This sounded incredibly promising, especially when I saw it pitched as Cinderella meets Merida, with black queer girls who take down the patriarchy. Also the cover? Absolutely gorgeous.

I really love retellings because I’m always interested in seeing what elements of the original are used and built upon, or twisted. I don’t think I’ve read many Cinderella retellings, but there’s definitely a lot of room for creative interpretation—so I was excited to see what might happen.

That said, I really struggled with this story. There really isn’t a lot of context given. Basically, Prince Charming decreed that women have no rights, men can do whatever they like, and Cinderella is worshipped as some ideal among girls. The patriarchal structure of society is brought up so often, with a frequently repeated line that men are terrible. It never sat well with me that readers had to be constantly reminded of this, or that almost every male character had to fit this image.

I really didn’t care for the main character, Sophia. I definitely understood her struggle against society, especially since she has no interest marrying a man. But I found it incredibly frustrating when she would say or do things with the knowledge that it could get her in deep trouble, or worse. She acted without thinking of her own safety or that of others, which is not a very endearing quality.

I made it about 50% through, but found the writing and story overall to be rather bland. Unfortunately, a pass from me.

I really wanted to love this story. A Cinderella retelling with a dark, mysterious twist? Not to mention a gay black heroine. I felt like this would be a dead ringer of winner. However, this just didn’t work for me and I struggled with finishing it.

While as a whole this is a really unique concept, I just had a hard time grasping the world and the characters within the pages. I never fully understood Sophia. I get that she doesn’t want to be forced into this awful system of going to a ball only to become someone’s chosen bride. Especially given the fact that women are viewed as second class citizens. However, that’s all I got from her. I never truly felt like I knew who she was as a person. We meet her and she’s in love with her best friend who clearly wants to follow protocol and find a husband. Then she meets another girl, who she seems to immediately fall in love with, and the two of them team up to overthrow the king. I also didn’t understand the king and his motives. Actually, I don’t think he even had any motives other than he could, so he did. I just felt like a lot of the development was focused more on the misogamy and Sophie’s sexual preference, rather than the fantasy world and the characters themselves. Which is a shame because I think I would have enjoyed this story so much more if it focused on the fantasy aspect and dove deeper in character development.

I was so looking forward to this story. I immediately bumped it up on my reading list when I got it. However, I just found myself bored during it and could never fully latch onto the characters or their motives. Even though this was a miss for me, I could see a lot of people liking this story.

Cinderella is Dead is a new fantasy standalone. Love that of course! Everything starts and finishes in one book. It's a Cinderella retelling that deals with how history can be twisted to help those in power. So in this world, it's been 200 years since Cinderella has died, so 200 years since she found her prince charming. Everywhere you look, everything is about Cinderella. and the magic of the ball, the magic of the fairy godmother. It's almost like the religion of this land leading it to being a very patriarchal society. Men are heads of the households, they have the last word. Women are second class citizens. They have to be home by 8 pm every night! Lame, right?

So when girls turn 16, they're required to go to the annual ball to find a husband and the men of the kingdom tend to find wives. If the girls don't attend, it's bad for their families and themselves. They literally get 3 shots to do this and if not, they disappear. Sophie our main character has just turned 16 and she's getting ready to attend the ball but she does not want to go. There are a few other characters who are very important but I do want you to experience them as organically as possible. This story really focuses on girls who want to create their own fairy tale ending. I really enjoyed the voice in this. I was immediately drawn to the story because of the representation.

This is a very fast paced novel. At times it really feels like the author hops through it a little bit but all in all she gets straight to the point and I recommend very much.

This story will be a great one to add to the classroom library. It is a clever and diverse retelling that tells an adventure for the world today.

Wow. Just everything I thought of Cinderella is gone. what a scary thought to think of, that as a girl you go to a ball to find a future husband when it a man does select you, then you vanish. Or is it banished? Read to find out more!

Retellings are always a hit or miss for me but I can't help but read them because... well, fairy tales... and who doesn't love a darker version? Definitely not this reader. Here we get a world where men rule maniacally and women must comply. At a certain age, girls must attend a ball in Cinderella's honor in hopes of being chosen. And if they're not, they're forfeited... and can also be forfeited for any other reason if they go against the rules.

