The Cracked Slipper
Stephanie Alexander. Bublish, $14.99 trade
paper (412p) ISBN 978-1-64704-021-5
Alexander’s alluring debut and series
launch reimagines Cinderella’s happily ever
after as a tense, unhappy marriage while
laying plenty of ground for installments to
come. At the Second Sunday ball, Eleanor
Brice attracts the attention of Prince
Gregory Desmarais, much to the annoyance
of her conniving, abusive stepmother,
Imogene. Here ends the fairy tale readers
will recognize, as opinionated Eleanor
struggles to fit in at the palace during her
whirlwind wedding preparations with help
from her gossipy parrot Chou Chou and her
handmaidens. Her marriage grows more
complicated than her engagement as
Gregory’s temper flares and Eleanor learns
he frequents brothels. Eleanor navigates
politics—including a push to strip her
beloved healing witches of their access to
education—and her stepmother’s ongoing
schemes while dealing with her husband’s
inconsistent moods. Through it all, she
relies on Gregory’s best friend, soldier
Dorian Finley, for support. Alexander
writes sensitively about reality falling short
of dreams while leaving open enough ques-
tions regarding Imogene’s machinations
and Dorian and Eleanor’s mutual attraction
to propel a sequel. Alexander does a solid
job of taking a fairy tale and remixing it
with feminist themes and dark edges.
The Mars One Incident
Kelly Curtis. Kelly Curtis, $2.99 e-book
(246p) ISBN 978-1-07-922841-0
Curtis debuts with a competently plotted
but rough-around-the-edges far-future
adventure, the launch of her Unification
series. Alma Hattie Johnson, a newly
minted spaceship captain in the Joint
Confederacy, a governing body that has
banned technology for all but a select few,
defies orders to destroy a ship full of pirates.
As punishment, Alma is sent on what ought
to be a mundane supply run to nearby Mars
One station. But as rival political factions
infiltrate the government, Alma’s politics
and competency are called into question
and she’s again forced to choose between her
orders and her sense of right and wrong.
Curtis moves the plot along quickly, often
at the expense of scene-setting and emo-
tional impact, frequently informing (rather
than showing) how characters are feeling,
and offering interpretations for plot points
that need no explanation. This surface-level
telling hampers what might otherwise be
an immersive space opera. Despite these
limitations, however, the worldbuilding is
engaging and the character dynamics are
capably imagined. Readers willing to look
past this story’s flaws will see plenty of
potential for the series to come.The Mystical Ark:
A Vessel of Blessings
Eileen Patra. BookBaby, $16.95 (324p)
ISBN 978-1-5439-7611-3
Patra depicts in her propulsive debut a
spiritual awakening set off by the discovery
of the Ark of the Covenant. The field study
at archeological dig site Qasr Ibrim did not
go as archaeologist Zak Erdmann had
hoped. The expedition began with strange
accidents resulting in deaths and serious
injuries, and reaches total catastrophe after
unknown assailants attack and kill the
majority of the team members. Zak, Elena,
Josh, and Paul are among the survivors, as
they were in a cave following a map that led
them to the Ark of the Covenant. But
instead of containing the stone tablets of the
Ten Commandments, the Ark pulls them
into a portal, allowing them to experience
the commandments throughout history.
Realizing that the world may not be ready
for this experience, they leave the Ark in the
cave and swear never to mention it to
anyone. However, Elena, feeling a unity
with “the essence of life,” decides to share
her experiences through a gallery exhibition
of paintings, and Paul decides to write a
book about what he’s learned. Zak, less sure
and still searching for answers, keeps asking
questions and uncovers a secret sect of
monks who are determined to protect the
Ark. Fans of religious speculative fiction
will enjoy Patra’s high-action, scripture-
driven thriller.Of Sea and Seed
(The Kerrigan Chronicles #1)
Annie Daylon. McRAC, $13.95 trade paper
(352p) ISBN 978-0-9866980-4-0
Daylon’s talent is apparent in this
engrossing opening to a projected series
about the travails of a Newfoundland
family. In 1915, matriarch Kathleen
Kerrigan’s family is sustained by cod fishing
in the village of Argentia, but when her
three-month-old baby dies, the loss signals
further devastation ahead. Kathleen’s
depression combined with a diagnosis of
consumption forces the family to send her
to a sanatorium. Her 16-year-old son Kevin
deserts the family, leaving eight-year-old
Clara alone with her father, Alphonse, who
has been emotionally devastated by his
combat involvement in WWI (“War can
leave scars on a man... inside scars,” Kevin
explains to Clara). As the narrative shifts
between Kevin, Clara, and Kathleen, the
family suffers through relentless tribula-
tions—death, abuse, infidelity—but it’s
the family secrets that come to light that
might destroy them. Fisherman jargon and
the family’s Irish ancestry add flavor to the
strong imagery (“When the sea can retreat
no farther it pauses, then plunges forward,
from the bottom... it becomes a murderous
mountain of emerald marble”). Intriguing
characterizations and a surprising level of
suspense make this a page-turner.Relatively Sane
Whitney Dineen. 33 Partners, $12.95 trade
paper (354p) ISBN 978-1-09-064332-2
Dineen pulls readers back into the absurd
world of the Masterson family in this side-
splitting sequel to Relatively Normal. Party
planner Cat Masterson moves home from
New York to buy and renovate her family’s
Central Illinois farmhouse and rekindle a
romance with childhood friend Sam. But
Cat has forgotten just how eccentric her
family is, with her mother stashing taxider-
mied animals in the attic, her father
traipsing around in a kilt, and her grand-
mother Nan, the standout, forever finding
fresh, surprising insults to throw around.
To help manage the restoration of the farm,
Cat enlists the Renovation Brothers, the
hunky stars of a reality TV show, but SamBOOKLIFE.COM 79aREVIEWS ®
The following are reviews of self-published titles that have previously appeared in PW
Fiction