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!

When I requested this book, I was very intrigued by the premise. I’ve always loved to hear about fairytale retellings, but I haven’t gotten around to reading many of them due to my interest in other books. But there was something about Cinderella Is Dead that got me hooked.

The Good: 
Early on, I really enjoyed the details connecting this story to the original Cinderella. I enjoyed how Sophia’s kingdom took Cinderella’s story and dedicated events towards everything Cinderella would not have stood for. The irony of that was interesting, and I also liked that Sophia was probably more like Cinderella than everyone else who tried too hard to do so. 
Initially, Sophia’s friendship with Luke felt… a bit cliché. I don’t know what exactly made me feel this way, but I think it was just the rushed “reveal” from him. Although, this scene probably could not have happened at any other time in the story, so I’ll give it a pass. After their first few scenes together, their relationship started to make sense, and I was really rooting for their motives. 
I also really enjoyed all of the twists on the classic Cinderella story. I could tell the author put a lot of thought into how the original Cinderella was going to shape this world, and how to change it into something different surprise. (I can’t go into too much about this, since it would be a spoiler to tell you which parts are the twisted ones, but I really appreciated the twists.)
The middle of the story was a bit slow to read at times, but around the last 100 pages, everything really picked up again with the twists, and that made me happy.

The Other Stuff: 
Around Chapter 11 (30% in), the excitement and repetitiveness kicked in simultaneously. Things were starting to get more serious, but I could not help but feel like it was an obstacle that Sophia had been facing in most other chapters up until that point. I think I just wanted to slow down and get to know Sophia a bit more. 
By Chapter 15, I still felt the same way. Another main character had been introduced, and I still knew nothing about Sophia except that she (rightfully) hated the way women were treated in their kingdom, and had a few friends. Also, the contrast between descriptions of them and the descriptions of the other characters was distracting. I think I kind of lost interest at this point, mostly because I’m a very character-driven reader, and if I don’t connect with the character, nothing else will work for me, either. 
In short, I simply wanted more character development.

Minor Spoiler Section: 
I’m including the following “spoilers” because I feel like they can easily turn someone off from a book, but I’m trying my best not to be specific. 
Click here to view the spoilers (although I promise they’re not that spoilery).
* After a while, I got really tired of every single man being complete trash (with the exception of two particular men). The king in particular was ruthless, but as he is the villain, I’m not bothered by that – I’m bothered by the numerous other random men and their remarks. I get that this was done to show how harmful the patriarchy ideals were to the kingdom, but every man Sophia encountered had only one personality trait: thinking of women as objects. There was very little variety to the things these men said, and there was only one man who was bad, but not as bad as the others. (I don’t know, maybe I’m just too critical. Or maybe I just wanted some of the women to be mean, too. Or, for the men to at least have some variety to their terrible comments.
* In my opinion, this book contains some bits of insta-love, and I really felt no connection to it at all. Sometimes insta-love is okay, if done right, but I just wasn’t feeling it. 

In Conclusion: 
While there were definitely a lot of cool aspects to this story, I feel like I was way too harsh on other aspects (such as the things I mentioned in the minor spoiler section and the lack of further character development), and that really brought my mindset down. But, because I recognize I was being too picky about those things, I’m going to bring my rating up and just take this book for what it was originally intended to be. 
I really enjoyed the fact that the main character is Black, and that she was shamelessly in love with her best friend and really stuck to her beliefs. I also loved the twists that were included, based on the original Cinderella. 
In the end, this is a twisted story to about what could have happened 200 years after Cinderella’s death, and how one girl set out to overthrow the patriarchy. It was a fun take on an old fairytale, and I liked it. 

3.5 stars. 

On average, I rate books between 3 and 4 stars. I rarely ever go below 3 stars, and I also almost ever go above 4 stars. I rate books on how I feel about them, and if I rated it between 3 and 4 stars, that means I liked it!

This is the kind of re-telling I love. The story we knew was a farce and the real story is so much more inspiring. We get a strong black female character with a f/f romance. You've got to love a story where the main character is literally trying to bring down the patriarchy.

Why I liked it:
I appreciated that the original story was kept in tact, but that the author played with the interpretation of events. I think that Sophia is a well-developed character and the reader is invested in her personal growth throughout the story. There are some emotionally gutting moments in the story that the reader feels as viscerally as Sophia does. I also appreciated that Sophia's inner monologue directly addresses what might feel like inauthentic moments in the plot. In particular, I appreciate how Sophia's feelings about the witch are expressed in the story. Up until it was put on the page, I found her acceptance of Amina to be a little too convenient, but Bayron gives the inner monologue the authenticity that was lacking a little in the dialogue.

