A Thank you to BookSirens and the Author for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

Hello Fellow Readers,

I am a huge fan of retellings, So when I saw that this book I knew I wanted to read this, when I saw it was the first book in a series I grew excited. I've never read a science fiction retelling of Cinderella before, and while not my favorite fairy tale by far I still enjoy the twists I read when a author takes a hold of Cinderella's story.

Sieling's Cinderella is pretty different, in Midnight wings her name is El, and is a mechanic dreaming of becoming a jet pilot. El's stepmother, Patricia, and step-siblings, Lonnie and Bree are pretty horrid to El, as to be expected. Patricia is in fact very cruel and you will immediately hate her. The city and social structure of Rove is pretty interesting, I won't go into too much detail but they live on a ship traveling through space.

El and Ri's (Prince Charming) relationship is a bit fast, but with a page length of 128 pages it's hard to really develop or do slow burn. Also, because the short page length the ending did feel rushed. I felt like Sieling was setting up the story where it could go in different directions but ultimately just went for the fastest conclusion.

This book has a lot of surprisingly emotional layers to it, that was only hindered by the short length. Did I like? Yes, but I could have absolutely loved it had it only developed a bit more. We have a main female character dreaming about flying a jet, while also being a mechanic (I personally love any female characters where the author has them in a STEM career or hobby. I will read next book in the series where Jack and the beanstalk will be Sieling's next focus.

Overall, an interesting take on a old classic. ( )

This was a good read. The story itself is fairly short, but it's a fun version of Cinderella that keeps you engaged. The setting is really cool and the characters develop nicely....meaning most of them are more complex that they seemed at first. The writing was good, descriptive, but not so much that the story line was bogged down.
The only complaint I have is that there wasn't enough world building for me. I want to know more about where they are, how they got there and more about how their daily lives look. This is the first in a series, so hopefully we get more in the next book.

Overall, this is definitely a good read! I can't wait to read the next one. ( )

Cinderella novella with a fun sci-fi twist.

Since the death of her father, El has lived with her cruel step-family. Not only do they invent chores and force El to be cook, maid, and repairman, but they also trash El's reputation on the social grid. Given such low stats and the limited space aboard their spaceship-city, El has no hope of moving out on her own. But then the Queen announces a competition to attract the next generation of fighter pilots, and El must decide if she's willing to risk hoping for the impossible.

I liked El and her story, they sit comfortably within the Cinderella framework. The step-sisters are cruel and bratty, and while they're right terrors, I understand why they're like that. I enjoyed the sci-fi setting, and I would read more of El's future adventures of more retellings.

The one place I do think this story missed out was in the descriptions of the space battles. Sure, they're all done via flight simulators, but the image of flying and dodging and spitting off lasers could have been super cool and hype. I'd have loved to see more imagery, and lingo for different types of ships and maneuvers, instead of the generally utilitarian descriptions.

**Thanks to BookSirens for the free copy** ( )

Midnight Wings was a cute retelling of Cinderella. The setting was unique; everyone lived on a spaceship with hundreds of connected pods functioning as towns with 1000 inhabitants, but surrounding the central tower where the queen lived. Eleanor, our Cinderella, had lost all social currency (the status that would enable her to marry, move out, or get a job on her own) because of a mean trick her stepsisters and their friends had played on her. Between working at the local mechanic shop and cooking and cleaning for her stepmother and stepsisters, El's only escape was to the greenhouse with its beautiful flowers and clear view of the stars. But when she meets a mysterious stranger there, her fate begins to change. She finds new courage, friends she didn't know she had, and a chance to do something she never imagined was possible. The fairy godmother twist was great and the prince was so much better than in the fairy tale. I look forward to seeing where the next book in the series takes us.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )