Set 200 years after Cinderella’s death, the happily ever after has turned ugly. Teenage girls ae now required to attend the annual ball to be judged by male suitors and married. Whether they like it or not. It’s Sophia’s worst nightmare. Even if she wasn’t in love with her best friend Erin, the thought of people – men – having such absolute power over her life and death infuriates her. So she flees the ball and straight into the arms of Constance, a descendant of one of Cinderella’s ugly step sisters. Only the Cinderella tale espoused to the Kingdom isn’t exactly the truth and no one is exactly as they appear…As Sophia and Constance soon find out.

The young adult genre isn’t usually my thing, however, occasionally a blurb will pop up that intrigues me enough that I decide to pick up the book. I want to expand my reading horizons and there are a couple of things that I haven’t read much of that are contained in Cinderella is Dead: a fairytale retelling and a f/f romance.

I wouldn’t say I actively avoid fairytale retellings, but they don’t often appeal to me. But, one of the things that I enjoyed most about this book was the way Kalynn Bayron had used the tale of Cinderella. In Cinderella is Dead the fairytale is used a tool of propaganda to subjugate the populace, especially if you are female. Women are expected to know the tale inside and out and conform to the ideal of femininity and heterosexuality that it portrays. There is no room for non-conformity. It was such a fantastic set up to plonk our headstrong heroine in.

But, I don’t feel like this dark and oppressive setting was utilised to its full potential. The solution came to easily and the more I got into the book the more obvious some of the plot twists became. Perhaps I am being too harsh on a standalone book aimed at a young audience. However, I did feel myself losing interest as the book went on and all the complex problems involved in such a repressive and patriarchal society were swept under the proverbial rug.

This was a fun adventure story though and I really enjoyed Sophia’s character, she knew who she was and had the courage to stand up against what she thought was wrong. I also really liked the romance, this may actually be my first f/f book! There was fantastic chemistry between Constance and Sophia and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop.

Overall I liked this book, the story was fast paced, the romance was sweet and the world was great. It just didn’t quite hit the spot for me, Bayron has created a sophisticated and well developed world, but the story itself was a little too simple to fit that world comfortably.

"Do not be silent.
Raise your voice.
Be a light in the dark."
-Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will also 100% admit that I was supposed to read this back in July 2020, but had so many other books on the go that it never happened. Fast forward 4 months, I was pushed to pick it up and give it a go in order to vet it for LGBTQ+ content to determine if it was appropriate to purchase as an ebook for the high school students in the Catholic school board I work for (gotta love the religion/lgbtq+ issue... -eyeroll-).

I am REALLY glad I had the opportunity to get this one as an ARC then have that push to read it, as it is very far from what I ever reach for normally in the way of books (I rarely read Fantasy, either YA or Adult!), and if it wasn't for that, I never would have had the privilege to go down this rabbit hole of a story and get so drawn in. On top of that, it has me rethinking other fairy tales and how they could be completely wrong through years of retelling them a certain way.

Cinderella is Dead takes place 200 years after Cinderella went to the ball, fell in love, and married the prince. In the town of Lille in the kingdom of Merseilles, it is tradition for every 16 year old girl to present herself at the ball every year to be chosen by the men of the kingdom as their bride, regardless of how they feel on the matter. Sophia is dreading her upcoming trip to the ball, as she'd much rather spend the rest of her life with her best friend Erin, who will also attend. When the bad situation of being at the ball turns worse and Sophia flees, she finds herself drawn into a whole other side to the Cinderella story than she knew existed. With Constance, descendant of one of Cinderella's stepsisters at her side, they set out to stop the prince on behalf of women and girls everywhere in their kingdom, because as the above quote states, Don't be silent.

Lovely take on a classic fairy tale! Cinderella is Dead is full of diversity, fun times and sticking up for whats right. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future!

I did find the story lacked the character development and world building that I would normally expect from a fantasy novel. However, I feel like the author waned to focus more on the overarching message which I think they accomplished.

Overall, I liked this. I did think most of it felt like standard trope-y YA with a very slight LBGTQ theme, but still very YA.

