I reviewed each of these stories separately, and am pasting them all here. 
 WHAT EYES CAN SEE 
 What happens when Cinderella is so painfully shy that she cannot bear the idea of attending a royal ball? 
 What Eyes Can See is a truly sweet re-telling of the classic Cinderella story, with a few little surprising twists. Arella, the main character of the story does indeed live with her stepfamily, none of whom are evil. The stepmother is doing her best to raise her three daughters and introduce them into society. The story actually felt a little tiny bit like Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. Though the three sisters are all very different, they get along fairly well. Drusilla, the oldest, is kind and wise and a good listener. Anastasia reminded me a lot of Lydia from Pride and Prejudice, just a bubbling ball of energy and enthusiasm - and a whimsical wish for more romance in her life... 
 Arella, on the other hand, is extremely, painfully shy. She has no use for the latest fashions, and the idea of a royal ball terrifies her. However, when her family is invited to the prince's ball, Arella reluctantly agrees to go... as long as she is allowed to leave at midnight... because she has no wish to dishonor her family in any way. I'm going to stop there, because I really don't want to give anything more away. "Spoilers!" :) 
 I really enjoyed this tale. I loved the characters, hoped that everything would end the way I wanted it to, and yes, even shed a tear or two at the last line. Although there was no fairy godmother, no pumpkin, and no wicked stepmother, this tale was decidedly recognizable as a Cinderella story, and I loved it for its differences. And although no magic made an appearance, the story itself was quite magical. 
 I will be keeping an eye out for more by this author. 
 BROKEN GLASS 
 Could two stories be more different? Broken Glass by Emma Clifton, the second story in the compilation Five Glass Slippers, is practically the exact opposite of What Eyes Can See. While the first story really doesn't have much of a villain, the second has them lurking around every corner. Evil stepmothers, stubborn kings, unkind cinder-factory managers, conniving younger brothers, rather misguided fairy godmothers... and even the heroes are often lacking in many of the more noble qualities. 
 Practically every character is detestable in some way (but I don't mean that as a criticism of the story, it's what makes this tale work!) Usually, I'm not a huge fan of stories where there's nobody to root for, and yet, there are just enough redeemable qualities about these characters that I was able to hope for redemption and a happy ending. Now, whether or not there IS redemption or a happy ending, I'm not going to tell - just that I was able to hope for it. 
 The story starts out with Rosalind, an extremely headstrong young woman, being dragged off to the palace and commanded to marry the prince, simply because her foot fits in the slipper from the ball the night before. There's just one problem: she claims that she was NOT wearing the slipper at the ball, and that she only danced with Henry, one of the crown prince's two younger brothers. 
 The crown prince is also unhappy with the arrangement, as he recognizes at once that Rosalind is not the woman he danced with. But the king is insistent: the shoe fits... so shall the crown. Although Marius and Rosalind hate each other on sight, they eventually form an alliance and concoct a scheme so that everyone can get what they want - Marius will end up with Evelyn (his cinder-girl), Henry and Rosalind will run away together, and everyone will live happily ever after. 
 Yet, despite the fact that their plan quite literally blows up in their faces... or perhaps because of it... each of these characters learns a valuable lesson about courage, strength, humility, and, yes, even true love. 
 Overall, I enjoyed this tale. It didn't quite draw me in the way the first one did, but I enjoyed it. I liked the humorous banter between various characters, and I enjoyed the steampunk take on this classic fairy tale. I often found myself chuckling over various bits of witty humor that had been thrown into the mix (the fairy godmother's father is a cart-builder... but who wants to buy horse-drawn carts now that steam-carriages are all the rage?) And I very much wanted to know how it was all going to end. 
 My only real complaint about the story is that it left rather a lot of questions unanswered. I would have liked to know more about Evelyn and her past. And I would have liked to know more about the kingdom, the world, as well as more about the magic and the role it plays in the grand scheme of things... So much was hinted at, but in such a short story, there isn't much time to expound on those sorts of things. 
 I'd recommend this story to anyone who likes the steampunk genre, extremely real characters, and a truly despicable villain... or three! 
 THE WINDY SIDE OF CARE 
 Oh good gracious, could a story be more fun or more darling? This completely different take on the beloved Cinderella story is part fairy tale, part Bronte-sisters, and part Shakespearian comedy. I absolutely fell in love with Rachel Heffington's The Windy Side of Care and third tale in the Five Glass Slippers compilation. 
 Alisandra Carlisle is convinced she is the rightful heir to the throne. She needs look no further than her own face, which is the mirror-image of the King's. That, along with the fact that there is no record of anyone by her father's ridiculous name ever being born or dying in the entire country, makes it plain to her that she was somehow switched at birth with the current prince. However, hidden away as a lowly scullery maid in the home of her supposed step-family, how can Alis hope to gain allies and take back her throne from the usurper? 
 Prince Auguste wants to be king about as much as Alis wants to be a scullery maid for the rest of her life. His birthday and Day of Accession loom over him like a monstrous shadow of doom... and worse than all that, his parents are insisting that he find a bride. As if a person can fall in love just like that! 
