Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Cinderella is Dead in exchange for an honest review!

A queer Black fairytale retelling of Cinderella?
Overthrowing the Patriarchy?

Count me the heck in.

I honestly enjoyed Cinderella is Dead more than I thought I would; for the most part, fantasy-esque books are hit or miss with me. However, seeing as I'm huge into fairytale retellings, this book still worked well for me. Plus, Cinderella is Dead just felt more original than other retellings.

Throughout Cinderella is Dead, our main character Sophia discovers the real story of Cinderella. It's not as happily-ever-after as the kingdom would like everyone to believe. One thing I loved about Cinderella is Dead is the fact that the fairytale we know is the fairytale that the characters also know and it's addressed as a story (yet, the story is something the characters believe to be true).

& on top of defeating the patriarchy, Sophia deals with some romance drama - the person she loves isn't fully returning the love & then she needs someone entirely new who she happens to fall in love with. We love drama, amiright?

There are some heavy topics in Cinderella is Dead, such as abuse, & some bloody & violent scenes.

CW/TW: Homophobia, physical abuse, verbal abuse, toxic masculinity, body horror.

This book has an incredible premise. In a world where Cinderella’s story is law, Sophia dares to be different. Lille is a kingdom where toxic masculinity rules everything and the women have no say.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I can’t lie. The majority of it disappointed me. The execution felt off, most of the book just felt like buildup for the final 10%, and so much of what happened was predictable. But that aforementioned final 10%. Oh man. Struggling through 90% of that book was worth that. I finally felt invested and excited to see what would happen, and things finally started happening that WEREN’T predictable! It was amazing! I wish the rest of the book had been that interesting and intense, but I will settle with the ending making me cry.

Although the pacing of the story felt off to me, there was one thing that I adored: the characters!

“I don’t want to be saved by some knight in shining armor. I’d like to be the one in the armor, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.”

Sophia is an absolute ICON. I adore her. She is headstrong, passionate, and never gives up on what she believes in. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure about her character, because I wished she could just go along with things until she found the opportunity to rebel. But Sophia made her own opportunity, regardless of what the world around her told her. Once I got used to her willingness to throw herself into trouble/danger with no second thought, I found myself admiring her.

“‘That’s how things happen sometimes. Something small. A choice we make because, in the moment, we needed to make it. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less important. I believe that things happen for a reason, Sophia.’”

Constance is the reason I continued reading this book, and I am so glad that I did. Her character sucked me in from her introduction. Something I loved about her was how she is unafraid of showing her feelings. From her first meeting with Sophia, she flirts with her. She is unabashedly crushing on Sophia from the first moment their eyes meet, and it is BEAUTIFUL. She is also patient, strong, and a leader. I love her so much.

“‘We’ve also rarely heard about people like us and yet here we are. Just because they deny us doesn’t mean we cease to exist.’”

My darling Luke. The first time Sophia ran into him, I knew I would want to protect him with my life. Even though he is not in much of the story, he is definitely one of my favorite parts of it.

Not only does this book have phenomenal characters, but it also deals with tough topics BEAUTIFULLY. For example, it tackles the “not all men” argument in three short sentences:
“But these good men aren’t making the rules. These decent men are turning a blind eye to indecent acts. ‘If you’re not one of the men who would jump at the first chance to put a woman in her place, then I’m not talking about you.’”

In all, while this book was a chore to get through, I loved it. Don’t let my 3-star rating fool you, this book is something special.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC!

The dark retelling of Cinderella was very unique and interesting. Bayron did a great job of turning this tale on it's head and pointed out the very misogynistic views that are a part of this tale. Sophia, our main character is stubborn and rebellious and says what is on her mind even when it goes against the societal rules. She is exactly what is needed in the world 200 years after Cinderella that has been built to favor men and women are to be subservient and quiet to make the men happy only. I enjoyed the twist on our fairy godmother, Amina. She was probably my favorite characters in this book because she was very mysterious and morally grey.
Having said that I do feel like the overall message was a little heavy handed and could've been worked into the story a little more naturally and less thrown in your face. I also really wanted more depth from our characters. Amina was my favorite, but I feel like there was so much more I could've gotten from her story that could've connected me to her. I wanted to know more about why the Prince is the way he is and how Sophia became such a rebellious and outspoken young woman. I just didn't feel as much as I wanted to or connect the way I would've liked. The emotions just weren't there as much as I would've liked. I also feel as though the ending was a little rushed to a happily ever after and I would've liked just a little more depth here as well.

