A huge thank you to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cinderella Is Dead follows our main character Sophia and in this world it has been 200 years since Cinderella has died and teen girls have to attend a ball every year so that men can select wives. Sophia has never agreed with the ways of her village and wants nothing more then to marry the women she is in love with Erin. When Sophia is attending the ball she attempts to run away and finds herself meeting the last known descendant of Cinderella. This will catapult Sophia and her new friends to hopefully take down the corrupt society.

As for the Cinderella trope, it’s not my favourite. I think there was a period in Ya when we were getting so many Cinderella retellings and I just got so tired of reading the same story line. Although when I heard about a queer retelling or should I say reimagining of Cinderella I became very excited. This book was a lot of fun, it wasn’t the perfect read for me but I am so happy that I did have the opportunity to read it. A lot of my issues with this book were the plot holes, there were just too many for me and it really hindered my reading. I also just wasn’t sold on the romance and found it fell a bit flat for my tastes. That being said I am very much looking forward to checking out more books by this author in the future!

Once again a massive thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury.

Sophia is a young queer Black woman living in Cinderella’s kingdom where, generations after Cinderella died, society is based on a monarchy-approved version of her story. Sophia runs away and meets Constance, a descendant of one of Cinderella’s step-sisters, who explains how the story has been falsified to enable oppression of women and queer erasure. Together they fight to end the monarchy and tell Cinderella’s true story. Rather than just reimagining Cinderella, the author upends every element of the traditional story. The narrative centers queer characters and characters of color organically, successfully creating something new, fresh and engaging.

I think the thing that drew me to this story most was this idea that a culture could twist a fairy tale, particularly Cinderella’s story, until it actually became a reason to oppress women and remove their personhood.

Our relationships with fairy tales can be a bit complicated as it is. I know women who’ve rushed toward a wedding, thinking of it as this happily-ever-after moment without a lot of thought for what comes next. That seems to me like a model we’ve adopted from fairy tales.

But– all that aside– CINDERELLA IS DEAD was a super quick read. It’s a bit dark, between the twisted fairy tale story and some dark magic and violence. Sophie is brave and angry and incapable of giving up on the people she loves, and I love those things about her. She’s headstrong, kind of an “attack now, plan as I go” kind of girl.

I love Sophie, but there were times I wanted to see more emotional range from her. She stays super intense through so much of the story. Honestly, though, that intensity might have been what drove me through the book so quickly.

Something about the writing style and the setting reminded me a little bit of THE SELECTION series. It’s kind of the opposite in terms of the plot, but I think readers who liked the series for its strong-willed heroine and the marriage of romance and rebellion will definitely enjoy CINDERELLA IS DEAD.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, which is why it’s sparked so many retellings and reimaginings over the years. We’ve all read one. Probably several. But there’s something truly special about Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella is Dead, which takes the fairytale we thought we knew and reimagines it as a powerful story of resistance.

(Full review at Culturess: https://culturess.com/2020/07/08/cinderella-is-dead-review/)

Cinderella is Dead is a feminist counter-narrative to the classic Cinderella fairytale. It's a cautionary tale about the danger of the "happily ever after" and how it drives the oppression of women and strengthens the patriarchy. At times, the story felt weighed down by its strong messages of resistance, feeling more like a sermon than YA fantasy novel. The lack of world-building removes much of the fantasy and magic that is experienced in other alternative tales like Wicked and or The Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. The concept of this novel is great but poorly executed. I will say, however, it is an interesting read.

In the Kingdome of Lille, the fairy tale of Cinderella is treated as gospel. By demand of the King, every family must keep a copy in their home and every girl must learn the tale by heart. Sophia has learned the tale like all young girls, but even though her life depends upon it, she cannot envision a happily ever after where she goes to the King’s annual ball and finds a suitor. What she can envision is throwing caution to the wind and fleeing the kingdom with her best friend Erin, whom she would much rather marry than a prince. But there is no room for a young girl to deviate from the King’s plan in Lille. In fact, girls who fail to adhere to the story or find a suitor by 18 always disappear. When things go array at Sophia’s first ball, she must make a quick escape to save her life. As she flees, she encounters Constance, a descendant of Cinderella’s stepsister Gabriella. Together, the girls embark on a quest to find out what really happen to Cinderella the night she met the Prince and expose the King’s wickedness in an effort to find their own happily ever after together.

