! I loved every minute and didn't want it to end! I can't want to read book two!

excellent series

good read for fairytale lovers. listened to audio and was awesome cant wait for next one

Fun, entertaining and just plain enjoyable escape

Loved the heroine! No self-pitying or guilt ridden angst! A must read for anyone who enjoys fairytales! Depth added through surprising deviation that addressed the plight of the poor, particularly children.

Longest Character Building EVER!

Honestly, if I had not known this was a the first book of a series I would have given up on it 4 hours in. I almost did even with that knowledge. And frankly, I still don't understand why it took 8 hours to show the Prince's infatuation with Kat because she wasn't like the other girls. Nor do I get why there weren't more scenes of the Prince's advances on her. Especially when it got to the end and the author only spent 5 minutes on the "happily ever after". It felt as if the author took advantage of the fact we knew how the story would end. In some ways I get it. Generally old fairy tales have a blunt ending. But this is a modern day fairy tale of sorts, and I would have enjoyed a little more couple-dome before the "happily ever after" gavel was dropped. However, on the overall the story and narration was between a high end of pretty good and low end of great. It is worth the credit and going to next book in the series.

The Greatest Retelling of Cinderella

PLOT - Kat accidentally rapes a book apart. She transports inside the book. She got suck in Katriona body. She has to gave a happy end for the Prince and Cinderella. But not the end she fell in love with the Prince. I really love retelling of fairytales. This tell you about one of Cinderella ugly sister. Kat is the ugly sister. I loved the narrate. She really did great tell this story.

#Relationships #Retelling #Royal #Fairytale #Magical #Fantasy #tagsgiving and #sweepstakes

Who's happily ever after?

Wow! This story was intriguing and exciting. Some fairy tale retellings can seem forced to fit certain parameters; however, The Ugly Stepsister revealed many twists and unexpected turns. Even the ending surprised me - not the epilogue in the last chapter, but the end of the Cinderella portion. I am pleased to learn there is more to the story... I am sad that it is not yet available on Audible, but I purchased it in print. I do want to know what happens next. There is also a short story that seems to take place between the first and second instalments. If you enjoy a fractured fairy tale, this is an excellent option. As the title suggests, it is told from one of the ugly stepsister's point of view - the younger sister in fact, but even she isn't herself so to speak. Sounds fun, right?

Luci Christian's narration is fantastic. I have no idea if she is from North America or from the United Kingdom or neither, but her voices and accents are excellent. I'm Canadian so I will say her British accents are amazing, denoting class, intelligence and gender. Yet, the main character and narratives are done with a North American vernacular again not differing from a native. I believe it is difficult to carry this off easily and it takes a strong vocal talent to do so seamlessly. Christian is such a talent. I'm sure I will be hearing her voices in my head as I read the next story in print.

Best spin off so far

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this creativly spun story created from something that was already so well known and making it completly new.

AMAZING

this book was absolutely amazing
must read for anyone who cherishes a good fairy tale!

Loved it!

If you like books like Cinder, Dorothy Must Die, or The Madman's daughter they you'll enjoy this book as well. While the main plot is slightly predictable the characters their adventures along the way make up for it. It's a fun and lighthearted story that I couldn't put down and was sad when it ended!

A Stand-Out Book

What made the experience of listening to The Ugly Stepsister  the most enjoyable?

This was a great story with twists and turns that kept me listening.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The great part of this story is that each character stood out on their own. No one was favorite. It was a great blend.

What about Luci Christian’s performance did you like?

Really excellent. Her reading was just at the right pace. She sounded the part of the main character. Her voice change for characters was excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I really enjoyed how the "Happily Ever After," was not what was expected.

Any additional comments?

This book is written with Teens in mind... I'm 60. Totally enjoyed it. It's a twist on the traditional Cinderella story. A teen in our current society enters into "story world" as one of the Ugly Stepsisters. Because of a mistake she made, she has to see the story to it's "Happily Ever After" conclusion. It was never boring. I couldn't wait to listen to the next part as I drove home from work. It was fun, funny, with tension, romance and mystery. A stand-out read.