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Cinder House
by Freya Marske
Why Read This?The one-sentence sell. What do you get for showing up to this book, even when it's hard?
A Cinderella retelling where the ghost IS the house — Gothic yearning, queer poly love, and prose that aches with longing.
Synopsis
Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske —a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher. Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters. Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died. Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched . You think you know Ella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince. You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong. Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this debut novella from "the queen of romantic fantasy" ( Polygon ). At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At a Glance
3.82 ★ GoodreadsTop TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.
MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.
Book Details
Goodreads RatingThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.
3.82 ★
Page CountHow long the commitment is.
144 pages
PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.
2025
Primary GenreWhat type of book this is. Romance? Fantasy? A 400-page therapy session disguised as a thriller?
Gothic Romance
PairingWho's falling in love? The gender makeup of your main romance. Helps you find your specific flavor of love story.
POLYAMOROUS / MULTI-PARTNER
POVWhose head are you in? First person = deep in the feels. Third = watching from above. Dual = emotional whiplash (affectionate).
Third Person
Romance PacingHow long until they kiss? Slow burn = 300 pages of tension. Insta-love = page 12 and it's already chaos.
Medium Burn
CliffhangerEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.
spoiler
AudiobookCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.
AvailableCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.
Yes
FormatHow fancy is the audio? Standard = one narrator. Full cast = theater kids went off. GraphicAudio = a MoViE iN yOuR mInD.
Single Narrator
NarratorThe voice in your ears.
Anna Burnett
TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.
Mood & Vibe
MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.
FMC: survivor sign in to unlock
Three brief but clear scenes, two surprisingly kinky. Arousal filtered through Ella's ghostly experience of being the house — sensory details like footsteps on carpet feel electric. sign in to unlock
gothic sign in to unlock
cathartic release sign in to unlock
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