"The Captive Maiden" by Brooke Duran
Ella Eccles is unhappy. Shivering cold as she lay in her bed, she is too afraid to simply get up and light the fire because she has recently been scolded for doing things that servants are supposed to do (not princesses). New to the castle rules and norms, Ella is having great trouble adjusting to her never-to-be-foreseen role as a princess. In this wonderful continuation of the classic Cinderella story, author Brooke Duran concocts up a heroine who has gotten exactly what she wants, though not by the supposed intervention of a fairy godmother's magic, but by taking full control of her very own destiny. However, trouble seems always to follow her, since it is still with her, even at the palace. Even though all of Ella's dreams are coming true, Ella is starting to have some doubts about whatever "happily ever after" truly means. The Captive Maiden offers young adult readers a contemporary take on one of the most well-known tales of all time. Let this story ...