I did like our main character, but thought some of the other characters were rather thinly drawn.

The take on the Cinderella story was interesting, though SHE could have been used to better effect.

All in all, a pleasant read. The darkness was there, but not too dark and the book didn’t quite have the edge I expected.

Would try the author again.

I went into this blind, knowing only that it was a Cinderella retelling with a queer MC. I was so excited to read a story like that! Unfortunately, this was another story that fell flat for me. The story went on far, far too long. There were huge chunks of the story where nothing of note happened other than describing the scenery. The MC felt shallow, under developed, and dull. I wanted to connect with her but I just could not. The premise of the story was compelling but the lack of a dazzling MC ruined the story for me.

I loved every single part of this book including the fairytale retelling and the focus of a strong, woman of color as the main character and feature of this story. This book would be great for younger readers because of its change in the traditional story and its representation and inclusion.

Beautiful take on a classic fairytale. The author did such a great job with this book. I loved the story and definitely recommend this to others.

I absolutely loved the way the ending was written in this book and the emotional pay off the reader recieved from it. Kalynn Bayron sure knows how to write plot twists and beginnings and endings, as, especially in the beginning and ending, the fast-paced, plot-driven sections were extremely captivating. For me, the middle, which was more character-based was slower and the writing wasn't as strong. The writing of the character of Constance was probably the strongest, in my opinion. I am very excited to see what Bayron writes in the future!
I really appreciated the sapphic elements between Constance and Sophia, but I wish the relationship between Sophia and Erin was explored and explained a bit more.

tw: mentions of abuse and abusive relationship

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a very interested take on the story of Cinderella. I loved how the author used the tale as lore for the land. Sophia's journey is amazing and powerful.

I loved this take on the classic fairytale of Cinderella! It was action packed, and overall pretty fast paced. The romance was just perfect, got butterflies every time.

Ever feel like the "And they lived happily ever after..." wasn't quite enough for you at the end of a fairy tale?

Yeah, me neither. After a sweepingly perfect courtship assisted by singing magical woodland creatures, I'm curious to see how the true relationship plays out.

After Cinderella and her prince say "I do", it's been 200 years and things aren't great for the women on the kingdom. They are required to be at an annual ball to be looked over by the men for potential spouses. Not romantic at all and 16 year old heroine, Sophia, isn't the least bit interested in dealing with such traditions.

She decides to take a chance and run from potential suitors and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last living relative of the the fabled princess. Together, they decide it's time for a change and they set out to raise some chaos, but in the process, learn a whole lot about the real story of the woman from the fairytale.

This YA LGBTQ romance is a great twist on a classic story.

Wonderfully fierce girls and incredible world building. Beautifully done.

Book Review | Cinderella id Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
YA, Retelling, Fantasy
Bloomsbury YA | July 7th, 2020
4/5 Stars


It’s been 200 years since Cinderella died, but nothing’s really changed. The men are in charge and make all the rules. Every year the King holds an annual ball where the men of the kingdom choose their wives. If a woman is not selected she gets two more tries before she becomes a forfeit. Sophia is tired of the way things are and is ready to make some changes. After escaping the ball, Sophia runs into Constance, descendent of Gabrielle, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. When Constance tells Sophia Cinderella’s true story, Sophia feels like there’s hope that together they can take down the King.


I absolutely loved this book. Every time I thought I figured out what was going to happen next, BAM plot twist. I could not put this book down. This was a really awesome retelling. There was enough of the original story, but also a lot of originality that makes this story its own.


I loved Sophia’s character so much. I loved watching her character develop throughout the story. She knew what she wanted from the start and Constance helped her get there. I also loved Constance’s character on her own. Her character was so strong and fiery.


If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it. I really really hope the author writes another retelling of another fairy tale. I really enjoyed her writing style and I think it would be really cool if she wrote another book like this.


Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year. In some ways, it was all I hoped for, but in some others, it seemed a little too on the nose or heavyhanded. I really liked the main character as well as her love interest Merida. I am totally here for destroying the patriarchy, especially with a black queer Cinderella leading the charge! But there a lot of points where the author told me how to feel rather than showing me. This would have been OK at key points, but Sophia thinks in manifestos rather than narrative.

