How to Summon a Fairy Godmother: A Laugh-Out-Loud Fairytale What-If

Fairies and Familiars, Book 1

By: Laura J. Mayo

Narrated by: Josie Charles

If a fairy godmother can get one sister into a marriage, getting another out of one should be easy…

Lady Theodosia Balfour has certainly gotten the short end of the stick—her stepsister, the newly crowned Princess Beatrice, is telling everyone in polite society that Theo, her sister, and their mother are evil, wicked, and horrid people who treated her like a slave. Though Theo knows this isn't exactly true, it seems her life is thoroughly ruined by the rumor. With the Balfour family estate on the verge of bankruptcy, Theo's only path forward is a forced betrothal to the Duke of Snowbell, a foul-tempered geezer who wishes only to use her as a brood mare for spare heirs.

Desperate for help, Theo clings to the only thing that might save her: the rumor of a fairy godmother, one that supposedly helped her stepsister secure a prince. After discovering a way to summon a fairy in Beatrice's old room, Theo thinks her prayers have been answered. But the fairy she meets isn't at all what she imagined. Drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly cunning, and slightly devious, Cecily of the Ash Fairies is much more interested in gathering powerful favors and smoking her pipe than providing charitable magic for humans in a bind.

Before she receives magical assistance, Cecily sets Theo to three tasks, seemingly to prove that Theo is a selfless and kind person. Helping her along the way are Cecily's familiars, the flirty human-turned-mockingbird Phineas and the aloof Kasra, a fox shapeshifter who should not be as handsome as he is for someone with such cutting remarks. As Theo works on her tasks, she shockingly finds kinship with the magical creatures she's helping, and starts to wonder if a continued life among her human peers is what she really wants after all.

From debut author Laura J. Mayo comes a hilarious new spin on the Cinderella tale!

©2024 Laura J. Mayo (P)2024 Orbit

Love a good Cinderella retelling!

This is an incredibly well done retelling of Cinderella, especially as it’s from the POV of one of the stepsisters. It’s fun, witty, and full of action; I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

Fun, funny and creative

I loved this story! It was a very creative retelling of the old Cinderella story told from one of the step sister’s point of view. I highly recommend for an excellent, light hearted listen.

Quirky and Fun

Laura has taken the fairytale classic Cinderella and turned it into a magically emotional story about one of the ‘wicked’ step-sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective of Theo and seeing the story through her eyes. Our fairy godmother, Cecily, was fantastically sassy and unorthodox. The narrator was very pleasant to listen to.

A new take on Cinderella

This was a wonderful story and I’ll be impatiently watching for the next book in the series.

Well that was awesome!

Can we make this the cannon Cinderella story? it is much more entertaining and enjoyable than Disney and the OG Brothers Grimm

Fairytale Retelling

If you love fairytale retellings, this book is perfect for you. It is based on the story of Cinderella but is told from the perspectives of one of the stepsisters and the fairy godmother. The narrative explores why one of the sisters, named Beatrice in this book, was so unkind to Cinderella. It also presents a journey of self-discovery for the step-sister. Additionally, we get a glimpse into the backstory of Cinderella and Prince Charming—spoiler alert: they didn’t fall in love in a single night! If you enjoy magical creatures, creative bargains, schemes, and mischief, you will definitely enjoy this book.

The best, the BEST Fae story I have EVER read, hands down!

An absolute delight from start to finish. Theo is sharp and witty, as one of Cinderella's stepsisters should be, but we can also see things from her point of view as the story progresses. Her engagement is a slow, horrifying, entertaining train wreck I kept thinking "how is this going to be topped?? No way??" but NOPE, the author manages! .

The Fairy Cicely (Fairy Godmother) is very much one of the fair folk, requiring gifts and deals. Cicely's two familiars.. well, I like Caz better of the two, but they make sense for having lived so long as fairy familiars. Humans are treated rather roughly most of the time in the Fae realm.

The ending was spectacular imo.

Okay where is the next one

Loved loved loved this one. It is truly laugh out loud funny with plot twists that never seem to end. I am eagerly awaiting this author’s next work. Congrats on a highly entertaining read.

I loved the narration of this book!

The story was very creative, too. The author developed a story from a child’s bedroom story, and did so completely that I had to completely remind myself that the transformation was done. The resulting story was one that the author should commend herself for.

How To Summon a Fairy Godmother

I just loved the different take on the classic “Cinderella” story. This version is about one of the princess’s stepsister, Lady Theodosia who summons a fairy godmother to help her get out of a matched marriage instead of getting her into a marriage.

I really liked Lady Theodora’s character and getting to understand the reason behind the way she acts and how things were in her past. I really didn’t see the end coming and was really surprised. In a good way!!

This is a new to me author and totally different from the genre that I normally read, but I must say I really loved it and highly recommend it. I can’t wait of the next book!