VERDICT is that this is a brilliant take on a classic story that enthralled me as a reader. I loved the reimaging of Cinderella and the extra layers of complexity woven into the story. Sophia is an engaging and daring protagonist who finds herself in trouble from the very first pages of the book. Readers will be rooting for her from the very beginning. I was really intrigued by the relationship dynamics between Sophia and Constance. I would really like to read another novel from Constance’s point of view where we get to learn more about her background growing up as a descendent of an “evil” stepsister.

I loved this take on the Cinderella! The characters were believable, though some things in the plot were a little cliche, and I wish there was an opposing voice to the "men are horrible voice" just to add some depth to the discussion that was trying to be had there. The word building was probably the strongest part of this book!

With elements of both fantasy and dystopia, this book could offer something for many different YA readers. The premise, that everything we know about the Cinderella story has been twisted by Prince Charming to create a society that oppresses women, is intriguing and interesting to explore. The characters, however, are flat and not very believable. Rather than gradually coming to an understanding of how difficult it will be to leave the kingdom of Lille, the main character, Sophia, wildly vacillates between saying she’ll do anything to leave and saying there’s no possible means of escape. It felt like few of the characters were true to themselves, and it was difficult to sympathize with them at all. Constance, for instance, seems fearful of going to the White Wood, but when they arrive, seems to know just how to handle its dangers.
I left thinking about a college theater professor, who would sit and watch our assigned sketches and, if he didn’t find us convincing, shout “I don’t believe you!” I simply wasn’t convinced by the characters and ultimately, didn’t feel that I knew them well enough to care what happened to them.

Something is rotten in the state of Lille. Things went terribly wrong after Cinderella died. Or were they already wrong before? This debut novel by Kalynn Bayron isn’t exactly a retelling of the well-known fairytale. I’d say, rather, that it’s setting the record straight.

At sixteen, Sophia is about to attend her first ball, in the hope of being selected by a man to become his wife and, for all purposes, his property. If she’s not chosen, shame will befall her family, or worse. The problem is, Sophia has absolutely no desire to follow the rules of the monstrous king of Lille. Furthermore, she’s in love with her friend Erin and would much rather escape with her. Erin, however, isn’t as convinced as Sophia that another way is possible. In searching for that way, Sophia will meet Constance, a descendent of Cinderella’s stepsister Gabrielle, and another fiery and brave girl who won’t let anyone, especially not men, decide what her life should be.

I don’t remember so many of the books I read as a teenager being about overthrowing dictators or ending patriarchy. I am definitely not complaining, dystopian novels allow for fantastically badass characters and when they come with a happy ending, it’s even more perfect. I love seeing good guys or, more precisely, good gals overcome villains and bring hope back to the world.

Despite what felt like sequence-of-tenses discrepancies, Cinderella Is Dead is fast-paced, intriguing, imaginative and I loved the characters (if you read my reviews on a regular basis, you’ll know how important that is to me), even though I wish there was a tad more character development. And obviously, I love the idea of two queer girls throwing down the patriarchy. Kalynn Bayron is a new voice in YA / lesfic literature, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with after this.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cinderella isn't really my favorite fairy tale, but I really liked this retelling or re-imagining if it were because Cinderella actually exists in this world. At times the characters did have that very YA fantasy feel and I had a bit of issue with the insta love especially given the plot. I did appreciate the LGBT+ representation and I think that the story will resonate with a certain generation.

It really shows that the whole idea of happy ever after is fairly misogynistic as the women are waiting for their prince so to speak and that we need to get out of that mindset that the only acceptable happy ending is in a straight relationship and it's pretty much forced down our throats at a young age.

The message is genuine, the characters are thoughtfully developed and I feel that it will easily find it's audience.

