ENDLESS Blog Tour: Book Review

Whether you're stopping in for the blog tour or one of my regular minions, welcome and enjoy your stay!

Endless
A Modern Cinderella Tale

by Jaclyn Weist
3 ½ stars

Sydney dreams of stairs. Her nights are filled with an endless spiral staircase that she can't escape. Exhausted from running them every single night, there seems to be no escape. Add to that her obnoxious stepsisters and monstrous stepmother, Sydney's life is less than peachy. But things are about to change when Sydney's father signs her up for a magic summer camp to help her learn about her powers.

Endless is a new and interesting twist to the Cinderella story, both in the retelling of it and how Weist decided to use the modern day twist. This is distinguished from most modern retellings because she has kept the magic in play, as opposed to the more popular strictly contemporary versions. The magic added a great pizzazz and good depth for this almost-familiar world. It lent to a more complicated story, with a secret magic society that added a great aura of mystery.

My favorite part of this tale is the personal development from Sydney. In the beginning she puts up with the stepmonsters with little complaint. She is complacent of her position because 'that's just the way it is', but she's also insecure and self-deprecating. It's fun to watch her rebellious streak as she starts to take control of her own life.

As a YA romance, nothing about this book made me happier than the lack of a messy love triangle. And the peasants rejoiced!

The closest it gets is the threat of a love triangle, but it's totally in the range of acceptability. Plus, Sydney and her love interest Luke are completely adorable together.

What irks me in most Cinderella adaptations is when they don't provide a solid reason or explanation for why the father married such a repulsive woman, but Endless gave me a satisfactory answer for it that made the whole story work. It's not just a Cinderella adaptation; it can stand on its own legs.

Any flaws with this book probably fall under hastiness. Some things simply develop too quickly to be totally realistic and others could have done with a little more build-up, back story, or foreshadowing.

On the whole, this was a fun read, a light and fluffy romance with a strong female character. It's a definite feel-good story and would make a great weekend read.

Endless by Jaclyn Weist gets the

TO READ seal of approval.

Jaclyn Weist is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve at BYU and they have six happy, crazy children that encourage her writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. 

You can purchase Jaclyn's books here.

Find Jaclyn on her blog: http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com