Cinderella is Dead was the perfect queer, feminist story I needed to read this month. Kalynn Bayron creates a story that's incredibly relevant to modern events and I found myself highlighting quotes from every other page because they really resonated with me.

Sofia was a great protagonist for the story because she was bold & unapologetic about who she was. She stood up for the things she believed in and fought until she got the result she wanted. It was incredibly encouraging to read because it made me remember that the fight for what's right isn't always right but the results are worth it in the end. Sofia's determination ensured that the message of the story one of it's strongest aspects

In terms of storyline, the plot was very linear and easy to follow. I love reading twisted fairytales and Bayron really delivers in that aspect. I enjoyed seeing elements of the original Cinderella story at play as well as learning how the story can be twisted to fit the agenda of those in power. Again, super relevant to events playing out in the real world as we watch the stories BIPOC & LGBT+ people tell get re-written or ignored entirely to fit the gaze of straight white readers.

I think teens will enjoy seeing the open connections they can make from the story, to real life especially since we're seeing a rise in activism from Gen Z. Girls will LOVE seeing themselves represented in Sofia, she makes no excuses and does what she thinks is right, which ultimately ends with her taking down a malevolent dictator. It's empowering and full of hope, things I want all of my students to see more of in their readings.

The only real issue I had with the story was that it felt a little flat in areas such as the world-building and side-characters. I'd love to have seen them a little more fleshed out so they weren't as flat. Otherwise, Cinderella is Dead was an encouraging read that shows readers the importance of standing up for what's right.

This is such a fantastic book and I don't think any review could do it justice.

It's incredibly smart and incredibly feminist (I'm pretty sure that any book that's described that way is a book that I'll immediately want to read). And Sophie is wonderful. She's Black and queer and is determined to change the status quo in her city and its kingdom. Women are treated horribly; they're the property of their husbands. It's been that way since Cinderella's time, but Sophie knows that tradition is a horrible reason to do anything.

And it won't surprise you to learn that, while Cinderella's story is true, there are two different versions: the official, palace-approved one and the one that's actually true.

This is a phenomenal book and I love everything about it. Highly recommended.

In the land of Marsailles, Cinderella is dead, and has been for the past 200 years. Her story hasn’t just become canon - it’s become law. Every year all girls at the age of sixteen must attend the mandatory royal ball, where the men are allowed to oogle them and pick out which one they want as a wife. The girls don’t get a choice in who picks them - once you’re selected by a man, you’re his, and if no one picks you, well...you’re only allowed to attend the royal ball three times before your family has to surrender you as a “forfeit.” Forfeits are never seen or heard from again. Attending the ball more than once is considered an embarrassment. And if you don’t want to get picked? Too bad. The girls of Marsailles have no choice - non-attendance will get you thrown in prison, and likely executed, while their families have all their possessions stripped from them. So...have fun at the meat parade, girls! Fingers crossed you don’t get picked by an abusive prick!

Sophia Grimmins (I see what you did there, Kalynn Bayron) doesn’t want to go to the Ball. All Sophia wants is to marry her best friend, Erin, and be free to have a future with her. But in Marsailles, being gay is not OK. It’s straight relationships only, Cinderella married a prince, and therefore, women can only marry men. Men marrying men and women marrying women? Forbidden. No not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Instead, go straight to forfeit town. Sophia pleads with Erin to try and escape their hometown of Lille and head off into Belgium the Forbidden Lands. But Erin doesn’t want to escape - she just wants to keep her head down, go through the whole disgusting selection process, and stay safe. Well, as safe as you can with a husband who is brought up to be an abusive, misogynist prick like many men in Marsailles. Seriously, with the exception of like, 3 characters, pretty much all the dudes in Marsailles are the worst.

Anyway, the day of the Ball has arrived, and with Erin refusing to escape, Sophia has no other choice - she has to go. Her parents have gone into debt to provide her with the best hair, makeup and dress in order to increase her chances at being chosen. Sophia’s parents know about her feelings for Erin, know that she’s always preferred to have a princess rather than a prince, but even though Sophia pleads with them to do something, anything to get her out of going to the Ball, they refuse.

So Sophia ends up going to the Ball and it’s much worse than she could have expected. The dudes are gross, the king is gross, the whole damned system is gross.