4/5 stars

Plot: 4/5 - Cinderella is Dead is the perfect title because it so succinctly encapsulates what this book is about- a fantasy world where Cinderella was real and is now, in fact, dead. The ball has become an annual tradition but only so men can show up can claim themselves a wife, the king holds ultimate power in the kingdom, and everyone treats Cinderella's story as gospel.

I loved how action packed this story was- while we are kind of thrown into the world, I love that there was no hesitation in getting to the meat of the story. The messages of acceptance and overhauling corrupt systems were incredibly timely and powerful. And there was one plot twist that LITERALLY made me gasp and stop in my tracks.

Characters: 4/5 - Our main character Sophia is so, so, wonderful. We know from the get-go that she feels uncomfortable with the mold society wants her to fit- particularly because she is attracted to girls. I love that this was kind of the impetus for her "awakening" but not the only reason she was rebelling- Sophia was also just a genuinely kind and empathetic character who wanted people to lead happy, free, safe lives. I LOVED her chemistry with her romantic interest, who had the quippiest one-liners in every scene! I also really loved Luke, who was a character we got to know early on in the story and I wish we had spent more time with him throughout the entirety of the novel.

Pacing: 4/5 - Like I said, this was so action packed! There were a few things that I would have liked to linger with, but I can appreciate that Kalynn Bayron kept things moving. Personally, I prefer a slower burn romance but I do think that, given the circumstances, it worked.

Writing: 4/5 - Like I said, there were some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny one-liners, but also so many powerful quotes. I was highlighting left and right. There were so many times when I thought "No matter the context, this [what she's saying] is so important". The themes of feminism, fighting corruption, LGBTQ+ rights, and beyond really shone through the writing.

Enjoyment: 4/5 - I really enjoyed this book as a whole! I love the twists, the variety of character relationships, all of the action (and I never say I like fight scenes in books but these ones were concise and clever)... fairy tale retellings are not my go-to but I had such a great time with this one, and I encourage others to pick it up as well!

Cinderella is Dead is one young adult title that packs a lot into the story as it flips the known fairy tale on its head.

While there are some areas of injustice from our reality that bleed into the novel (race and sexual orientation), they are just layers for the protagonist. They mix with the overarching theme of women being kept in place by a handful of men in power. Specifically one man in power...the king. With a cruel rule having been in place since the time of Cinderella, 200 years prior.

The story of Cinderella is used as a form of propaganda in the kingdom. Girls grow up dreaming that they will be deserving of a visit from the fairy godmother. And that they will meet their own handsome prince to whisk them away to lifelong bliss.

The reality in the realm is far from blissful. Women are forced into abusive marriages with no say on anything. Instead, they have rules to govern their lives which promotes the power of men.

Overall, I found this to be a thought-provoking book. One that causes us to look at the history we've been told and question it. But, most importantly, to remember that we all have a voice and can affect change for the better.

What I Loved:
I really loved that this was a retelling, but it had really interesting twists. I absolutely LOVED the extreme changes to the Cinderella story that are revealed as the story progresses!

How I Felt:
Cinderella is Dead takes the reader to a world where the kingdom of Cinderella has turned into a cruel place where women are nothing more than property to be discarded at the whim of any man. All girls must attend an annual ball where they are chosen as wives. Those not chosen have 2 more chances at a ball, after that, it’s a fate worse than death, or maybe it’s just death. Either way, women live in fear, and men rule the day.

Sophia hates all of it. Her idea of happily ever after is with Erin, not with any man in the kingdom. After her required attendance at the annual ball turns into an escape to save her life, she decides that enough is enough. She’s going to bring down the king, and stop the horrible treatment of women.

The plot in Cinderella is Dead was a lot of fun. I didn’t read too far into the synopsis of this one, so I was completely surprised at where the story took me! I thought that it was a really well-put-together story that had so many pieces that fit together perfectly by the end. Halfway through the book, I was concerned this was going to be a series, and I wouldn’t get the ending I wanted until a second book, but everything fell into place and created quite the exciting ending!

