The Stepsister Scheme

What would happen if an author went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for his plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie’s Angels? What’s delivered is The Stepsister Scheme—a whole new take on what happened to Cinderella and her prince after the wedding. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale readers can bet it won’t be “and they lived happily ever after.” You know how all those old fairy tales take you through lots of scary adventures till you finally reach that inevitable line: 'And they all lived happily ever after--' Guess what? It's not true. Life in never-never land isn't all sweetness and light. Cinderella--whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (née Danielle de Glas)--does marry Prince Armand. And their wedding is a dream come true. But not long after the 'happily ever after, ' Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon. And though Talia--otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty--comes to the rescue (she's a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away." Danielle Whiteshore, formerly Danielle de Glas, would never be a proper princess.