#Review: ALWAYS IVETTE by Sydney Winward

 

3.5 of 5 stars

I've read other stories from Ms. Winward and thoroughly enjoyed them, and was looking forward to reading this one. It's a loose retelling of the fairytale 'Cinderella,' although without the evil stepmother or stepsisters. Miss Ivette Danvers finds herself in charge of her four younger sisters when her father takes off with the loan money, leaving them struggling to get through each day. Ivette does the best she can, but repayment of the loans is coming due, and soon they'll be evicted from their small farm. I liked Ivette's conviction to take care of their little family, but she can only do so much, and she tries hard not to let despair overwhelm her. It's a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders, but her sweet and generous spirit endears her to everyone she knows.

Lord Barnaby Mavis is on a quest to find the Danvers' farm. It isn't clear if he's the villain, going to collect the money owed on the loan or forgive it. When he's caught in a ferocious storm and thrown from his horse, he crashes through a fence and down a cliff, coming to rest in the field of the Danvers' farm. I wished the author had explained a bit more of Barnaby's mission through his internal dialogue before his fall and subsequent amnesia. It would have given me a different perspective of his character. The author does a great job of describing the effects of panic attacks that made Barnaby more relatable.

I also would have liked a bit more world-building in the story because while it was clear Barnaby was from another kingdom, it was never explained where Ivette and her family lived. Also, there was one subplot of the story that made no sense to me, that of Barnaby's friend stealing sheep from the Danvers' farm. What did that have to do with the story? It only added more despair for Ivette to lose any of her wool-producing sheep.

Once Ms. Winward returned to the basics of the fairytale plot of  'Cinderella,' I really loved the part that Barnaby's mother played in the story organizing the ball for all the fair maidens, both noble and commoner. Once again, Ivette shows her indomitable spirit, trying to make her dreams come true with the man she loves. The only real obstacle she faces is figuring out exactly where to look for Barnaby, but it seems Barnaby's mother had a way to resolve that issue as well.

The story is a quick read (less than 200 pages), although, with a bit more expansion of the story, I think it could have been a much more enjoyable read. I enjoy Ms. Winwood's writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy provided by N.N. Light Book Heaven, and all opinions are my own.