Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

The Ugly Stepsister
by Aya Ling

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: Jun 12, 2015
Format: ebooks
Source: NetGalley
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When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she's a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. 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 drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

Kat accidentally rips apart an old Cinderella book and transferred into the world of fairytale as Katriona, the stepsister of Cinderella. To get back to her world, Kat must continue the story help Cinderella (or Ella) to meet the prince right to the end. But it wasn't easy. Kat must find out what happen to Ella, find out where is the fairy godmother, and made the prince to agree to have a ball. 

I wasn't sure I was going to like the book when I first started. I mean, I wasn't a fan of it at the beginning. I thought that the book was a bit too rushed, and a bit cliche. I find it hard to get into the book, with the author's style. But I do love fairy tale retelling, and I really thought that I should give the book a chance. I'm very glad I did. After a few more chapters, I started to fall for this book, and it was hard to put down the book.

Reading The Ugly Stepsister was a bit like reading a fairy tale retelling and a historical romance, with the settings and all that. I loved Kat and her adventure to finish the fairy tale. While Kat tried to set up Ella and the prince together, she fought for the rights of the less fortunate. Around the same time, Kat began to fall for the prince, although she tried very hard not to fall for him by focusing more on her missions. I truly enjoyed the interaction between the two right from the beginning. They were so cute together.

Like may others, I wasn't a big fan of the ending. But it was well written. The author ended the story like she was supposed to do. It was a happy ending. Although, I wish to see more of Kat and the prince.

The Ugly Stepsister is definitely a cute read with a great plot and character development. I didn't like it so much at the beginning, but I wanted to read more as the story ended. I wish that there will be a sequel. I hope that the author is thinking about writing a sequel. 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.