This is an LGBTQ story, but I didn’t feel invested in the relationships. Sophia, the MC is in love with Erin, her long-time friend, but there is another love interest that develops with the story. I saw no reason to be in love with Erin. I found her to be cruel and definitely not one to return the love Sophia was trying to give. The second romance was stronger than the first, but I still wasn’t invested in it. I think it happened way too fast, and I didn’t get time to fall in love with them. The entire romance could have been removed, and the overall plot would have held up fine. It wasn’t a bad relationship, I just wasn’t sure it was necessary for this specific story.

I truly enjoyed the characters though. Sophia is this bada$$ girl, she just doesn’t quite know it yet. It provided a great character arc for her, as she comes to be the woman she is meant to be. There’s a character named Amina that I loved. She was quick with snarky comments and filled with mystery. This is one of those stories where the bad guys are BAD, and I really enjoyed that. The king is a B.A.D. guy. Get ready to hate him with me!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I liked the characters, and I thought the plot was exciting and different. It offered a new spin on a retelling and kept me interested to the end!

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend Cinderella is Dead to readers that enjoy a strong female lead, YA fiction, and retellings!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

It's 2oo years after the death of Cinderella, and the ball has become an annual event. Unfortunately for the girls, they are required to attend to be selected as wives and if they aren't selected, they are never seen again.

Sophia doesn't want to find her own Prince Charming though; she's much more interested in marrying in her best friend, Erin. Too bad for her, Erin would rather stay alive and make her parents proud than run away from Sophia.

First of all, I LOVE this cover. It's very pretty, and I love the representation of POC. I have mixed feelings about Sophia. She starts off very selfish, unable to see that Erin is afraid of dying or getting her loved ones in trouble, or not understanding that that her parents were doing everything they could to protect her and she kept throwing their sacrifices away. Watching Sophia's journey to being more understanding was nice. I didn't really care for Sophia's attitude towards those in positions of authority. I totally get that she was angry about how women were treated-I was too-but she didn't seem to comprehend the fact that her smart mouth caused so much pain and suffering.

I loved the dark twist on the Cinderella story. Cinderella did not live happily ever after, Prince Charming really wasn't all that charming, and the fairy godmother didn't save the day.

I love fairy tale retellings! So much! Even more so when they’re a little bit dark and a little bit twisted! Enter, Cinderella is Dead. I don’t think I could do the plot justice, so have some of the official Goodreads description.

“It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.”

Cinderella is Dead took the princess meets prince genre and completely turned it upside down. Sophia neither wished for a prince or to go to a ball. Her character was extremely well developed and had good depth. The relationship between Sophia and Constance was realistic and adorable. It was also amazing and refreshingly representative to see a queer POC as a main character in a fairy tale!

There were a lot of dark themes throughout Cinderella is Dead, which could potentially trigger some readers. Readers who find books that deal with domestic or sexual abuse triggering, please avoid this one!

While I was excited about the premise of this book, unfortunately it did not deliver. The representation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters is incredibly important and something we need to continue normalizing and supporting in YA; however, from a story and writing perspective, this book mostly flopped for me.

Sophia is another rebellious YA heroine whose reasons for wanting to dismantle a 200-year-old political system never truly go beyond surface level. We are told a lot about her life, but we are never really shown this burning hatred to make it believable. Sophia is rash, talks back to everyone, and is determined to bring down the king without any semblance of a plan. More often than not, I was questioning her actions rather than rooting for her.

Her romance with Constance, while having its cute moments, was very rushed and could have been better developed. Sophia quickly forgets Erin, one of the two loosely established reasons for her rebellious actions, and falls head-over-heels for the fiery Constance. I would’ve liked to see more sparks and yearning between them as we see Sophia realize Constance, and not Erin, is the one she’s supposed to love.

This book is also filled with underused side characters who had so much potential. While I could write an entire paragraph on any one of them, I want to primarily talk about Luke. From the moment he’s introduced, one would think he was going to have a major role in this story. However, he didn't play as big of a role as expected and it felt the potential of this intriguing side character was overlooked.

The SuperEvil™ king was a bit of a caricature, and I didn’t quite understand or buy his motives. The system for choosing his successor made no sense, both before and after the plot twist. As far as a spin on fairy tale villains goes, Shrek 2 did it better.