Unable to stand it, Sophia makes a split-second decision: she’s going to run. She takes off in the middle of the ball, jumps out a window and escapes onto the palace grounds. Running blindly, she finds herself in an overgrown mausoleum which turns out to be the final resting place of Cinderella herself. There, Sophia meets Constance, a descendant of Cinderella’s supposedly evil stepsister, Gabrielle. Constance has been on the run, resisting the king’s awful laws for years. She tells Sophia that everything she’s been taught about Cinderella’s story is a lie. Constance offers Sophia a choice - escape with her and rebel, or return to Lille and face the consequences of fleeing the ball.

At first, Sophia chooses home. But when her parents make it clear they won’t do much to protect their now outlaw daughter, Sophia meets up with Constance and together they head off into the White Wood in search of Cinderella’s fabled fairy godmother, who may or may not be a witch and who also may or may not be still alive.

Oh man, I do love me a good story in which badass young women fight against the patriarchy. Cinderella is Dead is such a fun story - well, fun in that the misogyny and injustice rampant in Marsailles is both familiar and super scary, but fun in that Sophia looks that system square in the eye and goes “nope.” Cinderella is Dead is all about the power of story - how something as simple as a fairy tale can be used as a weapon to subjugate not just women and girls, but men and boys as well. The fairy tale made law doesn’t just keep women stuck in the role as princess, but men stuck in the role as prince, even if they, too, would rather run off with a prince than marry the princess.

Cinderella is Dead starts strong, though it does start to meander in the middle, before speeding up toward the end. Since this is a standalone book (hurray!! No getting suckered into a series this time! More standalones, please!) character development and world building is somewhat lacking, as there’s only so much you can fit into one book and seriously thank God this isn’t the start of another trilogy I have to keep track of, I’ve got way too many trilogies, duologies, quartets and never-ending serieses I have to keep track of right now. Anyway: yes, worldbuilding and character development are a bit shallow, but such is the way with fairy tales, only this fairy tales features a queer young woman of color burning the patriarchy to the ground. And that’s absolutely something I need more of in my life. Now let us go forth and burn the patriarchy, everyone!

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It was a completely different take on Cinderella, which was fun. Reading the synopsis, then the book, it was pretty predictable, but still enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A Cinderella retelling that Grimm Brothers would approve of, Cinderella is Dead shares the story of a girl living in a post-Cinderella kingdom where girls are expected to meet Cinderella's high standards and find their 'true love' at the annual ball- or risk being forfeited. One of the most interesting uses of Cinderella's story, Bayron is able to completely make a fairytale her own in the world that feels both fantasy and dystopian.

The story features a diverse set of girls facing the patriarchy with our protagonist, Sophia, being a queer black girl. It is great to see this type of representation in fantasy, a genre that someone feels very Caucasian and heterosexual. The novel does a wonderful job of reimagining preexisting Cinderella characters and it makes me want more books that are retellings but in a world after the fairytale has ended.

The novel is a bit heavy-handed in its telling of themes as it does a lot of "telling" rather than showing. At times, the characters and these themes of toxic masculinity feel shallow as they don't have a level of subtlety. Sophia's character can be frustrating to read during the first half of the book as she too isn't very subtle in her rebellious features, which, as many characters point out, is dangerous for their strict and sexist kingdom. In the beginning, it can be slightly stressful to watch Sophia openly endanger everyone with her free-thinking, even though she is right in wanting to be rebellious. I also found Sophia's attraction to Constance to be sort of insta-lovey and wished there was more development first before Sophia even felt a certain way about her. The novel can feel a bit flat at times, but it is still a fun retelling.

If you are looking for a quick and refreshing retelling, Cinderella is Dead is worth trying. The ending part of the book is action-packed and the dark and rebellious feel to it somehow reminds me of dystopian fiction. I also appreciate that the author used the Grimm Brothers' Cinderella and not the Disney one.

Oh, I love a fresh retelling, and this one was cool.
It starts centuries after the Cinderella story we know, and then twists in a fresh way to backtrack and turn everything on its head. Get your hands on this one!

ℂ𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝕚𝕤 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕕 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story takes place 200 years after the famed story of Cinderella, but it is not the story that we all know. In this kingdom, the stories are not what they seem and there are no fairytale endings.

I really enjoyed reading this. It’s a fun, fast-paced fantasy featuring a lesbian black lead as our heroine. Sophia is stubborn and rebellious. She wants more for not only her life but the women around her. She doesn’t want to follow the misogynist laws set upon them by the king. The girls in the kingdom have no autonomy. From the age of 16, they must attend a ball where they are selected by men and married off. The fairytale of Cinderella is seen as almost a scripture that the whole kingdom must abide by.

