Stepsister - Jennifer Donnelly

When girls are supposed to be pretty and nice and nothing else, what can you do if you're a little bit different? Constantly being reminded of what you're not, is a good recipe for bad feelings and resentment to grow and this is what happens to Ella's ugly stepsisters. When Ella gets her dream come true and marries the prince, the whole town hears how she was treated and her step-family must now endure the same treatment from everyone else.

Isabelle's future has been written on her map by the Fates, and nothing can change that harsh reality. Except maybe for Chance. He is determined to give Isabelle the opportunity to change her fate and in doing so, maybe make up for some of his own mistakes. The Crone, however, is convinced that people don't want to take chances and are better off blindly following their fate.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Ella and Isabelle. It made both of them more real and substantial characters. Ella is portrayed as quite a soppy girl. But she's also very kind and just trying to make things better for everyone, however she can.

Chance and his troupe create a play for Isabelle in the book and the description was so vivid it made me feel like I was there. Isabelle was almost spellbound and so was I. I think this play should be written and played to girls everywhere, I would love to see it for real.

For most of the book I was interested but not entirely gripped, however the last quarter of the book I did not want to put it down. I feel like there is so much in here that is worth the time and investment. There is more to true beauty than being sweet, pretty and amiable. I found it was very inspiring.

There's a wonderful quote which is so true I will try to remember it always - 

Believe that you can make your own way. Or don't. Either way, you are right.

Twist of Fate is a very appropriate cocktail for this book, with both Fate and Chance vying to influence Isabelle's future. I am not usually a fan of scotch but this one is particularly drinkable. Shake the following with ice, 1&1/2 shots smoky scotch, 1 shot grenadine, 3/4 shot lime juice, 2 dashes grapefruit bitters. Strain into a rocks glass with ice.