It's not easy being the ugly stepsister. Not even when the daughter of your dead stepfather, Syndie, is worked to the bone and you're "lucky." Because I, Ellia, am anything but. Mother hounds me constantly to lose weight. Look nice. Impress the men. And now, I am to woo Prince Calvin, who is holding a ball to find a new bride. And Mother won't listen when I warn her that beautiful and demure Syndie has magic and is plotting our deaths. And once married, Prince Calvin will become a tyrant. To save myself and the kingdom, I must join with a handsome, defecting guard, Jasper. Even if he'll find me ugly. Even if he has secrets of his own. Because the only way to eliminate Calvin is get him and Syndie together before the stroke of midnight. That's when a cursed slipper will reveal their true natures before the kingdom. They deserve each other. But do I deserve Jasper, and will the truth doom me or set me free?