The Coronation Ball: A Four Kingdoms Cinderella Novelette by Melanie Cellier Review

I read this novelette sometime late last year and I really enjoyed it. It was honestly just the kind of story I needed when I was feeling down about something. It was actually the second book I read by Melanie Cellier the first one being A Tale of Beauty and Beast and it made me want to read the rest of her books despite how long her series are. The reason I picked up this book in the first place was because I was trying to read a bunch of short Cinderella retellings at the time. I don't remember how many I read altogether but I remember this one being my favorite. This is a short book that is only about 60 pages long (making it the shortest Four Kingdoms book) but that didn't stop it from being so endearing.

The Coronation Ball is the story of Hanna the sisters to Hans (the love interest from The Princess Fugitive) and a misused apprentice pastry chef who was forced to leave her home country Rangmere some years prior due to a prank gone wrong. Now Hanna works as a servant in the kingdom of Northhelm where she is mistreated by her coworkers. Her coworker Brianna (the daughter of a poor baronet) is always mistreating her and taking credit for her work and her boss Master Girard not only allows Hanna to get bullied but mistreats her too. Hanna's only comfort is her friend Stefan who offers her kindness and sympathy where no one else does. However, Hanna's life suddenly goes from bad to worse when she learns the Stefan isn't actually the servant, she thought he was, but the son of an earl and Brianna has her sights on him. Stefan is expected to marry among the nobility and Brianna plans to use a love potion to make him pick her. Finding both her position and the man she loves in danger Hanna must find a way to get into the ball and warn him of Brianna's plans. And with a little help from a fairy godmother Hanna might just succeed. 

This is a short and sweet story that follows the plotline of Cinderella pretty closely with a fairy godmother, glass slippers, and all. However, there are some differences such as Hanna not having a wicked stepfamily but suffering cruelty from a jealous coworker and a judgmental superior. What I find interesting is that her boss Master Girard is mostly mean to her not because he is jealous of her beauty or talent (like Brianna is) but because she is from a kingdom who has a hostile reputation. If anything, Girard is prejudice to her because of where she was born and raised from not who she is. It doesn't make what he does to her right, but I thought it was an interesting take on the stepmother. 

Hanna is a good Cinderella character but perhaps a little too traditional. She lets others get away with bullying her because she doesn't want a fight. She only stands up for herself through Stefans encouraging and when her position is threatened. It was nice to see her finally defend herself which I could feel took a lot of courage on her part. When a person is bullied for a long time, it can be hard to finally take a stand after having to deal with it for so long. I felt like I could relate to Hanna on some level which made her character growth all the more enduring and even inspiring. As for Stefan he seemed like the classic prince charming but the fact that he knew Hanna before the books events and also hate Brianna for her cruelty towards her made me like him more. While I would have liked to have seen more of him and Hanna as a couple their relationship did feel more genuine compared to Disney's animated Cinderella where they only just meet at the ball. 

Overall, this is a sweet novella that I would recommend to anyone who loves Cinderella and is looking for a quick retelling of the tale. I rate this book 4.5 stars. It's a good book that I wish was longer for if were, I would probably give it a higher rating. Anyway, until next time. E.V.A