Book Title: Fishbone Cinderella
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Date Started: May 30th 2026
Date Completed: June 23rd 2026
Genres: Historical, Fantasy
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Star
Final Rating: Three Stars
Review:
◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆
I've been a big fan of Lim since I first read Six Crimson Cranes, and I'm so excited to see her getting to do different things. Fishbone Cinderella wasn't my favourite, but ultimately just because it didn't feel particularly new or creative. I'm still very much eager to see this author's style and bibliography continue to develop.
The magical realist element of a matriarchal curse could've elevated this book beyond the familiar story (and was, I think, the intention), but its inclusion was a bit peculiar; you'd go through huge chunks forgetting it even exists, and then it would reappear and be working very hard to hold the story together. While magical realism allows flexibility in how present the fantasy elements are in the story until they can provide poetic license, I felt it never comfortably fit in the book, and so didn't give the narrative satisfaction at the end.
Similarly, the perspectives from different generations of women ends up being vital to the resolution, but inconsistent while reading. I almost wish the timeline had jumped about more so that by the end I was attached to all of them, rather than being slightly underwhelmed that what felt like a secondary character completed the narrative.
That being said, I adore the way the book pulls together its plot strings and the timelines, with a good dash of a Chinese fairy tale in there for good measure - it just felt like what came before was just setting that up rather than existing fully realised on its own.
The magical realist element of a matriarchal curse could've elevated this book beyond the familiar story (and was, I think, the intention), but its inclusion was a bit peculiar; you'd go through huge chunks forgetting it even exists, and then it would reappear and be working very hard to hold the story together. While magical realism allows flexibility in how present the fantasy elements are in the story until they can provide poetic license, I felt it never comfortably fit in the book, and so didn't give the narrative satisfaction at the end.
Similarly, the perspectives from different generations of women ends up being vital to the resolution, but inconsistent while reading. I almost wish the timeline had jumped about more so that by the end I was attached to all of them, rather than being slightly underwhelmed that what felt like a secondary character completed the narrative.
That being said, I adore the way the book pulls together its plot strings and the timelines, with a good dash of a Chinese fairy tale in there for good measure - it just felt like what came before was just setting that up rather than existing fully realised on its own.
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