I wanted so badly to love this book. The premise and characters are there, but there's a woeful lack of well-designed pacing and world building that led me to start just skimming once I got about a third of the way through. Definitely worth the read but only with lowered expectations. I think this would also do a fair job at being a crossover novel for teens and older kids.

Cinderella is Dead is the first book I've read by Kalynn Bayron. I absolutely enjoyed it. I thought it was a unique twist to Cinderella.

This story follows 16-year old Sophia as she is coming to terms as the annual ball closes on them. Falling in love with her best friend Erin and wanting change from the oppression that she and the rest of the females in kingdom feel.

Forced to attend a ball where she is either chosen or not to marry a man who only looks at them as objects to do what they wish with, she escapes and finds the descendants of Cinderella's family, and much more.

I enjoyed the book. There were some interesting twists and turns that happened. Some of them were obvious, while some of them were ones that I didn't see coming. I enjoyed how this book had oppression, sexism, abuse in many forms. I feel like if it was written in a certain way, the overall arc of the book would've been clouded with all of the issues that Ms. Bayron was addressing; however, she did such an amazing job with it that I was able to keep track of everything that was going on and understanding the issues that were being covered.

This book was absolutely phenomenal and definitely one of my top reads this year. Such a clever and refreshing twist on a classic fairytale. I loved that all the key aspects of the fairytale were there but this retelling had everything needed for equality. It had POC characters, queer Characters and a great strong storyline. I highly recommend this book

DNF

Unfortunately I just can't get into this one. But I'm not sure if it's the book or my mood, so I'd like to try it again someday.

Oh my gosh, this book is amazing! I honestly don’t know what to say about it except that I NEED MORE OF EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

I gave this one a four out five stars. I loved the main character Sophia and her love interest Constance. I loved their relationship and how it builds. I really like how they are there for each other. I liked how Sophia realized her worth and what she deserved. I got a bit a little slumpy while reading this but it was just me and not the book at all. I can't wait to get myself a copy. I totally recommend this one.

Really great atmospheric read! Couldn't stop thinking about it the whole time!

Bayron created an awesome story that turned the original tale on its head in the perfect way.

“And you're not lost?"
"Maybe I am. But the difference is that I want to be found. I'm not happy pretending everything is fine when I know it's not."
"And just who is it that you suppose will find you?"
"It'll be me. I will find myself.”


Name: Cinderella is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Type: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Retelling, Fantasy

Cinderella is Dead has an incredibly good premise and idea behind the plot, however the actual story was not what I was promised or thought I was going to read. There were many aspects I enjoyed, however the bad plot point sallowed me to block out the good of the book and therefore make me not enjoy it as much as I though I would have.

Cinderella is Dead, follows our main character Sophia. Sophia wants more than what she is offered in her patriarchal society. She is supposed to attend the ball and be married of to a man, but she doesn't want to be married off and most specially to a man. She is in love with her best friend Erin, but her town doesn't allow her love to bloom. As Cinderella (yes the real one) has been dead, for over 200 years, Sophia thinks it is time for her to find herself and after attending the wretched ball she escapes into the woods. There she finds Constance and together they try to search for Cinderella's remains, in the hope of finding answers that will allow Sophia to eliminate the King from the throne.

The story sounds great in paper, it has amazing representation (being that our main character is of color and also queer). However, I feel that the author didn't spend enough time digging into the characters and into the world building for us to care enough. I have never fully enjoyed Cinderella, and although this retelling is far from the actual story, it still uses a lot of the factors the real fairy tale has. It also doesn't make them spooky enough for me to enjoy. I didn't enjoy our villain, and I felt the issues were sprung out and resolved to fast. The main character was kind of too much of a teenager and thus we never really see her grow and mostly I found herself to be confused and not sure of herself.

I think the story line would have been great if more emphasis was given to our characters and the back story of our world. Not all men are bad, yet some clauses or plot points didn't make sense to me or give me a sense of dread as most adventure books should give you. I never once felt nervous for our characters, I always knew they would succeed and maybe a little more imagination could have been included into this tale.

-- 2 stars --

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.