I absolutely love fairytale retellings so I had to immediately read Rebecca F. Kenney’s newest release, The Midnight King; a Cinderella retelling. I recently read The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow by her and gave it five stars so I had high hopes for this one. I didn’t love it quite as much as The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow but it was still a very fun read. Since this is a novella, this review will be spoiler free.
I like to give a heat level rating for all books with romance. If you’re curious about my rating system, you can check it out here.
Synopsis:
Bound by magic, Celinda serves her step-family night and day with little hope of escaping the drudgery of her life, and even less hope of attending the upcoming series of royal parties hosted by the Crown Prince, who is seeking a bride. When a family heirloom summons a handsome Faerie, Celinda sees a possible avenue for escape. But she finds herself being seduced, not by the prince, but by his incredibly attractive father, the King. Tempted by the pleasure the King offers and drawn by the magic her Faerie godfather can access, Celinda’s heart is tugged in two different directions, even as she fights to circumvent the cruel schemes of her malevolent stepmother.
My Thoughts:
- Rating-
- Heat Level- 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Midnight King takes place in the same world as Kenney’s A Court of Sugar and Spice. I’ve only read the first book in that series but a few of those characters do make an appearance here, primarily Fin and Clara’s son. Fin and Clara were my favorites in A Court of Sugar and Spice and I loved their son just as much. He is such a cinnamon roll… and if you’ve read this story, you’ll understand why that description is true and also hilarious😉
As for Celinda, I also enjoyed her character but she could be abrasive. I understand that’s how she’s meant to be and why she was that way, though. I will say, and this is just a personal pet peeve, I did get annoyed with the word fu** being used so much. It’s not that I have an issue with the word itself but it didn’t seem to fit the fantasy/historical-ish setting. It never seemed to flow with the way the characters usually spoke. This was just a minor annoyance, though, and it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment.
As for the story, this was one of the most unique Cinderella retellings I’ve read. You could tell that it was based off that story but Kenney really added her own spin to it. I really liked it and I always enjoy the worlds Kenney creates. I also always enjoy the way she writes romance and this one was the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for a quick read with fairytale vibes and spice, this is the one for you. Let me know if you plan to give this one a try! Thanks for reading!
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