The Cinderella Theorem by Kristee Ravan Pages: 369
Published by Createspace Independent Pub on March 17, 2014
Series: The Lily Sparrow Chronicles #1
Genres: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Source: Paperback from Author
Fairy tales are naturally non-mathematical. That is a fact, and fifteen-year-old Lily Sparrow loves factual, mathematical logic. So when her mother confesses that Lily’s deceased father is (a) not dead, (b) coming to dinner, and (c) the ruler of a fairy tale kingdom accessible through the upstairs bathtub, Lily clings to her math to help her make sense of this new double life (1 life in the real world + 1 secret life in the fairy tale world = a double life).
Even though it’s not mathematical, Lily finds herself being pulled into a mystery involving an unhappy Cinderella, a greasy sycophant called Levi, and a slew of vanishing fairy tale characters. Racing against the clock, with a sound mathematical plan, Lily attempts to save her fairy tale friends while proving that normality = happiness.
The Cinderella Theorem overall was a really great read. I had a few small issues with the book early, but they were minor things and I am so glad that I didn’t let them get in the way of enjoying the story, because this was a book that just kept getting better and better. I loved the concept of the story and the main character, Lily was a delight. Lily loves math, she likes logic and she likes being able to get the same answer every time she does the same problem. I loved her commentary throughout the story, told through math equations and footnotes. It was so funny.
Lily Sparrow is just a normal high school student when she comes home on her 15th birthday to find out that her dad is not dead like she thought, but rather the ruler of a magical land where all fairy tale characters go to live out their “happily ever after”. A cool concept but it was in this initial phase that I had a couple of minor problems. First up, Lily’s mom. Her mom is very nice and it is easy to see that she really cares for her daughter, but her flippant almost ditzy way that she dealt with telling Lily this crazy magical story was annoying. She didn’t want to explain everything, she just expected her daughter to be fine with dead dad showing up out of no where, in her bathtub no less. And then she expected her to automatically understand all the crazy magical ins and outs of the land with no questions asked. Her dad was more understanding about the whole thing. The other small issue I had, was that I wasn’t crazy about the name for the land. But other than that, I really loved the book.
The plot revolved around the happiness levels of the characters. Since each fairy tale character was supposed to live out their HEA, if they became truly sad they were in danger of disappearing. And if all characters in a story disappeared, then the story also disappeared from our world’s records. When characters start disappearing left and right, Lily has to get to the bottom of it. I loved it. Mostly because Lily. She was such a treat for me. I loved her voice in the story. I hope the next book is done in the same fashion, with her math equations and footnote commentary throughout. That was my favorite. There was only a tiny hint at a romance to come, one that I hope is explored more in the next book. I can’t wait to discover more Lily Sparrow!
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below
Note: This giveaway is NOT sponsored by Book Briefs. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below
Have you entered these awesome giveaways?
Click on the banners to enter
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Cora @ Tea Party Princess
Oh, that looks SO interesting.
Cora @ Tea Party Princess
Librarian Lavender
Yes, that would be great!
kindlemom1
I love books that you almost give up on and then they really surprise you. Glad you stuck with this one and thanks for the giveaway!!
Jenna O
Yes, that would be fantastic!
Manon
Yeah! That’s so awesome!
Berls @ Fantasy is More Fun
This sounds like cute fun! I’m not a math fan myself, but I can see it being an interesting perspective to tell a story like this from. Logic meets impossible. Mom sounds a bit ridiculous, thinking her daughter would just get and accept this craziness, but otherwise, I think I would enjoy this. Great review 🙂
Daniel M
maybe, depends what kind