Another major let-down for me in this book was the worldbuilding. The magic system and connections to Cinderella’s tale could have been more deeply explored or better woven into the story. There were some nice touches, such as stores selling knock-off Fairy Godmother potions or girls desiring expensive glass slippers for the ball, but otherwise it seemed the magical elements were only developed when they were important to the plot.

Now, please bear with me for a bit of Francophile nitpicking. The version of Cinderella used in this book can be traced to the French fairy tale. While many place names in this book are clearly French-inspired – Mersailles, Lille, Chione – the author does not stick with this French theme throughout the story. Although a few characters have French names (Édouard, Gabrielle) most of the characters do not. Erin? Liv? Morgan? Not to mention Sophia and Luke, who easily could have been Sophie and Luc. For worldbuilding and consistency’s sake, I wish the author would have committed one way or the other because the inconsistencies were distracting.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the only reason I can really recommend this book is for the representation. It’s an easy enough read with a fun twist on the classic fairytale and elements of girls overthrowing the patriarchy. However, the unfulfilling execution of its promising premise left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s a whole new take on the Cinderella story with a feminist spin. I really liked the concept of the new dystopian world (which has a bit of a Handmaid’s tale feel to it)

200 hundred years after Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, the fairy tale has become a sacred story for the town of Lille. Now, like the rest of the girls, Sophia is about to attend her first ball, in which she has to find a suitor who will marry her. However, rather than looking forward to this milestone, she is dreading it. When she meets Candace, she realize that the story about Cinderella isn’t what it seems to be. Together, the two plot to overthrow the current King of Lille.

I really enjoyed the concept of the story and how it strays from a typical retelling. The only issue I had with the novel was that it felt that the plot was too linear and the characters were a bit one dimensional. Sophia fell out of love with Erin and rebounded with Candace a little too fast for my liking, and it doesn’t help that Insta-love is one of my least favorite tropes.

I really liked how the book was a cautionary tale against patriarchy and conformism and the need for women to speak out. In addition, it’s a great book with lgbtq and poc representation and one fun adventure.

The message was strong and the book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately I felt like the execution fell short.

Nothing like sitting on your stoop reading about a badass queer black teenager smashing the patriarchy. It's been 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but since then tyrannical kings have ruled, forcing every sixteen-year-old female to attend a yearly ball where the men of the kingdom get to choose their wives. Males have absolute power over females and no one is safe from the king's wrath. Sophia would rather marry her best friend Erin, but in an attempt to escape she meets Constance, a descendant of one of Cinderella's step-sisters. Together they form a plot to overthrow the king, and, in turn, overthrow patriarchy. This young adult novel was a lot of fun to read mostly because of the plot, but sometimes I thought there could have been more world building and character building. The writing didn't blow me out of the water, but it's still a fun, fast-paced read. (Disclaimer: I received this from @netgalley, but that in no way affects my review of the book. Thank you @netgalley!) Also, look at me reading more young adult and fantasy novels! Who am I??? Haha Also, mask up if you're outside, friends!

This was a truly fascinating re imagining of Cinderella. LGBTQ fantasy is not something I read enough of and this is one that felt really natural and was also a really great character arc. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that came with the plot, a lot of which I did not see coming. Needless to say, this was a book I devoured and will definitely be recommending to my coworkers and students!

Sophia's life isn't a fairy tale. In her world, the Cinderella fairy tale is all wrong because the Prince isn't all that charming and you want your HEA to bewith the person of your choice. 200 years after Cinderella finds her prince, girls are now forced to attend an Annual Ball where they are paraded around and selected like cattle by men who treat them as possessions. Those girls who aren't lucky enough to be chosen are never seen or heard from again.

Sophia would rather be with her best friend Erin but in this world, that is not an option. So when it's Sophia's turn to attend the ball, she runs away and meets Cinderella's last living descendant - Charlotte. Charlotte's tale of Cinderella and the wicked stepsisters is a lot different from the story that's been passed down through the generations and Sophia and Charlotte hatch a plot to take down the king and set the story straight.

I enjoyed this modern retelling with a rebel spin and an interesting take on Prince Charming.