Thank you Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for the ARC! As soon as I saw that this is one, a Cinderella-retelling, two, written by a BIPOC and three that it's about fighting the patriarchy... I knew I had to read it. It did not disappoint! Maybe it was just the mood I was in at the time, but it did take me probably 15-20% to get into the story. I loved that there are LGBTQA characters! There were also a few surprises and twists that I was totally into. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone!

A super interesting retelling, thanks to the publisher for a copy to review!

I felt very tense and on the edge of my seat throughout this one, and while there were some parts that didn’t make the book as strong for me (more of a 3.5 but rounded up), the compelling story helped earn it its stars.

I really liked the MC, and the whole crew of characters (excepting the ones we’re, very reasonably, expected to hate). She’s quite stubborn and though she often seems set in her ways and potentially ignoring reason, it never comes off in an unlikeable way. She’s going to fight for what she wants and she’s unapologetic about that; that strong will is something to be admired.

The main thing that held it back from a really great story for me was that much of the main action felt predictable. The author foreshadows some of the secrets behind this kingdom and with those it felt quite obvious what the great mystery is, largely because I’ve come across the same reveal in several films (some other fairytale retellings and Shrek of all things). I don’t know whether it’s meant to be a big reveal or if the author is unfamiliar with those stories or expects the reader to be, but that mystery wasn’t something that ever kept me on my toes. At the same time, there were storylines and characters I expected to feature much more prominently due to the build-up but then were felt entirely anticlimactic. I think the story would’ve benefited if they hadn’t been rushed over.

Still, this was a clever way to retell the fairytale as a way of portraying issues with patriarchy and ‘nice guy’ ideals, as well as a fun way of tying in other fairytales in the same universe, and emphasizing that stories can be twisted over time.

Cinderella is Dead has many of the key features I look for in a book: a sapphic romance (specifically between two lesbians as confirmed by Kalynn Bayron on twitter), a black main character, and a healthy amount of taking down the government.

When we first meet Sophia she's clearly deeply dissatisfied with the Cinderella focused society. As she's thoroughly in love with her best friend, Erin, Sophia is willing to do whatever it takes to escape her first ball, where if she's "lucky" she'll be chosen by her future husband as her parents want. All she wants is to be happy and free from the stifling control of her misogynistic country - and she's willing to run away to get it.

What follows is a whirlwind packed with a chance meeting with an attractive resistor, frantic plotting of government takedown, fairy godmothers, and a fair bit of necromancy.

I really enjoyed the more humorous moments in this book, the little throwaway comments that relieved some of the tension. That, Sophia's adamant dislike of men and relatable scorn she feels when interacting with them, and the yearning she feels for Constance, make for lightness within the heavier dystopian tones.

This made for a very solid and enjoyable book, but the last 15% or so were lacking enough that I knocked it down a half star. I think it's entirely a personal preference if you like very clean wrapped up endings (like a fairytale) this book fulfills that. If you're like me and want at least some more evidence of a struggle to get things in order, you might find yourself wanting more. While I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book, the ending fell flat with an overly clean conclusion to the major societal problems that were previously presented.

I was really excited to receive this book. The premise was very interesting, and I had high hopes for the book. However, the premise is where the interest ends. I found the writing to be very simplistic and straight forward. There was not much development in the characterization. Instead, the author simply told the reader what kind of character each character was supposed to be instead of letting the characters actions speak for themselves. The main character was not very root-able. She was very disgruntled from the beginning, but her anger almost felt out of place. While other characters seemed skittish and suppressed, making Sophia's blunt and forward personality feel too tense at times. She starts the book head-over-heels in love with her best friend but superficially falls for another character essentially at first sight, making her pleas for the right to love her best friend feel moot. I really wanted to like this book, but it's another one chalked up to badly played out.