I loved the world that Bayron created and it’s clear social commentary on homophobia and the misogynistic issues women face. I loved how she took the story of Cinderella and really made it something original in a world full of retellings. I absolutely adore Constance. She was my absolute favorite part. Is this because I am a sucker for a badass redhead character? Yes. But she truly is a great character from start to finish.
Another aspect I enjoyed and don’t see a lot in books is the challenging of the “not all men” argument. This book really nailed that.
I do wish that we had more time with the world-building and characterization. I do feel that it was kind of lacking and rushed in areas. I am not really fond of insta-love in most cases but honestly did not mind it here. I really just loved that they were unafraid of their feelings and wasn’t something that shameful to them. They were just too happy queer ladies.


*𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 *

Loved this intriguing look at who gets to tell the stories of history (and fairy tales). Loving this new crop of reimagined fairy tales - and the purposes behind the lessons they propose to teach.

That being said, I was hooked from the beginning and finished it in a couple of days (which is pretty record time for me). It is definitely a little old for my professional target audience, but as a parent of a teen, I recommend books well out of the elementary grades I teach in. This is going on my list!

Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella Is Dead is an amazing debut novel. There have been plenty of fairy tale retellings over the years, and I think that this is one of the best. Not only was the concept unique and intriguing, the writing was on-point and I genuinely enjoyed the characters. I was unsure in the beginning just how the story would play out and while it does have a few moments that could be seen as predictable as far as fantasy stories go, it did nothing to hinder my overall enjoyment of the book. For me, it was a page-turner and one of the things I liked the most about it. An area that I would have liked to be more detailed was the world-building; granted this is something that isn’t as easy when you’re working with a pre-existing story. That said, the additions and new parts of the tale were set up and explored brilliantly in Bayron’s writing.

Another aspect that many readers will enjoy is the relatability of the characters throughout. You have Sophia who is headstrong, stubborn and wants the best not only for herself but for the girls and women around her. She sees what is going on in their world, knows that it isn’t right and wants to stand up and do something. She wants to lead the change, even knowing that it will put her in harm’s way. Then you have her friends, Erin and Liv who both want to find a suitor for the betterment of the lives of themselves and their families. While Erin is attending her first ball and she does love Sophia, she also doesn’t want to bring shame to her family. Therefore, she makes the choice to put her feelings for Sophia to the side as to her, it is the right thing to do.

On the other hand, you have Liv who is at her second ball. Having missed her chance to find a suitor the first time around, Liv is hoping that she will be able to find someone this time. She cannot leave the ball with nothing to show for it. It would be an embarrassment and she doesn’t want to be considered forfeit by her family. So, you have this trio of girls who are childhood friends that are drastically different, but ultimately want to find happiness in whatever form that is. However, the difficult part of that is never truly knowing what happiness might be if they are only being forced to go along with centuries-old traditions that were put in place to silence and de-power the women of the kingdom.

This is what Sophia is fighting against and if you want to know if she succeeds or not? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out! Cinderella Is Dead is a fantastic retelling of an age-old fairy tale that begs to be read.

This is a 3.75/5 for me!

The strengths of this book for me are the sheer entertainment value of the story, the LGBT representation, the likeability of the main character, and the fast pacing.

My only complaints are that I think the message was a bit heavy-handed at times and the story was a bit predictable at parts.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this! Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc :-)

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsburg YA for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

I literally sacrificed my sleep and my head to finish this book around 2am because I was so curious to know how it would end. And then the TWIST at the end literally killed me so here is my review that may or may not make any sense because I’m still trying to process what the heck just happened.


I don’t want to be saved by some knight in shining armor. I’d like to be the one in the armor, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.


Who else was reminded about The Cheetah Girls song Cinderella? I know I was! Disclaimer: I totally performed this song with my cousin back in middle school for a talent show and we freaking KILLED this. Just saying.

So… this isn’t really a Cinderella story in the traditional sense, but it is based on the story of Cinderella. Like the title says, Cinderella is dead. She has been dead for 200 years by the time the events of this book take place. The story of Cinderella was recorded for posterity and the kingdom of Lille and Mersailles has their laws based on the story of Cinderella – the Palace Approved version mind you – and that is why there is an Annual Ball that allows the eligible girls in Lille to find a husband. But that’s only if they are selected by the suitors that are attending the Ball.

They have three chances to attend the Ball. Usually, if they don’t get selected during their first Ball, it’s very rare that they would get picked in their last two chances. And if they don’t get picked, or something else happens, they are considered “forfeit” and they are never seen again. Of course, only the girls have this fear although there have been some boys that have been forfeit for other reasons, but boys are not required to attend a Ball unless they want to.

