Lo has done a wonderful job of retelling the traditional tale of Cinderella. She does it with a rich narrative writing style the captures the poetic feel of fairy tales while also bring the faeries themselves back into the story.

The main character is Aisling, who also goes by Ash. She is living wither her father, and the two of them are just coming to terms with the recent death of her mother. Ash's mom was a strong believer in the traditional magics and local faerie folklore that has been well known in the area for years. Her father, though, is turning against it. While this does not stop the local greenwitch from honoring Ash's mom with traditional tales, it does make it difficult for Ash to feel closer to her mom.

Her dad greatly supports her love of literature, allowing her free access to his library. She takes the opportunity to read up on the local faerie lore. Things start to change once again, dividing Ash and her father, when he remarries. His new wife is a cruel and harsh woman with two daughters she clearly fails.

Before long, Ash's father is suffering a major illness and dies. Ash's stepmother blames her father's poor business sense for causing the family to fall in debt. In order to make up for it, Ash is going to have to make up for it by being the house's all-around servant.

Even with the harshness of her life, Ash finds ways to get away from it. The first starts when she is befriended by a faerie named Sidhean. He starts by pushing her away because of her humanness, but he soon starts to help her out. He does so with a promise that she will have to make up for it later.

Ash also finds herself becoming good friends with the King's Huntress Kaisa. Through their friendship, Ash gets an opportunity to participate in the King's Hunt and a number of other activities that are now closed to her by her stepmother's edict. The more time they spend together, the more the two girls find that their feelings for each other are growing.

The challenges facing Ash in the other aspects of her life start to build toward the basic storyline found in the tale. The one difference is that Ash is not necessarily meant to find true happiness by being selected as the prince's true love.

I think Lo really has done a nice job of creating a dreamy feel in the world that she has created. The variations she has embedded means that the royal family actually appears more off-stage and as plot devices rather than being the true path to happiness. In fact, Ash goes out of her way at one point to highlight that she doesn't believe that true happiness can be found by selecting a mate based on his higher social status rather than love.

I wouldn't suggest this title for those looking for light reading. The story is filled with rich descriptions. As a result, the pacing is not as it could be, but the descriptions, particularly references to some of the traditional tales in Ash's world, do add to a better understanding of the people who inhabit it.

All-in-all, I would say that this book lives up to the tradition of Donna Jo Napoli and Robin McKinle, who are generally considered the masters of retelling fairy tales.