I love fairy-tale retellings so I had high hopes for Cinderella is Dead when I started it, and it turned out to be so much more than I expected. The main character, Sophia, is a girl trapped in a system eerily similar to our own--a system meant to fit people into a predetermined mould. To the women of her world who are forced against their will to attend a ball and be chosen by their future husbands once they come of age, the tale of Cinderella is more of a curse than a bedtime story. The plot follows her as she stumbles across Cinderella's last remaining descendant and puts an end to the oppressive society established by Prince Charming years before. If that summary wasn't enough to convince you, Cinderella is Dead is a fantastic adventure with badass female leads you want to route for and a well-crafted world that feels all too real. The thing I appreciated most is that it manages to shed light on real-life social issues without taking you out of the story. Cinderella is Dead may end up being one of my favourite reads of the year! 4.5/5

What if the stories that we think of as fairy tales were historical accounts? And what if those accounts had been twisted to serve the purposes of the people in power? This is the case in Cinderella Is Dead. Cinderella’s story has been told for generations as an example—and now every girl is expected to go to the ball to be “chosen” by her husband. She has no say in the matter, or in basically any other matter in her life. Girls are considered property and are meant to serve (and look pretty for) their husbands, nothing more. On the surface, it’s easy to feel like this society is over-the-top. So many of the women are completely controlled by their husbands and even abused. But then, when I really thought about it, I realized that there have been many cultures and times in our history when this was basically how it was. It may not have worked exactly this way, but women had no rights or ability to make decisions for themselves. They were the property of their father until they were the property of their husband. nd some men were kind and loving husbands, but some were not. The woman didn’t get any choice about which she ended up with. When I looked at it from that perspective, this story truly hit home for me.

I instantly connected to Sophia, the MC of the book, and to Constance, the long-lost relative of Cinderella who fights by Sophia’s side. I was rooting for them to break free of the patriarchy and remake their society. There were some aspects of the plot that I guessed early on, but one twist was a complete surprise to me, and I was happy with the way everything worked out in the end. I’d love to see a sequel to this book to see how things progress in the future!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Cinderella is Dead is a great YA novel mixing fairy tales together, and featuring a strong female lead who's into women (for once, my fairy tales have women loving women... it's great!).

The premise and thought behind this book is incredible, but it didn't live up to the hype for me. Especially since I judged a book by it's cover and picked it up because it is just so gorgeous. I still think it's a great read since I love YA and I adore fairy tale retellings. Picking this book up was definitely something I'm glad I did, but it wasn't as good as I hoped. I think if the story had been a fair bit shorter (400 pages was a LOT for this story), if the action picked up sooner or if the romance was featured a bit more that it would have stuck the landing for me, but it just kinda felt... meh. It felt like barely enough of each piece.

Also... I wanted more of Luke. And the bad guys were crazy bad and didn't feel like they could be people. I think there was also a lot more that could have been done with the myths and lores of Cinderella and fairy tales, but it wasn't explored all that much.

But man, the cover is a beauty.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I thought this book was perfect and I loved every second of it. I found it to be really original and a bit spooky, and while a bit of it was predictable the characters really stood out and had their own personalities. It was intense enough that I couldn’t stop reading, but not so fast paced that I was exhausted by the end. I would love to see a sequel about how their changes are working out

I love a modern fairytale retelling, and this one was great! Between the hardcore feminist message, a queer main character, and all the plot twists, I found this one hard to put down (don't be deterred by the length -- it reads quite fast. Personally I finished it in one sitting, which I don't manage very often). My only criticism is that some of the early relationships we're introduced to felt a bit forced, and some of the plot points occurred a little too conveniently. However, as someone who reads a decent amount of YA, this didn't really bother me since this tends to occur quite often in this genre (and it does get better as the book progresses). Overall, if you're looking for a darker and more sinister take on the classic Cinderella story, definitely check this one out.

Dnfed 20% I think I will coke back to this one. It reads more like a 3 star book for me. My problem is with the odd world building and the basic main character. Sadly, I wasn't feeling it all too much.

a not-so-quick summary!!
Cinderella is Dead centers around Sophia, a teen girl who is not into men, but forced to go to the ball because all girls must go when they turn sixteen. She really isn’t into the idea, as you would assume, because she loves her best friend, Erin (yes, Erin is a girl).

In this society, everything is extremely patriarchal. Women can’t go out alone, there’s a curfew, every household must own a copy of Cinderella’s story, approved by the castle. Yes, everything sucks.

