"The Wicked Sister is either a revisionist history of the Cinderella fairy tale or a retelling of its original truth. The latter is what the purported author would have you believe. For this tale tells a story far different from the one we all know and love. It has the handsome Prince, the poor daughter without a father and those stepsisters but who is good and who is evil?
I’ve read other “retellings” of various fairytales and I think of all of them it’s the Cinderella story that is the one that is most popular to twist into a different kind of tale but this is the first time I have encountered what is more of an origin story rather than a new way to spin Cinderella. For this novel both shares what could be the truth of Cinderella’s story and what history had chosen to tell. For even though it is a fairy tale, they all come with lessons to be learned, don’t they?
This is a very interesting take on the age old tale and while a touch skeptical at first I have to admit I was sold by the end. It was well written and very engaging. Not at all what I was expecting and in a good way. Also far sexier than the fairy tale given to us by the Brothers Grimm. A very entertaining read." https://bookscookslooks.com/the-wicked-sister-by-virginia-barlow-book-review/