Fairytales have this certain comforting charm to them – you have heard them multiple times and yet they don't get old. Needing some comfort myself, I decided to dive head first into fairytales and found that there are still some truths to be had with in the age-old tales. Truths such as kindness is another strength, and knowing your self worth. I found that in the two titles I read, both knowing your self worth and kindness were themes that still shone true, and Cinderella still has some magic left to give.

When I picked up Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly – available to stream as an audiobook or ebook with hoopla digital – I did not expect to be taken to an alternate fate for one of Cinderella's stepsisters. Stepsister lead me through a story of one sister's search for three peices of her heart and ending with a discovery that yes, even women can become warriors, are warriors, and we all have the power to change ourselves. Filled with a different sort of fairy godmother than the one you may know, Stepsister delivers a message of self-love with the notion that physical beauty is not the beauty which should be sought after when compared with inner beauty. In the audiobook version, it feels like the narrator is delivering a fairytale, comforting and magical. She draws you in to this new style of fable. 

Break Your Glass Slippers, also available as an ebook with hoopla digital, is the first in Amanda Lovelace's You Are Your Own Fairytale series. This is a poetic tale that takes you through three stages in the discovery of self-love. Told through the tale of Cinderella, the fairy godmother questions everything, encouraging Cinderella to her to see her worth. In the end, Cinderella may be her own fairy godmother, since she has the strength to love herself completly. It just takes time, dedication, and the knowledge that you are enough.

Right now we all need a little self-love. Why not fall into two stories that are filled with that journey and discover along with the characters your own form of self-love?