Before the day of the ball, Sophia also becomes friends with Luke, her neighbor who is not into girls. Luke is gay and that is not allowed in this society, but it’s easier for men than women in this society. Men can choose which year they want to go to the ball, women must go as soon as they’re old enough. Once again, everything really does suck.

The day of the ball, Sophia shares one last moment with Erin, who doesn’t want to run away with Sophia. She wants to get married and please her parents and conform. Erin up until this point had been continuously saying this already, but I guess Sophia really was hoping Erin would change her mind.

At the ball, Sophia is surprised to see Luke, who tells her he’ll choose her so neither of them have to suffer with anyone else. Unfortunately for him, his childhood bullies are also at the ball, and since they’re ranked higher than him, they have more claim over Sophia than he does. Gross, but that’s how messed up this society is. Luke gets beaten up and dragged away by palace guards shortly after and Sophia decides she’s had enough.

She makes her quick escape and finds herself in an unfamiliar place, where she meets a girl named Constance. Constance tells her that she’s in Cinderella’s mausoleum, and the story they all know about Cinderella and Prince Charming and the fairy godmother isn’t the full truth. Together, they decide they need to do something about the oppressive rule of the king and his predecessors.

worldbuilding!
I love the casual worldbuilding! It doesn’t feel convoluted and very natural as they just casually drop more details about their world into the story.

The name of the kingdom is called Mersailles and the capital city, where the king’s castle resides, is called Lille. To a side of the town is a forest that nobody ever goes into, because of the guards but also because of fear of what’s inside.

Later on in the novel, Constance mentions that she’s heard of a witch with a magic mirror in a far away kingdom. Since nobody ever leaves Mersailles, it’s interesting to see the possibilities of the rest of the fairy tales existing in this world.

Overall, a great book about (quite literally) smashing the patriarchy, with wlw romance, a Black main character, and a healthy amount of suspense. 5/5.

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The story is great and I really enjoyed the overall shape of events. The idea of subverting fairytales is something that I love, and this idea, of having the Cinderella story be used to create a world and a society that controls women is interesting. But the worldbuilding isn't as strong as it could be, and neither is the character development. The novel seems to rest more on a general sense of unease rather than nuance and character development. We don't get to see the protagonist change or develop in a real or meaningful way (although the fact that she is able to be who she is by the end of the novel is positive). The pacing of much of the novel felt off - parts were rushed (like the ending) while other parts seemed to drag on (much of the beginning/establishing the world). Although I didn't see them coming, some of the twists once revealed didn't feel new or exciting. The novel was a fun read, and I can see my students enjoying it, but I don't think I'll be returning to it for rereading.

Cinderella's ball was 200 years ago, but the tradition continues. Young girls are required to attend the annual ball for a choosing ceremony so that they, too, can find their happily-ever-after. But what if they don't want to be chosen? And who decides what will make them happy? The kingdom has become a place of fear and silence for women and girls, and Sophia is determined to change that. I felt that there was a lot of repeating and overemphasis on a few key points at the beginning, but the end is worth it.

Cinderella is probably the fairy tale that gets retold most frequently. In part, this is due to our familiarity with the tale. It's low hanging fruit. Sometimes, as in this book, its because we question the message it sends to impressionable children. Byron has taken this story farther, darker than most retellings. She imagines a world in which girls are forced to replay the Cinderella story every year, where girls must emulate the "perfect" femininity of Cinderella and no deviation is tolerated. Where men are the absolute arbiters of everything that happens in the home and in business. Unsurprisingly, our protagonist does not fit that mold and can't help but push boundaries, no matter the threat it poses. It's an exploration of misogyny run rampant and the destructive nature of restricting women too much. The set up is solid, the resolution a bit shaky. What I like about it is that tend is not clean. It's not wrapped up tidy. It's merely a step in the right direction.

I was sucked into Cinderella is Dead from the very first page. Bayron’s writing was engaging and the plot was a clever twist on the story we all know well. In Cinderella is Dead, women must be obedient to their heads of households, hope that their Fairy Godmother blesses them with beautiful finery, and marry whomever showed an interest.

