Cinder House

Name: Cinder House
Brand: Macmillan Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Freya Marske
ISBN: 9781250417893

Author: Freya Marske

Narrator: Anna Burnett

Unabridged: 4 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Published: 10/07/2025

Categories: Fiction, Fairy Tales & Legends, Fantasy, Romance, Lgbtq+

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.

“[Narrator Anna] Burnett's portrayal of [Ella’s] longing and frustration is heartrending... [her] performance is stunning.” — AudioFile

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).

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor.com

About Freya Marske

Freya Marske is a USA Today bestselling author and has been nominated for two Hugo Awards. Her books include Swordcrossed, Cinder House, and A Marvellous Light, which was an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novel Award for Fantasy. She lives in Australia.

Reviews

Goodreads review by jenny reads a lot on November 05, 2025

A unique and fresh Cinderella reimagining with a haunting and queer twist. This novella packs a punch! I’m actually shocked it was only 144 pages! It feels so fleshed out and never lacking in depth of characters or story. Whats to love… - short, quick read and fabulous on audio - a fresh reimagining......more

Goodreads review by Robin on October 27, 2025

House ghost, but literally. When her father was poisoned, sixteen year old Ella should have inherited everything, had she not promptly fallen down the stairs to her death. But Ella remained as a haunting, a ghost tethered to the house just corporeal enough to become her stepmother’s personal maid. A......more

Goodreads review by brittany:) on September 08, 2025

Hoping to get this done in one sitting, it’s a quick, sapphic, gothic Cinderella retelling✨🖤🏯👻......more

Goodreads review by Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ on September 15, 2025

An extremely unique Cinderella retelling that combines haunting and ballet. Ella’s father died of the poison in his tea and she died soon after only to become the house’s ghost to obey every order of her step-mother and step-sisters. She was a girl, she was Ella, she was not just the potential for h......more

Goodreads review by CarlysGrowingTBR on June 26, 2025

A queer reimagining of Cinderella that puts a unique spin on the tale while keeping it unique and fresh as its own story. Book Stats: 📖: 136 pages Genre: Fantasy Publisher: TorDotCom Format: Physical Arc Series: Standalone Themes: 💫: Female Rage 💫: The power of a grudge 💫: Living with chronic illness an......more

Quotes

“Gorgeous, whimsical, romantic, and bittersweet, Cinder House both whisks you away and holds you over a flame. I was bespelled.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"One of the best retellings I've read! With immersive prose, memorable characters, and a glittering world, Marske has breathed new and fiercely feminist life into the classic Cinderella story. Ella is a heroine who will haunt you forever."—Heather Walter, author of The Crimson Crown

“Compelling characters, a spellbinding haunting and a powerful yearning that transcends death; Cinder House burns for you.” —Lex Croucher, author of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

"Absolutely delightful. One of the most unusual fairy-tale retellings I've seen in a hen's age. I enjoyed it enormously!"—T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author

"Tender and heartfelt... an ideal match not just for lovers of fairy tale retellings but for anyone in the mood for an elegantly written, unconventional love story."—Locus

"Cinderella finds her happily ever afterlife in this sharp, smart addition to the fairy-tale canon."—Kirkus (starred review)

"Rekindles the fire of “Cinderella”...As strong, beautiful, and clever as its heroine. Fans of T. Kingfisher will love it."—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Freya Marske

"Marske writes what I crave most in romantasy: brilliant craft, fresh voice, characters worth obsessing over, and genuine honest-to-god heat."―Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White and Royal Blue

"There's nothing in fantasy or queer romance that Marske can't do."―Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil

"The perfect blend of charm, yearning and romance."―C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Captive Prince, on Swordcrossed

“Freya Marske’s books are something special.”―Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author

"The prose is sublime, the world-building top-notch, and the magic system is fascinating and unique.”―TJ Klune, New York Times bestselling author of The House on the Cerulean Sea, on A Marvellous Light

"Stunning―the writing is lush, the world-building is fascinating, and the romance is searing hot. I am completely obsessed."―Cat Sebastian, author of The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, on A Power Unbound

“Delightful and spicy . . . Marske is simply superb at her chosen genres.”―The New York Times on the Last Binding trilogy