An entertaining twist on Cinderella. It took a minute to get into but I liked the characters and the authors writing style

This one fell a bit flat for me, but if you love retellings and YA fantasy, it's still worth checking out. Bayron masterfully blends the whimsy of Disney with the dark undertones of the Grimms' original, creating something uniquely her own.

A fellow reviewer called this 'predictable, important, and frustrating,' and I couldn't agree more. I expected it to be a five-star read, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

The idea of a diverse, feminist Cinderella retelling is fantastic, but I struggled with the minimal world-building, which made it hard to connect with the characters. The narrative felt a bit preachy at times, with themes of toxic masculinity being more told than shown. The plot was mostly predictable, though the reimagined fairy godmother was a standout.

While it wasn't everything I hoped for, I appreciate the author's intent and think it's worth a read for anyone interested in a fresh take on a classic tale.

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this one! I wish I had read it sooner. It took me about 5ish percent to get into it, but then I was hooked.

This one was fiercely feminine. Powerful. It was a story to get angry about! It was a unique retelling for the new world, and it spoke on so many matters!

I already want to reread it, and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I remember when this book was first released and everyone was talking about it. Cinderella is dead was highly recommended all over the blogging space and I managed to keep myself out of spoilers all the way till this day. So when I finally decided to start reading it, it completely blew me away with how the original Cinderella story was completely flipped on its head and turned into the way a whole society functioned.

Cinderella instead of being the story of one girls life becoming a princess, becomes a almost religious imprint of how every woman should behave and strive to have. This archaic society uses her story as a way to oppress women and keep them subservient to men. At first, it made me feel uncomfortable as I have always loved the Cinderella story and I never saw Cinderella as choosing to be subservient, but doing what she could to survive. However, when I realized it was a false version of the Cinderella story being used to manipulate the people, I became fascinated.

I loved following Sophia and I loved how loving another woman empowered her to dream big enough to take the grueling steps she takes to make a change in her world. She suffers much and so do her friends and family, but her love and differences make her realize that she had every right to dream for more.

I also love that her first love doesn’t work out. That it shows the kind of person in Erin who does what a majority of people do in life to keep things the same, simply want to survive and change nothing. That as much an Sophia wants to save her and offered her chances to fight for their love and freedom Erin doesn’t take it. She’s even incredibly upset at the suggestion. A lot of people in this life are that way. They don’t see another way and don’t believe that it can change and it’s sad, but everyone must be able to make their own choices. Erin clearly makes her choice and Sophia chooses the opposite.

I highly recommend this twisted Cinderella story about choosing yourself and those you love and fighting against great odds to make the changes you want to see in the world. It’s a beautiful and inspiring story.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I loved this book so much. I liked how the author took the original fairytale and shaped it into something completely different and new.

Man I wanted to love this book because I loved her other books. I love me a fairytale retelling (reimagining whatever you want to call it). The writing was amazing but the story didnt grab me. I didnt care which is sad. I think there is supposed to be more books but I will not be picking them up. As far the author goes I will buy anything she puts out so this isn't a total loss.

While I wanted to enjoy this book, this was one of my first reads that showed me that retellings were not for me. I was not the biggest fan of this book, sadly.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was very excited when I read the synopsis for this book! Especially when I read: "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." (Taken from Goodreads)

I enjoyed how diverse the characters were in the story and how it took a classic fairy tale and turned it upside down into a dark and unique retelling. The protagonist, Sophia, is a true force to be reckoned with. She is rebellious, powerful and wants to take a stance and change her world after she is told she has to "...parade in front of suitors."

This book was very well written and the story was thought-provoking. I can't wait to see what other incredible books the author has in store for the future.

While this would have benefitted from more thorough world building, the themes and plot offer a lot of avenues for discussion. The characters were layered and a twisted fairytale is one my favorite thing to read!
Rating : 3.5

Prepare to reshuffle everything you think you know about Cinderella and her stepsisters because this is a quick-paced yet captivating tale fueled by angst, anger, a burning desire to live one’s truth, and a refusal to believe that evil can’t be defeated. And like any good fairytale, there’s romance, betrayal, and weighty choices with dire consequences enough to weave their own kind of magic. With Cinderella is Dead, Bayron’s written a new chapter in the legend of Cinderella that opens the door to a world of intrigue just waiting to be told.

It engages feminism, homophobia and lies in such a way that it's not only intriguing but beautiful!

I loved the main character and I could relate to her throughout the story. She grows up seeing her world through a perspective that is proved to be made up. She's fighting every form of prejudice put her way but will she succeed??
What's the price to knowing the full truth??

I love this retelling because there's absolutely no prince charming! Instead we get a wholesome Sapphic romance because Kalynn is that queen!
Our main character is feminist, lesbian and bad ass, what's not to love?

Tbh, if you loved Cinderella don't read this. It might disturb you a bit because this Cinderella retelling is dark and deep.

(i received an e-arc from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

this was a uniquely reimagined Cinderella retelling, with a sapphic romance i rooted for all the way!

I like how this book took a fairytale and turned it on it’s ear. I think that if you’re sick of fairytale retellings, this is exactly the book that you need as a palate cleanser. I liked the main character and I thought her relationships seemed authentic. I also really like the reveal of the bad guy—expected, but still well done. I think it drug a little bit in the center, but then picked up at the end. And hallelujah, it’s a stand alone!

Retelling are one things I love and I would have said more Cinderella ones have been done but this one had such a great original idea. The idea of taking a beloved tale and making it so twisted worked really well.

There were some really interesting characters and I wished they and their relationships had been flushed out a bit more. The pacing was a bit off for me as well, the ending came and wrapped out very quickly.

I do love Kalynn Bayron writing, it’s never hard to read and Sophia was a good character who was impulsive but also kind and really wanted better for everyone not just herself which made her likeable.

Thank you to netgalley for an advance copy of this one! I will read anything Kalynn writes!

I really like retellings, so I knew I had to pick this up! I liked that the world is based on Cinderella's story. Her story is law. You memorize the book, you recite the passages, you live as Cinderella did, and maybe if you followed the rules well enough, the Fairy Godmother will bless you as she did Cinderella.

I liked the premise and being in the story. I hated almost every man in this book. Every time one of them said something, I made a disgusted face. They were the worst. Which was the point.

I liked our MC Sophia and how she wanted to change her world for the betterment of the women, to give them a choice. I also really liked the Fairy Godmother (that plot twist tho!). I also liked Constance's back story and how she was connected to the OG Cinderella.

I do wish that Luke was a more main character and was with us more in the story. He seemed like he was going to be a big part of it at the beginning, then we didn't see him again till the very end. I also wanted there to be more world building. It seemed like the woods and the kingdom were the only place in the world. Other places were touched upon, but not really brought up and elaborated on.

Otherwise, I really liked this feminist retelling of Cinderella and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tales/retellings!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I just don't have a brain for fantasy anymore! This had such a good premise, but I could not focus on the world building or the story. I see why this one is so loved, but it just was not right for me.

This book gave me hunger games meets the selection vibes - which if you know me these are two of my absolute favourite YA books!

The beginning of this book I thought for sure it was going to be a five star read, however as I read on I am disappointed to say that parts of the book felt like they were dragging and didn't add much to the story.

I loved our main characters in this book, I loved the premise, and I'm so sad it ended up falling a little flat for me!

Wonderful fairy tale retelling. Will be adding everything this author writes to my reading list from now on. Energetic and well paced.

One of my favourite kind of stories is a fairy tale retelling. This book took that prompt and blew it out of the park.