In addition, a lot of the men in Lille treat women like property so there’s a lot of cases of spousal abuse and wives having some sort of “accident” so that the husband can find another wife… it’s just terrible to be a woman in Lille. And that’s why Sophia – our main character and the beautiful girl on the cover – wants that to change. Well, there’s another reason too and that’s because she loves her best friend Erin, who is a girl. Since Lille doesn’t allow anyone to really marry out of love, and they pretty much punish anyone who is in the LGBTQIA+ community, they have to hide themselves and conform to the rules, even if it means they are unhappy for the rest of their lives.

Is this really what Cinderella meant when she said she wanted every girl to have her happily ever after? I doubt it.

Luckily Sophia is able to escape the terror that is her first Ball, and ends up running into a mysterious teenage girl named Constance in Cinderella’s tomb, and things start to get really interesting from there.


First of all, I just have to say that I love the relationship that develops between Sophia and Constance. Even though Sophia had a totally different upbringing than Constance, and even though there are things that Constance couldn’t even dream about that Sophia had to go through, they are still able to understand one another and work well together. It’s hard to develop some sort of partnership with someone that you just met, and especially since they have this huge goal of bringing down the patriarchy by getting rid of the King. It’s not like that’s a super easy task or anything, ya feel?

Second of all, wow this book just really took the whole Cinderella story and flipped it on its head. Which I freaking loved so much because I loved seeing the Cinderella fairy tale being explored in a way that wasn’t thought of before. It also made me think about whether or not other fairy tales should be looked at in a different way. I was just so intrigued with this.

And ugh I’m just so freaking angry with Erin. I just have to say that. And if you read it, you’ll see why.


I am so glad that this book is coming out in the world, and I am so freaking glad that I had the opportunity to read this. Bayron said that she wanted to write this book to see Black girls in ball gowns being the heroes in their own stories, and that’s exactly what I felt in this novel. And I am so glad that this book is here because I know there are other Black girls like me that have been dying to see us portrayed as both soft and capable of saving ourselves. Sophia embodied both, and I loved it so much.

So thank you, Kalynn Bayron for not giving up on this story.

Sophia was strong willed and assertive. I loved that she didn’t want to get in line, know her place and live her life serving a man or anyone. The story touched on a lot of topics especially the treatment of young girls and women. The author created a world that was very detailed and I could see everything playing out in my head as I read. There is a twist that took me by surprise and I didn’t see that coming at all. I do wish the ending was longer. I would have liked more in that aspect. Overall this was a good book and I would read another book by this author.

What if Prince Charming was Evil?
Cinderella is Dead does away with the familiar rags to riches romance, reimagining Cinderella, her stepmother, and stepsisters as resistance fighters against an evil king, who uses magic to subdue his kingdom. Two hundred years after Cinderella’s death, the kingdom still follows the dark ways of Prince Charming, treating women as second class citizens, who must be married off by the age of eighteen or face the mysterious fate of the “forfeit.” According to the king, this is as Cinderella wished it, since she knew this was what was best for all young ladies. Against this backdrop, we meet feisty Sophia, who is much more interested in finding a way to marry her best friend Erin, than she is in attending the annual mandatory ball to find a husband. When she makes a split second decision to flee from the ball, she is saved by a member of resistance, and finds herself dedicating her own life to changing the kingdom so that women, and LGBTQ people, can live openly as themselves. This book is a definite win for those looking for a story with African American heroines, strong female characters, and an LGBTQ centered romance…but it falls short in a few frustrating places as well.

I always like to get the negative out of the way first, so I’ll start with what I didn’t like about this book. I See the source imagelove strong female characters, but more specifically, I love strong female characters who have depth. The characters in this book do not. Character development is a tricky business, and when an author is trying to make them all fit a certain mold (good/bad, strong/weak, etc.), its easy to end up with very one dimensional characters. Sophia, and the other heroine Constance, are both likable enough, and the villains are all malevolent enough, but because they lack subtlety, everything they do is predictable. I also found it a bit annoying that all the straight men in the story seemed to either be spineless, or deplorable, which just goes back to the fact that I would have liked to see more varied characterization throughout the story. This doesn’t make the book unworthy of a read, but it does make it lack any true element of surprise.