Sophia had a quiet resistance to this way of life and wanted nothing more than to marry her childhood friend who didn’t want to make any waves. While Erin was ultimately not the love interest, I was surprised by how quickly Sophia moved on from her. One night she was begging Erin to run away with her, then the next day she was making eyes at Constance, a descendant from Cinderella’s family. I enjoyed Sophia and Constance’s journey to uncover Cinderella’s true story and the final twist was surprising. There were a few weak links in this story that nagged at me, but they can be easily overlooked. If you enjoyed The Grace Year, I recommend adding this debut to your TBR.

3.5 stars

I have to admit that the 1950’s animated version of Cinderella was one of my favorite movies as a little girl. I could probably still sing every song. I honestly don’t know exactly what I liked about it. It might have been the mice. Anyway, I don’t think I will ever be able to watch the movie in the same way again after reading Kalynn Bayron’s new book Cinderella is Dead. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Great books can inspire us to view media with a critical lens and this is definitely a great book.

Cinderella is not the main character in Cinderella is Dead. In fact, the book takes place 200 years after her death. Her story, however, plays an inescapable role in the world depicted in this book. King Manford of Mersailles still holds an annual ball which all the young ladies must attend. At this ball, men choose their brides. If a young woman has not been chosen after three balls, she is “forfeit” and must leave her family and friends behind. Of course, being chosen as a bride is not always the better option. Especially for young women with violent husbands or young women who do not want husbands at all.

Sophia wants to find her happily ever after with Erin, who she believes feels the same way about her. But Erin is much less willing to try to escape Mersailles. They have no guarantee that things will be better elsewhere. Sophia, though, refuses to be handed off as a prize to an undeserving suitor and flees. She is joined by Constance, a descendant of the “Ugly Stepsisters” and is schooled in the real story of Cinderella; a very different version than the one she had been forced to read over and over again. On their journey together to meet the fairy godmother and stop King Manford, Sophia and Constance develop a deep connection to one another. It really couldn’t be a Cinderella story without some romance.

Mersailles is a brutal world and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this text for students in the upper elementary grades who might be reading different versions of the Cinderella story. Of course, the Brothers Grimm version isn’t exactly Disney material either. Bayron does an excellent job of contrasting the traditional Cinderella story with the one that she has created for Cinderella is Dead, and readers in high school might find a dive into the gender issues of traditional fairy tales to be a fascinating quest. Another one of the many fabulous elements of the book is that Sophia is a Black heroine in a book that does not explicitly address race. As Nic Stone wrote in an opinion piece for Cosmopolitan, “I can’t help but wonder how different the world would look if we’d all grown up seeing Black people do the stuff white people did in books.”

There have been many books that have presented an alternative view of fairy tales. What is special about Bayron’s work is that it looks at the repercussions that these tales can have centuries after they are originally told. Cinderella is Dead might be fiction, but there are certainly elements of Mersailles in current society. Fairy tales have been part of our shared experiences for generations. Books like Cinderella is Dead help us to question the lessons we take from repeated exposures to traditional fairy tales and to read more critically in general.

Sixteen year old Sophia lives in Lille. In this kingdom, people live by the book & lessons of Cinderella.
Cinderella died over 200 years ago but the kings since then have established laws that dictate the way the people in the kingdom, particularly the women, should live. Teen girls are required to attend a royal ball where they can be claimed by a man. If they attend 3 balls and aren't claimed they are forfeited and disappear.

Sophia is dreading attending the ball. She is in love with her best friend Erin and isn't interested in being claimed by a man. In a spur of the moment decision, Sophia leaves and winds up hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There she meets a girl around her age named Constance. Constance claims to be part of a resistance that fights against the king's laws.

This was a fun twist on the classic Cinderella story. While the character Cinderella is long dead in this version, her influence is definitely there. This is a female-empowerment story that also brings up the right of LGBTQ+ folks to love who they want to love. I loved all of the inclusivity messages in this book. I highly recommend it!

I love the cover for this and I thought this concept was super interesting but I did not find the execution engaging at all. Nothing ever felt fully fleshed out; not the characters or the world building. The writing felt very “tell not show.” There’s a lot of great diversity in this but it was not a win for me.

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.