"People who don't fit nicely into the boxes the kinds of Mersailles have defined are simply erased, as if our lives don't matter."

There are so many things I love about this book. We get a queer Black girl as the lead who discovers she'd rather have the princess rather than the prince. And we get to see her fight against the patriarchy of Charming's legacy that is oppressive. We see a completely different view of Cinderella and her story. (And yes for some humor.... pockets, we do love them!) My absolute favorite part was the reimagining of the fairy godmother, Amina, and the important lessons strewn into the storyline.

However, there were things that also just didn't work for me here. I just couldn't with the instalove - especially in the whiplash way it was presented. Also, I would've loved to see a bit more depth in general with the characters and a bit more world building. To see Sophia's disenchantment as she grew would've really brought her character a little more to life. But I will state that while this is pretty predictable, there was one part that did surprise me and I absolutely loved it!

The author touches on homophobia, domestic abuse and rampant misogyny (to name a few). And I was here for all of this and truly was enthralled with the storyline. Much respect to the author for this unique take and portraying more of what we need in books these days.

5 🌟 An absolute delight to sink into. Cinderella meets the lesbian feminist revolution, and I'm so here for it. While this is a YA novel, I'm confident in recommending it for all ages! The writing is phenomenal.

3.5/5 stars

I will start by saying I really enjoyed my time reading this. While the entire Cinderella trope for me has been played out, this was an original take of sorts on the story. I will also admit that while reading I got angry often at how the townspeople for being so compliant ( I know it's part of the commentary) I just didn't enjoy that part. Overall I would definitely recommend giving this unique spin on a classic tale a chance.

This is an adventurous story about a young woman rebelling against societal constraints and choosing a new path. Fairy tale retellings have been done a lot, and this one is very original, as it goes for the darker take on the genre. The book is about how legends can be used to indoctrinate people into behaviors and force compliance under the guise of benevolence.
This book is sweet and romantic, and also filled with action. The characters are nuanced and flawed, with realistic motivations. Sophia is a wonderful heroine and her story is heartwarming.

***Spoilers*** Omg!!! I absolutely love this book!! The moment I started reading I was hooked. While Sophia is not my favorite MC, Constance balances her out and they are awesome together. This book fits in so well with the story we all know and love of Cinderella that it gives me a shiver thinking of all our “true” history that may not be quite so true. I liked the premise of the story, because who doesn’t love two queer girls overthrowing a tyrant of magical proportions; but I didn’t realize just how amazing it was going to be. I finished this in two days because I just wanted to keep going. The writing was fluid and so easy to get into that I swear this couldn’t have been 400 pages! (Of course it totally is tho)... I was so invested that by the end I was gasping aloud, shouting for Sophia and her friends to prevail, and then screaming noooooo when the major twist happens at the end. I’ll not completely spoil it for you, but it was really good. It’s official, I’ll be buying this book and reading any other book Kalynn Bayron writes. Now I’m off to figure out how to get her Captain Hook origin book!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Look. Sometimes reviewing books is hard. Especially in times like this when all I want to do is hit the all caps and use more exclamation points than what would be considered wise.

Remaining “professional” when you love a book this much is no easy feat. So *ahem* I’m just throwing professionalism out the window.

YOU ALL NEED TO PICK THIS BOOK UP AND READ IT!!!!! Drop everything you’re doing right now!!!! Nothing is more important than blessing your lives with this gem of a story.

It’s very rare for me to fly through a 400 pages book in a day, but I seriously could not stop reading this. I breezed right through it while devouring every single word.

A truly exceptional book that I will be throwing at everyone I know.

**ARC from NetGalley**
A fascinating spin on the Cinderella story. Some characters aren't who you think they are which keeps you on your toes. I like the fight and spirit of the main character. She wasn't afraid to challenge the status quo. Just because a rule is there, doesn't mean it's fair. She learns that some things are worth standing up for. Fabulous.

