(YA) The Other Slipper by Kenechi Udogu

          Kenechi Udogu is a YA fantasy and contemporary author who lives in London. Her works include The Other Slipper (2011), The Summer of Brian (2011), and The Altercation of Vira (2012). I was contacted by Kenechi and asked if I'd like to review one of her books, and I chose The Other Slipper because fairytale retellings can be so fun! Kenechi has come up with a very unique twist on the classic story.

(From Goodreads)

          When Jo finds a lone glass slipper on the night of the royal ball, she realises that there is more to the seemingly ordinary object than meets the eye. Searching for its owner, she is led to the palace where the princess sets her on a journey that thrusts her into an unexpected world of magic and illusions. It soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to her mission as she discovers startling secrets about her past and struggles to embrace her destiny.

** For a chance to win an eCopy of The Other Slipper, please visit Colorimetry's review and interview! **

          A very unique take on the Cinderella story that spins off in an unexpected direction. Cinderella, or Ella, is only a background character that disappears almost completely from the plot as the story goes on--and this is just fine. They story is about "the other slipper" after all. What if Cinderella lost, not only the slipper on the steps of the palace, but also the other slipper on the road as she rushed home?
          The Other Slipper is in part a behind-the-scenes explanation of the glass slippers and Cinderella's fairy godmother (though not so fairy in this version), but more so the story of the girl who finds the other slipper, and her journey to the heart of the mess that started the whole fairy tale in the first place.
          The pacing in this story is slow overall with many sentences and scenes that could have been made more concise to move the story along. I found myself frustrated with the main character's personality and internal dialogue. She complains often and she didn't feel consistent to me in her emotions and actions. The point of view is third person, past tense, with the sense that it should be limited to the main character, but it jumps into the heads of many other characters with no transition or warning. ((I think things like this stand out to me because I've been to so many writing workshops!))
          Aside from these things, the story line is clever and there are mysteries woven throughout which I was curious to see revealed. The conclusion is unexpected and really throws the doors open to the original fairy tale, and likewise, instills a great "what-if" of wonderment toward other traditional tales.

Places to visit Kenechi:

* Blog
* Facebook
* Goodreads