The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

The Cinderella Society invites Jess Parker to join them in their fight against evil - with a glass slipper, of course. You've met some of The Wickeds before; they're the girls at your high school, usually part of a clique, who are snobby, mean, and bully others to get to the top - think the Heathers.* But, here, they're an actual society, blackmailing people to root themselves in upper society. That's where the Cindys come in, and, being strong leaders, they stick up for the rest of the high school students who haven't yet found their voice.

When I first read a summary of the plot, although it sounded very intriguing, I also thought it sounded very unrealistic. I wasn't sure how that would play out - if the intrigue or the lack of realism would win out in the end, like the plot's fight of good vs evil. But the more I kept reading, the more The Cinderella Society became in-depth. And with those details, it began to grow more real. I found myself believing in TCS, which played out like a secret agency, complete with an undercover meeting place, files, and missions. Although it was over-the-top, it never failed to immerse you completely into the Society. It almost felt like you were becoming a Cindy yourself, alongside Jess.

What I really liked about TCS is that Jess wasn't perfect. She made a good amount of bad mistakes, but that's where more of the reality came into the storyline. And another character, Ryan, showed a lot of raw pain that made his character incredibly developed. There were a lot of secondary characters, too - mostly the Cindys - that had distinct personalities. I've said before that I love me some good secondary characters, and Kay Cassidy didn't fail to bring 'em.

I also have to mention the humor. It's subtle, but it's there. And it's funny. Alongside the good writing, it made a much smoother read.

It's a light book, with a great romance, but it also held some depth and pretty strong girl-power messages. It was a very, very quick read, and one that's satisfying.

This is a really early review - it doesn't come out until April 2010 - so be on the lookout for it next year. Oh, and it'll be having a sequel. Score!

Go, tenners, go! Go, Egmont, go!

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*Go rent this, if you haven't already seen it. This is the first movie that made me fall in love with Christian Slater.