 When Prince Auguste and Alis have an unlikely encounter, they are both surprised and intrigued. Alis has always thought of the prince as the mastermind usurper of her throne, but when she meets him, she is forced to admit that he is as much a victim as she. They were only babies when this injustice occurred, after all. And she cannot deny that as a man he is noble, kind, humble, and has a sense of humor as sharp as her own. 
 But this new realization sparks feelings that couldn't, couldn't possibly be... love... could they? 
 I don't want to say any more, because I really don't want to give away any of the delightful surprises that are in store for anyone who hasn't read this tale yet. To say that I enjoyed this story would be an understatement of vast proportions. It moves quickly, has engaging characters that I wanted all the best for, and an ending as surprising and neat as any Shakespearian comedy ought to have. The twists and turns throughout kept me intrigued and reading to find out what happens next. The dialogue had me chuckling, and even reading out loud to myself - which is high praise, indeed. I'm enough of a Shakespeare buff to know that certain things were not going to work out the way the characters planned, but that only sweetened the surprising way the author wrapped everything up. 
 I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who likes Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice, or the movie Ever After. 
 A CINDER'S TALE 
 Cinderella... in space? From the moment I heard about this one, I was skeptical. I love a good sci-fi as much as any nerd (though I do prefer watching it to reading it, most of the time), but it just seemed a bit too far-fetched to be believable. 
 However, Stephanie Ricker makes it work in A Cinder's Tale, the fourth story in the Five Glass Slippers collection. And she makes it work rather beautifully. 
 Elsa is a Cinder: a space miner working for Tremain Station helping collect a valuable ore called cendrillon from a dangerous and somewhat unstable gas giant. Although it's not her dream job, it pays the bills and she is fairly happy in this life with her tight-knit crew. And if her job doesn't have much variation, at least the danger makes it exciting. And at least the war is over. 
 When the massive ship, Sovereign, docks at Tremain Station for fuel before beginning its journey of exploration for the next year, everyone is excited about getting to meet the much-decorated war-hero captain and his son. And when it is discovered that there will be a formal celebration complete with music and dancing, the excitement cannot be contained. 
 But when disaster strikes in the middle of the party, Elsa and her crew must face a difficult choice: obey orders and perish trying to save the Station, or disobey and save lives while sacrificing everything else? 
 This is such a well-told story, and I can imagine all sorts of other adventures just waiting to be told about these characters and this universe. The "Cinderella" aspects of the story were far more subtle than in the first three tales, and therefore reading the story was also a bit like going on a scavenger hunt... but the elements were all there. From fairy-godmother to wicked stepmother to a lost glass... helmet... this could not be mistaken for anything but a Cinderella story, and yet, it was also quite solidly a wonderful sci-fi tale all on its own as well. 
 I also enjoyed the (perhaps completely unintentional, because this story was most likely written before the movie came to theaters) nod to another fairy tale story, as Elsa is from the planet of Anser, which is extremely cold and wintry most of the time. When talking about her family she says that her father was, "a glacial geologist; he loved Anser because of - not in spite of - the cold and the snow." You know me and my penchant for cold weather, Winter, and snow, so I loved that line all on its own... and then, later, when I sat down to write this review and reflected on the fact that the story was about a girl named Elsa who hailed from a snowy planet... well... I also love cross-over references, even unintentional ones. (I wish I was having this author over during the Blog Tour, because that is definitely the question I would ask her). C'est la vie. Maybe some other blogger will ask it. 
 Overall, I just loved this story! 
 THE MOON MASTER'S BALL 
 Unlike everyone else she knows, Tilly has been terrified of Bromley's Circus since she had a bad experience there as a child. This year, however, kind Lord Hollingberry, the man who took her in when her parents died and has given her employment, food, and a place to live for the past two years, has asked her to take a message into the heart of the big tent. Despite her fear, Tilly's love and admiration for the elderly gentleman who has practically adopted her prompts her to venture into the heart of her darkest nightmare. 
 But there is more going on than Tilly could ever imagine, and there is more at stake than the simple delivery of a message. Is Tilly prepared to face her nightmares come to life? Can she stand strong in the face of her fear and demonstrate the courage necessary to save not just her own life, but that of another she barely knows? Will the presence of magic in her world, a presence she has always doubted, give her the strength she needs, or shatter her completely? 
 The Moon Master's Ball is a dark, haunting, creepy tale that reeled me in immediately and kept me enthralled until the last page. Of all the stories, this one definitely deviates the most from the classic Cinderella story (even more than the sci-fi one!), and I actually, truly forgot that I was reading a Cinderella re-telling until chapter 13 (out of 14 overall chapters). To some extent, I think my only complaint would be that the "Cinderella" elements felt a teeny tiny bit like they'd been shoe-horned into the story in the eleventh hour - but on the whole even that minor distraction didn't detract from the enjoyment of the tale. 
 I liked the way this story twisted around and the sense of something evil and sinister watching from the darkness of the shadows. I liked the characters, which were well-developed and engaging. I also felt that the story was paced quite well - it didn't move too quickly, but there was plenty of excitement throughout, so it never felt too slow either. 
 If you enjoy a shiver running up your spine, shape-shifting rats, or mysterious circuses that could be either enchanting or sinister - depending on how you look at them - then you will love The Moon Master's Ball.