She is a seamstress in a fortress of miserable workers, and she has no other name and no other memory. A shoemaker, called Shoe, names her Pin after her trade and her temperament, and she eventually learns they're imprisoned by the mysterious Godmother. Shoe and Pin escape, but inevitably, the Godmother catches up to them and thrusts them into another fate. Pin becomes Penelope, stripped of her memories once more, now a girl living with her stepfamily who sleeps in the cinders to stay warm and is magicked into a glorious gown that, in another lifetime, she may have stitched. Shoe struggles to find and save her, but even without her memories, Pen, who may be more powerful than she knows, realizes something is wrong: a happily-ever-after without a choice isn't happy at all. The plot hinges on a few contrivances ally, this could have been stretched into two books d after a harrowing first section, the villain is a little too abstract, but the story is clever, and the romance absolutely aches. A fresh fairy-tale retelling, complete with a sensible heroine who does nothing thoughtlessly.

In this dystopic Cinderella story, a magical thimble is the only clue to Pin's true identity. Pin--beleaguered but not broken--is a Seamstress, locked in the Godmother's prison, where she is one of many abused workers. Pin breaks free--but, unfortunately, the Godmother also controls "ever after." Creative world-building and an intriguing voice make this a compelling read.

Gr 8 Up-Pin wakes up knowing nothing about her past. She is told she is a Seamstress, one of many slaves forced to work for the fearsome Godmother. With the help of a mysterious thimble she has somehow saved from Before, headstrong Pin and a frightened but caring Shoemaker escape the prison fortress. But Pin is captured, and her memory is again wiped away by the Godmother. She awakes as an abused stepdaughter who is fated to wear glass slippers and meet a charming prince at a ball. Meanwhile, Shoe is saved by rebels and plots to rescue Pin. When Prince Cor realizes that he has also been used, he joins Pin, Shoe, and the rebels in their efforts to thwart the Godmother's power. But can they ever escape the inevitable ending that Story has planned for them? Narrated in the first person alternately by Pin and Shoe, the book begins with a sense of foreboding and steadily builds suspense as the characters piece together the truth about how the Godmother manipulates people and events. Prineas skillfully brings her characters to life and creates a believable premise for this unconventional "Cinderella" story, even managing to sneak in references to other fairy tales. There is plenty of action mixed with romance, as Shoe and Cor compete for Pin's affections. The wicked Godmother concept works perfectly, and it is a revelation when Pin discovers the reason for the witch's actions in the original stories. VERDICT A first purchase for fans of Marissa Meyer's "Lunar Chronicles" (Feiwel &; Friends) and Robin McKinley's retold fairy tales. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT