Cinderella has been done so many times and so many different ways that it can get kind of old after a while.

There are some pretty cool things that Malinda Lo does different though which is enough to make it fresh. To me at least.

The best part of the story to me was the obsessive love is not True Love message. Which please don't get me wrong I actually liked Twilight but as a one time deal kind of thing. Not as a 'now every teen book must contain a love triangle wherein the girl will be followed and the object of unyielding attention which is a good thing because omg LOVE'

Also real fairies.

Also Malindo Lo creates her own mythology with the Huntress, (also the name of her prequel which was pretty good)

On many levels it's a Cinderella story yes. But on a deeper level it shows a girl suffering from loss, depression and abuse and how love, the giving of it and the receiving, can save a life. End of cliche gushing. It's an awesome book and you should read it right away.