Review: All The Ever Afters

All The Ever Afters
Danielle Teller

Published By: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
Date Read: April 12, 2020
Genre: YA - Fairytale Retelling
Source: Bought
Format: Hardback
Pages: 376

From Goodreads:
A luminous reimagining of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, told from the perspective of Agnes, the beautiful girl's “evil” stepmother.

Compelling fiction often obscures the humble truth...

We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we?

As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, a woman who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. But what unfolds is not the princess's history. The tale Agnes recounts is her own.

A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated from her family and forced into servitude as a laundress’s apprentice at Aviceford Manor when she is just ten years old. Alone, friendless, and burdened with a grueling workload, Agnes carves a place for herself in this cold place that is home to Sir Emont Vis-de-Loup, a melancholic and capricious drunkard.

Using her wits and ingenuity, Agnes eventually escapes and makes her way toward a hopeful future, serving as a housemaid for the powerful Abbess Elfilda. But life once again holds unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking twists that lead Agnes back to Aviceford Manor, where she becomes nursemaid to Ella, Emont's sensitive, otherworldly daughter. Though she cares for Ella, Agnes struggles to love this child, who in time becomes her stepdaughter and, ultimately, the celebrated princess who embodies all our unattainable fantasies.

Familiar yet fresh, tender as well as bittersweet, the story of Agnes and Ella's relationship reveals that beauty is not always desirable, that love may take on many guises, and that freedom is not always something we can choose.

Danielle Teller's All the Ever Afters challenges our assumptions and forces us to reevaluate what we think we know. Exploring the hidden complexities that lie beneath classic tales of good and evil, this lyrically told, emotionally evocative, and brilliantly perceptive novel shows us that how we confront adversity reveals a more profound—and ultimately more precious—truth about our lives than the ideal of “happily ever after.”

"Being strong does not disqualify you from being beautiful."

All The Ever Afters is a retelling that I hadn't heard very much about when I picked it up at last years YALC. It's the tale of Cinderella as you have never seen it before. Told by Agnes, Cinderella's 'Wicked Stepmother' I was immediately intrigued. I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings but when they're told from the same characters perspective I find they can get quite repetitive so to see one told from one of the villains, this book sounded perfect for me... and it was. I really enjoyed every moment of this book.

All The Ever Afters is a fantastic retelling that I would recommend to any fans of the tale of Cinderella. It's a really thought-provoking read and makes you realise how one-sided all of these tales are. I loved that this book didn't just begin at the time of the Cinderella tale we know but showed Agnes' childhood and how she became her stepmother.

This is the first book I have read from Danielle Teller and I am a fan. I loved her writing style. It was really addictive. Right from the start I was completely enamoured by this story and her writing and I couldn't put the book down. This book is a really raw and emotional insight into Agnes' life and I was completely in love with her as a character. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more work of Danielle Teller's in the future.

All The Ever Afters is a fresh and new take on the Cinderella tale. I was so very impressed with this book and although the beginning is a little bit slow in places, I found myself not minding because I was enjoying the writing style so much. Any Disney/fairytale fans must add this book to their TBR. It was absolutely fantastic!

"Love is a sickness that causes men and women to do stupid things, like the sorts of things that leave them sad and broken when the fever passes."