See the source imageHowever, the shortcomings of the book are more than made up for with what is done well. The themes of gender equality, of doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing, and that love is love, are authentic and poetically articulated. The core message that girls can do anything they put their minds to regardless of societal constraints, and of the power of knowing your own worth are universally appealing, but the fact that they are delivered through the lens of an LGBTQ romance makes it a great read for young people looking for characters that remind them of themselves, or their friends at school. Finally, I like the fact that the book makes some subtle commentary on the fact that sometimes it can be difficult for parents to do the right thing when it comes to helping their children who act differently than what society says is “normal” but that it doesn’t mean the parents don’t love their children and aren’t rooting for their success. Sophia serves as an example for why it is important to have the tough conversations in families, but to be true to your own nature regardless of the outcome. And don’t worry, there is a very sweet, and satisfying, fairy tale happily-ever-after ending for our leading ladies.

I would highly recommend this book to high school media specialists, and anyone looking for a fresh, modern update, to an old story.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

One the on hand there is no argument that this is one of, if not THE, most original adaption of Cinderella you'll ever come across.

On the other hand, the execution of these really original ideas left a lot to be desired. First was the world building. The whole of it is being told they live in a generic medieval town and then the first 20% of the book is Sophia having - in essence - the exact same conversation over and over and over again with the people around her. The plot was also (aside from one twist) so incredibly obvious that by the 75% mark I was simply frustrated that the characters still hadn't figured out what the king was doing.

Finally, the characters. Well I appreciated Sophia's headstrong attitude, there is little more than that to set her apart from the other characters. Most of the characters are defined, almost solely, by their response to the King's treatment of them. The romance was also hard to buy into when Sophia is ready to die for Erin, but then completely in love with Constance two weeks later. Constance and Sophia, both "change things" response types, felt like the same person for much of the book.

While I would not say that this is a bad book, and I was able to read it fairly quickly, all of these issues combined to make this a difficult read to become invested in.

"Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark."

This story is to Cinderella what Wicked is to the Wizard of Oz. It has a lot of the original Grimm's fairytale darkness with a lot of 2020 bada** feminism and social justice vibes.

Cinderella has been dead for 200 years and her legacy lives on, but not in the way you would imagine. The fairy tale story of a girl raised from poverty to beloved queen has been used as a control mechanism for the French region of Lille. Women are basically the property of men, they are given three attempts to be chosen as a bride before they are exiled from society.

Sophia, a black, gay female is due for her first turn at the selection ball and is fighting it hard. (This girl is definitely an enneagram 8, a challenger to the hilt - like me!) She takes matters into her own hands, after 200 years of female oppression she is bound and determined to find a way free of the life that has been chosen for her.

This is YA so there is plenty of areas that needed fleshing out but the bones of a great storytelling are there. There definitely are the eye roll, fall in love too quickly YA moments and little character development throughout the story. But there is great magic and several twists that I didn't see coming. The last chapter was slightly rushed, I probably could have used 20 more pages but all in all this was a great fairytale retelling.

First of all, I love this book. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it’s sapphic. What more can you ask for?

I want to get the not-so-great stuff out of the way now. The worldbuilding was lacking and the characters could have used more development. While I was totally here for Sophia and Constance’s romantic arc, I can see how it might come off as insta-love. The one-dimensional portrayal of men in this world may be off-putting to some (though I could see what the author was doing and I’m not that mad about it). So it lacked some depth, but in my opinion, the concept and relationship made up for it.

Now that that’s over with: Bayron did some really cool things with this story. Her observations about how girls and women are treated in our world serve as parallels in this semi-dystopian fairy tale society. I also loved how she put her own spin on classic fairy tale elements. The entire time I was reading, I was thinking about Propp’s 31 narratemes and how they function in the story. Also, spoiler alert: casting Cinderella and her step-family as badasses in training to take down an evil, misogynistic king? Iconic.

Sophia is steadfast in her principles. She won’t allow anyone to tell her how to live her life, especially when it’s not authentic to her true self. Her tenacity is what allows her to complete her personal mission, in the end. And we can’t forget our equally headstrong love interest, Constance. Constance is kind of amazing?? She has a dagger and knows how to use it. I need not say more.

Cinderella is Dead is bursting with important feminist messages, but it never feels like it’s trying to hit you over the head. It’s fast-paced (for the most part) and with everything going on, this is a hard book to set down. The characters and the story combine to make an enjoyable, quick read. Cinderella is Dead is a fun, feminist, subversive fairy tale retelling with a protagonist of color and a happy sapphic ending.

I loved every minute of this joy ride of a book! Enticing characters, plot twists galore, excellent pacing, all in a fractured fairy tale? I will be buying a copy of this book myself as well as recommending our children's selector buy it for the library collection!