We Kept Her in the Cellar: a Lovecraftian Cinderella retelling.
“She’s one of those things that festers in the dark.”
Retellings of classic fairytales have become commonplace. Take a popular story, twist it to fit into a specific genre, or tell it from a different character’s perspective. Published in September 2024, W. R. Gorman’s debut novel, We Kept Her in the Cellar is no different. Here we encounter the story of Cinderella, but this is definitely not the kind and mistreated princess we’ve come to know. No, Gorman’s Cinderella is a barely human, Lovecraftian creation, complete with tentacles and a penchant for the macabre.
The Plot.
We Kept Her in the Cellar is a dark retelling of Cinderella, narrated by the envious stepsister, Eunice. The story begins with Eunice, her mother, and her younger sister, Hortense, living a comfortable life on a decaying estate. Financial troubles force her mother to marry the wealthy Mr. Fitzwilliam, who brings with him his mysterious and disturbing daughter, Cinderella.
Upon Cinderella’s arrival, a strange incident occurs, leaving Hortense injured. As the truth about Cinderella’s monstrous nature and the dangerous rules necessary for survival are revealed, Eunice finds herself trapped in a horrifying nightmare.
Skip forward seven years and we encounter Eunice, who has spent much of the past years providing care for Cinderella and acting as a buffer between her sisters. Enter the Prince and upcoming the ball, add to this Cinderella’s escape the night of the party and we have a hell of a grisly mess.
Highlights.
Cinderella as an eldritch being is a great concept and one that makes sense when you consider the original fairytale’s main character’s ability to speak to mice, her sleeping in the cellar, the perceived cruelty of her stepmother and sisters, and the necessity of being home before midnight. Gorman has convincingly flipped these well-known plot points, twisting them to suit her story.
Drawbacks.
We Kept Her in the Cellar is Gorman’s debut novel and unfortunately the author’s inexperience is obvious. The writing is mediocre at best. The writing is often repetitive, with the same ideas expressed in multiple, similar sentences. Additionally, the excessive repetition of words within close proximity is difficult to ignore. This can add a stylistic, rhythmic quality to prose if executed by a strong writer, here though it becomes distracting. The dialogue, too, suffers from a lack of focus. It is often meandering into unnecessary tangents that fail to enhance the narrative or character development.
Despite enjoying the unfolding of the plot, the relationship between the Prince and Eunice is underdeveloped and feels forced. Reading the letters that are passed between the two offers some very cringy exchanges that are far from sounding realistic.
The Final Take.
While We Kept Her in the Cellar presents an intriguing premise and likable characters, the execution falls short. The writing style is unfortunately difficult to navigate, making it challenging to fully engage with the story. Had I not been reviewing the book, I doubt I would have persevered to the end.
(2 / 5)
Book Reviews
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.
“What have you done today to deserve your eyes?”
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes, Eric LaRocca’s June 2021 debut collection, is a dark and disturbing exploration of human connection and the desperation for intimacy. These stories burrow under the skin, blending psychological horror sprinklings of body horror and a disturbing undercurrent of religious obsession.
The Stories.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes features a novella followed by two short stories.
‘Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.’
Presented as a true crime investigation and told through a series of increasingly disturbing emails and instant messages,Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke charts the twisted relationship between Agnes and Zoe. What begins with the sale of an heirloom apple peeler quickly spirals into obsession, control, and unsettling discussions about life, death, and dominance. Winner of the 2022 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novella.
‘The Enchantment.’
Set in our world, but where the afterlife has been proven to not exist. A couple (Olive and James) welcomes their teenage son Milo home, eager to celebrate his 17th birthday. Milo, a highly religious person, is in no mood to celebrate. Milo is convinced that science is wrong, God exists, and he is willing to go to great lengths to prove his devotion.
‘You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over.
Gerald Fowler’s garden discovery—a bone—leads him to his mysterious neighbor, Mr. Perlzig. A seemingly simple question about the bone’s origins quickly devolves into a series of escalating bets that Gerald can’t seem to lose, with darkly comedic and increasingly unsettling consequences. What lengths is Mr. Fowler willing to go to to ensure he remains a polite neighbor?
