Review: Ashe and the Glass Sword

Ashe and the Glass Sword

Twisted Fairytales #7

by KuroKoneko Kamen

A genderbent retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella…

A handsome, mysterious lord with silver hair and golden eyes has created quite the stir in Glass Kingdom among the female populace. They’ve granted this man the nickname of ‘Heartbreaker of Glass Kingdom’ due to the fact that he never sleeps with his conquests more than once.

One night while Ashe Smoldris is at a casino an eccentric young woman wearing a unicorn mask appears, and gets into trouble when she plays a game of poker in one of the backrooms and loses. When it turns out the girl doesn’t have the money with her to pay off her debt she almost gets herself sold off as a slave.

In a strange twist of fate Ashe unwittingly ends up saving the princess of Glass Kingdom. Because of his daring rescue Juleka falls in love with Ashe, and starts to watch over him from the shadows. After Juleka saves Ashe from the clutches of the seductress Lady Doriana Gray, Ashe begins to develop tentative feelings for Juleka, but the dark secrets she’s been keeping from him put their bourgeoning love to the test.

Even though Ashe presents himself at the casinos in Glass City as a wealthy lord his true identity is that he’s a slave. His mother sold Ashe to the nefarious loan shark Lord Christian Tremaine to settle her gambling debt. In order to buy his freedom back from Lord Tremaine and his sadistic sons, who enjoy torturing Ashe for imagined slights, he has been whoring himself out to noblewomen.

But what Ashe really wants to be doing is to fight in the coliseum. Nobles bet on the outcome of the matches, and the winner makes a lot of money. Unfortunately, Ashe is a dullard – someone who has been born without magic, and the magical races fight in the coliseum. If Ashe is to stand a chance in the arena against elves, witches, fairies and vampires he’s going to need an enchanted sword.

Ashe teams up with playboy prince Snow Flurris and they travel to Bones Kingdom in search of Rapunzel’s Tower. Rapunzel is the best blacksmith in all of Fantasia. Will Ashe manage to convince the stoic man to forge him an enchanted sword for free?

Warning: This is a fairytale for adults (18+) and contains sex and foul language.

REVIEW

5 out of 5

How different would the story be if Cinderella wasn’t a girl waiting for her prince, but a guy, and instead of a glass slipper, there’s a glass sword in play? Step into Kamen’s imaginative genderbent retelling to find out! I love that other tales were woven into this one, and I can’t wait to read the stories of Rapunzel and Prince Snow in the future. Although you can see the inspiration for the story slip through, this is a unique reimagining of the tale of Cinderella. I love that Ashe wants nothing more than to fight in the coliseum, against those with plenty of innate magic. Watching him interact with everyone, and seeing the different personalities at play added depth to the story. There was plenty of tension start to finish, and while Ashe may have been selling his body to try and escape his life of slavery, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys retellings with a twist!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KuroKoneko Kamen is the bestselling author of the scintillating Demons and Judges paranormal romance series – Wicked Bartender, Incubus Chocolatier, Hollywood Merman, Druid Vampire, Highlander Hellcat, Vampire Punk and Galactic Goth – where the true love of a Judge has the power to redeem a Demon or Vampire of their sins. With a degree in English literature and experiences gained through worldwide travel under her belt, she excels in world building and creating unforgettable characters. Due to her Japanese heritage she’s always possessed an interest in Japanese culture from ancient folktales about yokai, demons, to modern fantasy anime and manga. Even when in the midst of a swashbuckling pirate novel expect a samurai warrior to be thrown into the mix. Keeping her company as she writes are her several dogs and cats, some of which are rescues.

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Twisted Fairytales Collection