I wanted so badly to love this book. The premise and characters are there, but there's a woeful lack of well-designed pacing and world building that led me to start just skimming once I got about a third of the way through. Definitely worth the read but only with lowered expectations. I think this would also do a fair job at being a crossover novel for teens and older kids.

Cinderella is Dead is the first book I've read by Kalynn Bayron. I absolutely enjoyed it. I thought it was a unique twist to Cinderella.

This story follows 16-year old Sophia as she is coming to terms as the annual ball closes on them. Falling in love with her best friend Erin and wanting change from the oppression that she and the rest of the females in kingdom feel.

Forced to attend a ball where she is either chosen or not to marry a man who only looks at them as objects to do what they wish with, she escapes and finds the descendants of Cinderella's family, and much more.

I enjoyed the book. There were some interesting twists and turns that happened. Some of them were obvious, while some of them were ones that I didn't see coming. I enjoyed how this book had oppression, sexism, abuse in many forms. I feel like if it was written in a certain way, the overall arc of the book would've been clouded with all of the issues that Ms. Bayron was addressing; however, she did such an amazing job with it that I was able to keep track of everything that was going on and understanding the issues that were being covered.

This book was absolutely phenomenal and definitely one of my top reads this year. Such a clever and refreshing twist on a classic fairytale. I loved that all the key aspects of the fairytale were there but this retelling had everything needed for equality. It had POC characters, queer Characters and a great strong storyline. I highly recommend this book

DNF

Unfortunately I just can't get into this one. But I'm not sure if it's the book or my mood, so I'd like to try it again someday.

Oh my gosh, this book is amazing! I honestly don’t know what to say about it except that I NEED MORE OF EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

I gave this one a four out five stars. I loved the main character Sophia and her love interest Constance. I loved their relationship and how it builds. I really like how they are there for each other. I liked how Sophia realized her worth and what she deserved. I got a bit a little slumpy while reading this but it was just me and not the book at all. I can't wait to get myself a copy. I totally recommend this one.

Really great atmospheric read! Couldn't stop thinking about it the whole time!

Bayron created an awesome story that turned the original tale on its head in the perfect way.

“And you're not lost?"
"Maybe I am. But the difference is that I want to be found. I'm not happy pretending everything is fine when I know it's not."
"And just who is it that you suppose will find you?"
"It'll be me. I will find myself.”


Name: Cinderella is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Type: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Retelling, Fantasy

Cinderella is Dead has an incredibly good premise and idea behind the plot, however the actual story was not what I was promised or thought I was going to read. There were many aspects I enjoyed, however the bad plot point sallowed me to block out the good of the book and therefore make me not enjoy it as much as I though I would have.

Cinderella is Dead, follows our main character Sophia. Sophia wants more than what she is offered in her patriarchal society. She is supposed to attend the ball and be married of to a man, but she doesn't want to be married off and most specially to a man. She is in love with her best friend Erin, but her town doesn't allow her love to bloom. As Cinderella (yes the real one) has been dead, for over 200 years, Sophia thinks it is time for her to find herself and after attending the wretched ball she escapes into the woods. There she finds Constance and together they try to search for Cinderella's remains, in the hope of finding answers that will allow Sophia to eliminate the King from the throne.

The story sounds great in paper, it has amazing representation (being that our main character is of color and also queer). However, I feel that the author didn't spend enough time digging into the characters and into the world building for us to care enough. I have never fully enjoyed Cinderella, and although this retelling is far from the actual story, it still uses a lot of the factors the real fairy tale has. It also doesn't make them spooky enough for me to enjoy. I didn't enjoy our villain, and I felt the issues were sprung out and resolved to fast. The main character was kind of too much of a teenager and thus we never really see her grow and mostly I found herself to be confused and not sure of herself.

I think the story line would have been great if more emphasis was given to our characters and the back story of our world. Not all men are bad, yet some clauses or plot points didn't make sense to me or give me a sense of dread as most adventure books should give you. I never once felt nervous for our characters, I always knew they would succeed and maybe a little more imagination could have been included into this tale.

-- 2 stars --