Red-headed Marie is the protagonist in this Cinderella story. Growing up in the shadow of her sister while being abused by her parents certainly hasn’t been easy. It isn’t until a mysterious man comes around, seeing Marie for the incredible person that she is, that she may be finally able to actually begin living.
You can check out a sample of this series for yourself below!
Author
Genre & Tropes
Info about this series (ongoing)
There are currently 10 volumes out in Japanese, and two in English.
TL;DR thoughts
I tend to find Cinderella stories to be hit or miss when it comes to suiting my tastes, but this one hit my prefered balance perfectly! It balances hopeless abuse and hopeful redemption themes rather well, so I am confident that I will continue enjoying the story as it goes on.
My thoughts on this volume (Slight Spoilers!)
I tend to have a love-hate relationship with Cinderella stories. Oftentimes, I find the abuse the female lead is put through before the male lead swoops in to save her to be so over the top that it’s impossible to believe. Take The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, for example. There was an entire village of people who didn’t hesitate to verbally and physically abuse a young woman for something completely out of her control—you’re telling me that not one person in the entire village felt bad for the poor girl? I found it to be rather unbelievable, but a good set-up for what was to come regardless.
In Betrothed To My Sister’s Ex, while Marie is put through both physical and psychological abuse from her parents, it isn’t so extreme that it feels unbelievable. With the cooking and cleaning that she was forced to do, she really did look like a Cinderella in my eyes. As her parents put her down as much as humanly possible to bring up her “more beautiful” sister Anastasia, it just began feeling more and more like a retelling of Cinderella rather than a Cinderella-inspired story.
There is one stark difference from Marie’s story and Cinderella’s however—Marie and her sister have a very good relationship. Although Marie is put through hell by their parents, not once does she harbour any hatred for her sister. I found this to be a very welcome change for such a story, as I really do prefer when sisters are allowed to get along despite having awful parents.
By the time prince charming swoops in and really gets the story started, I was already well-invested. Sticking with the classic themes, he mistook Marie for a maid servent at first but still fell in love with her for her wit and beauty. There are a few traits this series has that you wouldn’t find in a classic Cinderella story—a murder/accidental death/staged death mystery, implied sexual coercion, and, my favourite, a beautiful ML with tanned skin and long dark hair..! These twists are exactly why I found it to be so compelling!
While these new themes may feel a little off-putting, please rest assured that they fit into the story so well it feels magical. As the story does also share many of the common Cinderella story themes, it never feels too dark or hopeless—Marie doesn’t realize that she’s actually beautiful, she’s one of the kindest people in the story despite the heavy abuse, and of course, we have the classic evil parents.
I just can’t wait to see where the story will go from here. Will it continue following a traditional Cinderella story timeline? Or, will it continue to branch off and leave its inspiration behind? The only way to know is to read on!
Maddies Manga 
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