A murdered young woman embodies her family home in Cinder House, a queer gothic novella by Freya Marske (A Marvellous Light) that retells "Cinderella." After her stepmother poisons Ella and her father, Ella finds her spirit attached to the gloomy house she grew up in. Her stepfamily quickly discovers that Ella feels pain caused by damage to the building and they use this to force her to perform household labor for years. Even in death, Ella has no choice but to continue her miserable, lonely existence.
One night, a tile falls from the roof and Ella finds that she can use it to extend her tether. She meets a fairy in town with whom she strikes up an acquaintance and, eventually, a bargain. For three nights, she will be able to attend the prince's ball. There she meets the prince, a young man with a curse of his own.
Marske's setting does much of the work here; the house, Ella's nighttime excursions, and literal skeletons in the closet intensify the mood. Marske's characterizations deserve praise as well, however. Ella's relatives are villainous in distinct ways, illustrating how one need not take an active role in torment to cause it and how the same person can be both victim and perpetrator. The unconventional romance and ending may not be what readers expect, but Marske doesn't take any shortcuts along the way to resolving the seemingly insurmountable obstacles she places before her characters.
This novella is perfect for readers who enjoy T. Kingfisher's dark fairytale fiction and crave inventive, hard-won happily-ever-afters. --Suzanne Krohn, librarian