Book Review – Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Fantasy | Young Adult | 389 pages
Published on 6th August 2020 by Bloomsbury YA
Synopsis
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.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew…
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A book about lesbians challenging the patriarchy?? YES. I knew I needed it. Plus it’s a fairytale retelling?? Just shut up and take my money.
The world in which Cinderella is Dead is set is both fantastic and incredibly frustrating. I found it hard to not want to yell at the characters when they accepted the incredible misogyny or felt powerless to fight back. It is a wonderful extrapolation of how things could have ended up, 200 years after the events in Cinderella.
Sophia is a great lead – she is strong enough to take a stand and to find others who will stand with her. I loved her and her relationships. They managed to show all aspects of what it is like to live in a world like that without it feeling overbearing.
I did find it a little predictable in places, but this wasn’t a bad thing. Plus in places it also really surprised me! And I found the writing really gorgeous – I am definitely going to be checking out future books by Kalynn.
Overall I found this thoroughly enjoyable and definitely recommend it. 4 stars.
Buy Cinderella is Dead from Waterstones.
Note: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase something using one of these links, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
One Comment
Ellie
I’ve heard a lot about this but I don’t think it’s my sort of thing! Glad you enjoyed it though!