A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris

I think everyone knows how much I like fairytale retellings. However, I haven't really read Steampunk retellings - I think there were some in the Once Upon a Time retelling (I hope I remembered the series name right!), but not much other than that. So when I saw A Curse of Ash and Iron, I jumped at the chance to read it.

A Curse of Ash and Iron follows Ellie, who has been under a curse for the past few years. Though she's still living in the same house she's always been in, no one recognises her. Her stepmother has the whole world convinced that she's a poor relative. That is, until one day, she bumps into her childhood friend Ben, who sees her. Really sees her. And with that, Ellie gets the hope that the curse can be broken, and she and her father saved.

For the most part, I liked this story. Ellie is plucky (though I actually prefer her stepsister), and I liked her friendship with Ben. They were childhood friends, and I liked how close they were. [MILD SPOILERS AHEAD] But, he's not a prince charming. I thought that was a pity - he was very much princely in my eyes. Instead, there's Mr. Scott, who's you know, rich and handsome. I'm not going to say more, because spoilers and what not, but yeah, this was the aspect of the book that disappointed me. I was all ready to root for a romance too.

I mentioned just now that my favouriate character wasn't Ellie, but her stepsister Rebecca. I don't know why, but I found Rebecca a lot more mysterious and interesting than Ellie. Plus, Ellie's love life annoyed me, which led to me being mildly annoyed with her. I would love it if the next book featured Rebecca.

Overall, this was an interesting book. There's a whole cast of interesting characters, and although I was mildly dissatisfied with how the romance progressed, it wasn't like the book was ruined for me. If there was a sequel, I would totally read it. Especially if Rebecca turned out to be the protagonist.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.