- Audible Audiobook
- Eric LaRocca (Author) – Laurie Catherine Winkel (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update on 2025-02-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Highlights.
The main highlight in this collection was the first story, ‘Things Have Gotten Worse Since We last Spoke’. This story felt like a rollercoaster and it ended with me wanting more. The body horror toward the end was so well written, LaRocca doesn’t resort to drawn-out bloody descriptions or visceral language, the body horror here feels more mature than that. It is slight cramping and nausea and knowing the cause and how it’s all going to end. Also please pay attention to the nuances of who enters and leaves the chats first and how quickly (or slowly) emails are returned. It is in these details that LaRocco shines, you can feel the desperation oozing from the page.
‘You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over’ is Stephen King-esque; for me, that’s a big win! I’m not sure what it is exactly, perhaps it is Mr. Fowler who feels he could walk into Castle Rock, in particular of the Needful Things era, and not be noticed, or maybe it’s the Americana feel of the story itself. There’s just something there that makes me want to pick up anything of King’s and reread it.
- Audible Audiobook
- Stephen King (Author) – Stephen King (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update on 2025-02-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Drawbacks.
Notice how I skipped a story in the ‘Highlights’ section. Let’s talk about ‘The Enchantment’. Look, I didn’t hate it. It just felt disjointed and unfinished. Like LaRocca had a great idea but perhaps had some trouble with the execution. The first scene was great and I was ready to completely enjoy it. The characters are so well developed in this first scene, the parental angst and the teen anger are palpable. But then there is the ‘Six Months Later’ jump and we are thrown onto Temple Island. Despite the parents being there, they are not the same people and I didn’t completely buy the reason for them being there, or being there together. The stranger who appears and the reason behind it feels contrived and enters into deus ex machina territory.
The Final Take.
This collection has much to offer, with the eponymous novella being the strongest of the three in my humble opinion. While ‘The Enchantment’ is less impactful, it does contribute to the book’s exploration of religious ideas and provides a thematic bridge between the other stories. Might someone skip who feels inclined to do so? Yes, I think they could without missing out on too much.
(3.5 / 5)
Ever wonder what would happen if a witch, a mythological dreamscape, and a kitchen disaster collided at full speed? Jennifer Weigel’s Let’s Do Lunch (Witch Hayzelle’s Recipes for Disaster Book 1) doesn’t just answer that question—it serves it up on a flaming silver platter with a side of snarky humor and alliterative goodness.
This fast-paced, genre-blending novella is part mythological adventure, part obsessive investigation (Moby Dick style), and part cookbook. Yes, you read that right. The book sprinkles in recipes—some of which might be surprisingly edible (looking at you, tofu dish). I think the mix of this worked really well. At times, and this might be because of my background, I thought that the book was pushing into Gargantuan territory and then it slipped back into a real recipe.
Where Let’s Do Lunch really shines is in its world-building. The mythology of dreams is an intriguing and immersive element that keeps the story grounded in a unique and whimsical lore. The characters, while more like vehicles for humor than deep personalities, fit well within the book’s quick and quirky style. There’s also a delightful meta-layer to the storytelling, making it feel self-aware in the best possible way.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Weigel, Jennifer (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update on 2025-01-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Another thing that worked really well, even on Kindle, is the art the author produces. The drawings really do make a lot of the book pop and work remarkably well in black and white (or paperwhite, as the case may be). Even the cover is a mix of void space set aside by white–the creation of art through erasure of darkness.
Kindle Caveat:
One small hiccup–if you’re reading the Kindle version, be prepared for footnotes that don’t always play nice with e-readers. They can be tricky to navigate, making it tough to appreciate some of the book’s side notes without breaking the flow. This is something the publisher seems to agree with (as the amazon page has a similar warning).
