Cinderella's Dress Paperback – June 3, 2014

Cinderella’s Dress by Shonna Slayton was a sweet, fun, and unique story; it kept me turning pages! From the gorgeous cover, to the captivating era, to the charming characters, this novel had me intrigued. Kate Allen is a teenage girl just trying to cope with her dad off in war and her ambitious mother trying to get her in a movie. She has a special, amber necklace given to her by her grandmother, but she never knew it had anything to do with the strange Polish couple who show up on her doorstep. And what? They have Cinderella’s dress…?A Cinderella retelling of sorts with fantastic twists and turns. How interesting to set this fairytale retelling in the midst of World War II, with Cinderella’s stepsisters’ descendants sneaking around sinisterly. Movie stars. Window decorating. Fashion shows. War. Breath-taking gowns. Soldiers writing letters to their sweethearts… I just loved this tale! :-)It was so fun to join Kate on this unexpected fairytale adventure. She’s a bit timid, and sometimes awkward; and foolishly gets herself into trouble time and again. But she has heart and courage, and a soul ready to take on this journey set before her. I rather liked her big brother Floyd. We didn’t get a lot of him, but he was a pretty charming older brother. Teasing. Sweet. But yet… an older brother all the same, :-) I hope to see more of him! At first Johnny Day made me mad. (Perhaps I’m more like Kate than I thought…) But he quickly grows on you throughout the story. And turns out to be a great young man! Aw… it’s just too cute! He really ends up being a gem of a guy. No, not perfect. But a perfect match, :-)Mother, Elsie, Josie, and the rest of the “nice” characters were also great in their own ways. Just lovely characters. Easy to connect with. To understand. To laugh at. Or get irritated at. :-)As I sort of mentioned above, the romance was just adorable! It was more subtle and sweet, but swoon-worthy all the same! There were a few really cute, “grinning”, moments. One kiss I believe. But just overall a more realistic, slow, tender romance. Depth to it. *Sigh* I just love the part where the uncle says something (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you read it), and a little thrill just shoots through your heart…and Kate must be experiencing the same, and more, of course! :-) Can’t wait to see where this romance goes in the next book! There were a few slightly creepy moments, what with stepsister descendants lurking around. Some moments were a bit frightening/intense. But nothing major at all. And the romance was all sweet. I would say 13 and up or so would be alright for this book. There were some things that I would have liked to be expounded on more. Like the war’s end. And even the budding of the romance. Sometimes I was slightly confused because things happened quickly, without my really going through it, if you know what I mean. Like all of sudden, it was this way, and I was like, “Oh! That happened. Okay.” I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s not a huge deal at all, but I just thought I would mention it. Overall, Cinderella’s Dress makes for a short(er), easy to read, more fast paced novel. It was a grand tale really! I enjoyed this new spin of Cinderella’s story. I love the era surrounding World War II. Adore Johnny and Kate, :-) And the dresses, eep!! Cinderella’s Dress is a gorgeous, fascinating, heart-warming, and mysterious novel. I’m so excited to get a copy of Cinderella’s Shoes and continue this exceptional adventure!

Kate Allen is a teenage girl in World War II Era New York City. Her dad is over in Italy working as a Monument Man, guarding the art from the Nazi forces. Her brother, Floyd, wants nothing more than to become a pilot, so he could head off for the war too. As for Kate, she’s a fairly normal girl in a world that’s gone crazy. She goes to school (not that we ever see her there) and works at a department store with her mother, who keeps pushing Kate to become a model and an actress. Kate wants neither of those things. She wants to design windows with the men–women were not allowed to work on the windows because no one believed that a woman would have the physical strength to do it. Her life takes a turn for the unexpected when her Great Aunt and Uncle arrive at their door, having escaped from Poland and the Nazi Death Camps. That’s when she finds out that her family has a secret: They’re part of a long line of Keepers of the Wardrobe, women who have been charged with protecting the real Cinderella’s dresses, and Kate is next in line. She’s not quite sure what to make of any of it. Aunt Elsie is slipping into dementia and has just come from a place where no one was safe, so she convinces herself that it was all a product of Elsie’s aging mind. Then, she sees the dress and knows that it is all true.I have to admit that Cinderella was not one of my favorite fairy tales growing up and I am ambivalent towards the Disney cartoon. I do like the Rodgers and Hammerstein version, especially the one starring Brandi and Whitney Houston that came out back in 1997. If the musical comes to San Francisco any time in the future, I’ll be there with bells on. That said, this is not Cinderella. And that’s a good thing. The last thing we need is yet another re-telling of the original. This was different. It focused not on Kate finding her Price Charming (or Prince Christopher if you’re a R&H fan like me) or looking to escape her everyday life, but rather on a girl coming to grips with her destiny and choosing whether or not she wants it. It is a coming of age story with a bit of magic and a little romance.You can read the rest of the review at: http://thefictionvixen.com/2015/09/19/review-of-cinderellas-dress-by-shonna-slayton/

This story was so engaging, the mystery combined with fantasy and history of both America and Europe in wartime, there was so much to enjoy and think about. I also loved that it was squeaky clean as far as profanity, violence and sexual content, so I can recommend this book to friends of all ages and backgrounds without any precautions.

I love Fairytales with a twist!! I think Shonna Slayton’s Cinderella’s Dress and all the other books in her Fairytale Inheritance Series is just that!! Kate is a young woman working in a dress shop during WWII, family comes from Poland to stay with her. Should she believe them when they say she will be the next one to protect Cinderella’s Dress?? Is she up to protecting it at all costs?? Read about this and more!!

Loved the story it gave a whole new meaning to what actually happened after the wedding and to the dress...although they are the keepers of these priceless items it was fun imagining what it would be like trying them on and being swept back to the days of window displays made me remember my childhood

First this book sparked my curiosity. It's not often when I come across Polish language or heritage within non native authors and I must admit it felt strange at the beginning. It rubbed me the way I would never thought book could rubbed my interest and I don't regret any second spend reading. Story is well though, characters are very relatable for me. I really enjoyed grown-up fairy tale this book reminded me of.

If you like fairy tales this is a story for you!! It has a creative plot which shows what the characters you forgot did for Cinderella and how the story never ends that easy. I recommend it if you want to try something new but I would say the romance could be betterXoxo

Boring