The Step Sister Scheme

The Step Sister Scheme

Jim C. Hines

Daw Books (2009)

344 pages


Introduction

The Step Sister Scheme is the first book in a series that revealed what cynical grown-ups always knew: life is never a fairy tale. Cinderella has just married her prince charming, but life after marriage is not at all a smooth journey. Her step sisters has launched a revenge plot that results in the prince being kidnapped and squirreled away in Fairy Town, the realm of the Fairies. Pregnant with the prince's child, Cinderella, whose real name is actually Danielle, sets off to rescue her one true love with the help of – wait for it – Snow White, a mirror mage with first class flirting instincts and Talia, a fairy-blessed, martial arts expert who is really Sleeping Beauty. Familiar villains abound and a few surprising twists springing up now and then, Cinders has to rely on her new companions and her furry and feathered friends to get back that "happily ever after" the Grimm brothers promised her.

Review

I love retellings and it is often difficult to find someone who does retellings well, much less someone who can do an engaging parody the way Hines does it. In The Step Sister Scheme, Hines gives familiar classics a dry sense of humour interspersed with dark realism, while placing a fresh (and often sinister) lens on some of the plot loopholes that we have conveniently overlooked in the rose-tinted Disney versions of these fairy tales. While the book is clearly meant more for light entertainment, it is not a simple fanciful romp through fairy tale land – Hines went out of his way to make this a relatively intelligent read. Not only does he do his research into the origins of these fairy tales, he also provides some room for thought and will probably give feminists a field day. Being a natural dork, I appreciate the fact that Hines has chosen the Grimm Brother's version of Cinderella, Aschenputtel, as his source story. The plot is fast moving and well-paced, leaving no room for the reader to put the book down once past the first chapter.

Above all, Hines has made Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty a lot more likeable and believable than their original namesakes. No more damsels in disguise depending on magic and the goodwill of some external forces, these ladies are fantastic heroines with functional brains and wits of their own. Nor are they one-dimensional archetypes: these women have to grapple with their respective pasts and moral dilemmas and in the process, make some choices with such a cavalier attitude that that their princess-y predecessors would be tearing their beautiful tresses out six feet under. There may be some complaints about how Hines give each of these princesses specific personality traits that border on being stereotypes, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt since this is but the first in the series.

If I have a complaint, it would be Hines' treatment of secondary and particularly villainous characters. Just as all the fairy tales, these characters remain underdeveloped and come across as the singular archetypes that the good guys are not. The only exception was Danielle's stepsister, Charlotte, who could have been a tad more interesting if there was enough air time. Randomly, does anyone share my fascination with the fact that the princes in these fairy tales are really the most token characters? They are there just for the kiss – how's that for objectification?

Magnus opus this is not, but boy, it is a delightful and highly engaging read. I am waiting impatiently for my book dealer to give me the next book.

Final verdict

Take this book for what it is – an entertaining trade paperback. Do not expect grand themes and complex characters. Think Hollywood's spring vacation movie offerings, and you are good to go.

Rating: 4