Overall and Score
Overall, Let’s Do Lunch is a light, fun read perfect for anyone who enjoys their fantasy with a heavy dose of humor and a sprinkle of culinary catastrophe. If the rest of the Recipes for Disaster series keeps up this level of playful mayhem, fans are in for a treat (or at least a hilarious food-related accident).
(4 / 5)
“It’s the thing they say about Tome. Everyone returns in the end-“
Lucy Foley’s 7th and newest page-turner was released in June 2024. The Midnight Feast, demonstrates to readers why her name keeps appearing on the New York Times best sellers list. Blending a mystery/ thriller story with folkloric horror, Foley had me sitting up past my bedtime and considering moving Tome.
- Audible Audiobook
- Lucy Foley (Author) – Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update on 2025-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Plot.
The Manor, an exclusive retreat nestled deep within the woods, opens its doors on a weekend of glitzy chaos. Founder Francesca Meadows, is the picture of serene wellness. A meditating, green juice-drinking, organic linen-wearing type, at least on the surface. The Manor was left to her by her Grandfa (no this is not a typo!) and she summered here as a teen.
Francesca is rather stressed because it is opening night and the construction is still in progress. The next stage in the renovation is the building of treehouses for guests to stay in. Inspired by one that Francesca had as a child. However, this means cutting down trees in the woods. Though this part of the woods is technically private property the locals are not happy, and neither are the strange bird-like creatures in the woods. These are Elder trees after all, and cutting them down would be bad luck without asking the trees’ permission first…
As a diverse cast descends upon The Manor, each harboring concealed pasts, the idyllic facade begins to crumble. Locals, masquerading as glamorous outsiders, mingle with the elite, revealing a web of interconnected secrets and unspoken resentments.
Beneath the veneer of tranquility lies a simmering undercurrent of tension, fueled by unspoken desires, long-buried grudges, and the unsettling feeling that everyone, in their own way, is seeking redemption at The Manor.
Highlights.
The Midnight Feast brims with subtle and insightful social commentary. One of the most compelling aspects is Foley’s ingenious portrayal of the affluent imitating the pagan, and vice versa. The elite, led by Francesca Meadows, strive to embrace “natural living” with white robes, floral headpieces, and a veneer of eco-consciousness. Ironically, they are aping the very rituals of the local townsfolk, who hold deep-rooted pagan beliefs. Meanwhile, these locals are donning formal attire and dropping their accents to navigate the social circles of The Manor. This fascinating dynamic, presented with understated humor, highlights the performative nature of social identity and the blurred lines between genuine connection and superficial imitation.
On a more profound level, Foley grapples with the complex issue of land ownership and the historical injustices it can perpetuate. Francesca Meadows, with her inherited wealth and privileged position, asserts absolute dominion over the land. She views it as her exclusive domain. She attempts to restrict access to the woods, a vital thoroughfare for the local community, sparking a conflict that raises important questions about land rights, historical dispossession, and the inherent unfairness of a system that allows a few to claim ownership over land that has been traditionally used and revered by others for generations.
Drawbacks.
My only criticism of this book is for something Foley is known for doing; 5+ points of view. There’s Bella, Owen, Francesca, Eddie, DI Walker, and local fishermen, then add to this journal entries from the summer of 2010 and it really does feel like you are drowning in the beginning. Despite this overwhelm, as you become more familiar with the characters it becomes easier to follow. Foley is excellent at making her characters’ voices distinct from one another. So much so that you almost don’t need the names at the top of the chapters. But buyer beware.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Foley, Lucy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update on 2025-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Final Take.
Having thoroughly enjoyed all of Foley’s novels that I’ve read, I can confidently say that The Midnight Feast is a standout. The seamless integration of folkloric elements – a personal favorite – truly elevates the narrative. From the enigmatic markings to the otherworldly creatures lurking within the forest and the intriguing use of solstice as chapter markers, Foley masterfully weaves a captivating and atmospheric tale that kept me utterly engrossed. This is a true page-turner that I wholeheartedly recommend.
(5 / 5)
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