I liked the author overall and will look forward to her books in the future. We differ some, but I think if we were on the same page her book would be magical.

This book is recommended for teens and up. There is violence, especially violence towards women. Not only that but lots of submission/dominance arguments and undercutting women in general. This is triggering for a lot of women (me included), so I wish I had had more of a heads up on the full toxic patriarchy on display for almost the whole book (and beyond just toxic, lots of violence against women).

I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings so this was one of my more anticipated books of the year. I thought the premise was great and I liked this unique spin on Cinderella. I did feel as though the story began to fall a little flat after the initial world building and character development... I just felt it needed more!

Overally I REALLY enjoyed it! Definitely looking forward to reading more form this author!

This book is A-ma-zing.

I loved the twist on the classic story of Cinderella, and that it deals with important topics. It felt real. Even if this was a (well-developed) imaginary world, the struggles that "different" (the exact word used by the citizens of Lille to describe those who don't want to follow the rules) people had to go through before they were accepted is completely awful. Sofia is fighting a lot of battles at the same time: LGBTQ rights, women's rights... because if the first isn't even acknowledged, the latter is treated like absolute crap (major TW for physical abuse).

This is a beautiful story of bravery, and it shows that if you believe in yourself, you CAN move mountains. Even if certain twists were predictable, I enjoyed it really much anyway. I think that everyone would benefit from reading this book!

Many thanks to Bloomsbury YA for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

So freaking good I loved it so much the storyline was so good and on point and just a great cast of characters and I love the love interest and the main character I am giving it five out of five stars.

A fast-paced, fun, and adventurous YA fantasy story that subverted so much of what we know from the fairytale in existence. I found myself so attached to the main characters and I absolutely loved the way the story came full circle.

I would’ve liked if the book was a little bit longer to allow for a bit more character development from the side characters, but all in all, a fantastic book that delivered on what it promised.

I really loved that this book took place after the fairy tale and then explored what was true about it. It is all about Cinderella but we’re not in the retelling, we’re in the aftermath with a black female main character who loves women.

Not everything was as well executed as the premise but there were a few good twists and enough action and plot to keep the story going.

If you are a fan of retellings, this is not one to miss! The premise is a very unique take on the classic Cinderella story that is inventive and fresh. Sophia and all the other girls in her town have been raised with the story of Cinderella and are themselves preparing to attend the ball at the royal palace. This is not an event like you’d imagine though. It is required by royal decree for all girls to attend and at this ball, men will choose a wife. If it sounds like a rather barbaric practice and like the girls don’t get much choice, it’s because it is. Sophia is determined to break free of this, despite the dire consequences of any who disobey. She wants to marry her best friend Erin and this poses many problems for her.

I really enjoyed the “fight the patriarchy” message and queer positive plot but had a few issues with the pacing. I think it took a little too long to get going and the beginning felt repetitive, with Sophia bemoaning the societal rules and awfulness of it all. Once things get truly rolling, I was engaged with the twists on the classic fairytale but I wasn’t totally in love with the characters. I think I just struggled a bit with how quickly Sophia ditched the idea of Erin once she meets Constance. There didn’t feel like quite enough depth with the other secondary characters. I felt a disconnect and never really became fully invested in each individual’s plight or journey.

There are definitely some very interesting takes in this story though! Its uniqueness was fun and I enjoyed the tale. I think fans of retellings will also enjoy this spin on Cinderella. A strong debut!

I really thought i would love this book..
it's breaking my heart that I didnt like a cinderella retelling :/
sophia was kinda annoying.. her love interests changed in a sec!!
amina was so predictable..
i felt like the author was spoon feeding me all the thoughts and actions and just wanted me to accept everything..
if sophia tried to do all of that without mention why she's doing it 24/7 i would've liked it..
i also felt like the author really hated the original story and wanted to start her own, which isn't a bad thing but it was so obvious...