I had no idea when I received this book that it would fall so directly in my wheelhouse, not knowing the title before agreeing to do this review. I was pleasantly surprised and became increasingly excited, when I opened the email and saw the name of the book. Fury: A Cinderella Story by David Allen. This book was an entertaining and fun re-interpretation of the classic Cinderella fairy tale.

From the very first page, the author established that this story was not going to be the traditional fairy tale re-imagined. He infused the protagonist “Cindy” with modern, relatable characteristics even while maintaining the name, albeit an abbreviated version. Cindy was believable and vividly written. She embodied the contemporary, professional young woman inclusive of weaknesses.

Like Cindy, the main antagonist, Cooper, was also outstandingly described. In fact, Allen showed a gift for description. His characters, from the main to the minor, were beautifully crafted, relatable, believable and their motivations succinctly presented. Allen also kept them consistent throughout the storyline, setting up each character as a stereotype and using that as a vehicle to move along his plot. His flipping of roles and shuffling of loyalties were creative. He didn’t re-invent the wheel, he simply and quite eloquently re-branded it for our current reality by setting up characters that anyone reading this book would be able to identify, as either a relative, friend, co-worker, acquaintance or celebrity. In so doing, Allen was able to hone in on the very purpose of these fairy tales, to give a more fantastical version of everyday life.

While Allen used the primary plot of Cinderella as his base, he also seamlessly incorporated the first part of Dante’s epic poem Divine Comedy: “Inferno”. The story of Cinderella formed the structure and provided the characters, Inferno decorated and provided the flourishes through the consequences for the characters as it was used to establish the setting. Allen, again, showed great skill and knowledge in his description of each location where the action took place. He weaved together two classics to present modern, ‘hot topic’ themes with a contemporary conclusion akin to revenge horror films such as “I Spit on your Grave” or “Last Night in Soho” or “Carrie”. Allen was able to introduce the ‘horror’ alongside traditional tropes in a way that was authentic to the storytelling, thereby presenting a three-fold approach that was intriguing and immersive.

Fury: A Cinderella Story explored themes of Privilege, Trauma and PTSD, Mental Health and Imposter Syndrome, Toxic Masculinity and Identity, Female Empowerment and Friendship, Loyalty and Accountability, (I know that’s a mouthful), in a nuanced, non-judgmental way that didn’t weigh down the narrative. Again, Allen showed great ability in being able to address all these topics without it diluting the entertainment of the story. I will say though that as these themes are all relevant and heavily explored in current society, as such the plot was fairly predictable, especially for those with some knowledge of the classics Allen used as inspiration. Notwithstanding, the conclusion was still satisfying and inventive.

That said, I will acknowledge that there were a few challenges when reading, but not enough that it dampened my enthusiasm for this book. There were typos and some grammar hiccups which can be easily remedied with a more in-depth read before publication, such as using Miss Hildebrand for Joan when she’s a widow with children, so she should be addressed as Mrs. Also, some misspelling of names, Ronnie was called Donnie at times and Father Louise (I would double check that, imo it should be Father Louis or Father Luis) the spelling used was distracting and somewhat confusing. There were also a couple places where more explanation should have been given for plausibility, namely how the keys for Cindy’s car were retrieved and Ronnie being in underwear, and it never mentioned he got dressed before launching into activity, as well as a few other inconsistencies with walking or driving between places. Regardless of these minor infractions, which I believe could be easily remedied with a more detailed re-read prior to printing.

I think this book is entertaining, well-paced and thought provoking. Fury: A Cinderella Story was intriguing enough to captivate a new audience with enough tradition blended with modern flair for the more mature reader. With this book, I think that David Allen has shown himself to be a true storyteller and a promising new voice! I look forward to what he does next.                  

Pros:

• Relevant, contemporary themes of Female Empowerment, Trauma, Victim Blaming and PTSD, Toxic Masculinity, Privilege, Identity and Self Confidence, Imposter Syndrome and Mental Health explored in a non-judgmental, preachy way
• The blended use of Classic Fairytale “Cinderella”, Classic poetry “Dante’s Inferno” and Cult Horror “I spit on your grave” was seamless and creative. A true Tri-brid.
• Character development and arcs are relatable and believable
• Well-paced and credible, descriptive storytelling, even though the storyline and sequence of events were somewhat predictable
• Entertaining and quick read with some laugh out loud moments and jaw dropping surprises

Cons:

• Small grammatical errors and typos can slow reading. Text would benefit from being tightened in these areas, as it can take the reader out of the story
• Plot was predictable as the idea for the plot borrows from other known sources so the core audience for this novel would be somewhat familiar with the turn of events

Favourite Characters:

• Anna and Jay – loyal and likeable
• Ronnie – unapologetically authentically described, relatable and believable
• Lucas – just because he was fabulously written even in a minor capacity

Lesson of the Book:

Quite a few actually, it is a fairy tale…

• Don’t judge a book by its cover
• Take accountability
• Every action comes with consequences
• Privilege doesn’t excuse bad behaviour

Cover Score: 7.7/1o

Book Score: 7.9 / 10

Open on Goodreads // Author’s Twitter

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