I really appreciate that we get a Cinderella (both in the character of Sophia and the original Cinderella) who is more of a warrior. I know Disney likes their happy, uncomplicated endings, but I like a Cinderella who has a little more depth to aspire to. The Cinderella that we get in this story suffered a terrible fate, but she was a fighter who was trying to do what was right for her people. Admirable.

What I would like to change:
We get thrown right into the story here, and that was pretty disorienting for me as the reader. We get a lot of information dumped on us at the very beginning, which feels a little awkward because the book is 400 pages long. I was left wondering what the rush was and it made the first part of the story feel clunky. Once that initial portion was over, we moved on to a little more action.

I also didn't love Erin's development in the story. I felt like the character was sacrificed but that her motivations didn't line up with what the reader was told about her. She's in a relationship with Sophia up until the ball and then she suddenly shuts it all down? Her first foray into marriage is with a highly abusive man and she doesn't take an opportunity to run? I can understand her staying if the pattern of abuse was more established, but by all accounts she had a good home life and a reason to believe in Sophia. I just didn't quite buy into that part as a reader.

3.50 Stars. I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings so this was one of my more anticipated books of the year. I noticed that the early reviews seemed to be a bit mixed. People either loved the book or didn’t seem to like it much at all. I was wondering where I was going to fall and it looks like I came in right in the middle. I liked the read but I didn’t love it like I was hoping to.

I thought the premise was great and I liked this unique spin on Cinderella. The problem I had was that I was hoping for more world building. Maybe it’s the fantasy geek in me but that is always important to me. Because the world building was lacking, the world seemed so small. A Kingdom, and some woods and that were basically it. There is talk about a book that one of the character’s families made on their travels. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really lead to anything which is a shame because I loved the potential there.

I also thought that the characters could use some meat on them. I liked the main Sophia and I liked that she wanted to take down the evil patriarchy, but why? Just because she doesn’t like how crappy things are. I wanted to know what really drove her, where her inner strength came from and I wanted to see her character grow more. This was so very similar to the world building because what was there about the characters were nice, but I wanted and needed more.

I was very happy with the pace of the book. Even at times when I was a little frustrated or I thought something was too predictable, I was still flying through the pages. The story is very easy to read and it never bogged down anywhere. Any fantasy fan knows how fantasy can slow way down, so this pace was a pleasant surprise.

There is a WLW romance in this book. I don’t know why but every romance in a YA fantasy I have been reading lately has been too insta-love. This is a fairytale and I expected quick, but this was too fast. One look and our main is over her ex in a heartbeat. On the good side, if you can get past the insta-love, I found the romance to be sweet. If only it had more time for a connection to build I would have enjoyed it so much more.

My favorite part ended up being a person and that was the fairy godmother. I loved the twist from the story of what she actually was. I won’t go into much here since I don’t want to spoiler anything but she was the best part of this book for me. Finally, the book didn’t seem so predictable and she was by far the most interesting character. There was some good stuff in this book with tons of potential, but it just didn’t all come together.

This ended up being a slightly above average YA fantasy read for me. There are issues with this story but I think I would still recommend this to fans of fairytale retellings. It’s very readable with a nice fast pace, just be prepared for some bumps.

Special thanks to Bloomsbury for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Y'all, I just LOVED this book. Apparently, a badass retelling of Cinderella is just what I need in my life.

We meet Sofia. She's living in Cinderella's kingdom, 200 years after the ball that started it all. Things are way different. The King is controlling & young girls are taken to a ball when they are around 16. Basically men have their first pick at them. Throw in poverty, magic & desperation. Parents are trying to make sure their daughters look their best at the ball to ensure their livelihood. We meet Sofia, who happens to be in love with her female friend & instantly I feel for her & want her out of this Kingdom.

I'm not giving up any more of the plot. If you're into fairy tales, don't mind a bit of magic & want a story where young women are fighting for their freedom, then Cinderella is Dead is for you!

Cinderella Is Dead takes place in a universe existing approximately 200 years after Cinderella, as we know her from fairy tale/Disney princess canon, has done her Cinderella Happily Ever After thing. In Cinderella-verse, all girls in the kingdom (although it did seem to be one very specific town?) are forced to go to a ball and get chosen as wives for menfolk. Girls who go a few balls without being chosen are relegated to the lowest eschalons of palace drudgery - or worse. No one openly questions this tradition, and any who show a semblance of backbone are quickly executed.

Anyway, this year, 16 year old Sophia gets her invite to the ball and is actively not having it. Fed up with the status quo and the lack of autonomy for all female citizens, Sophia flees the annual ball and concocts a plan to change the kingdom forever. Of course, she gets some help along with the way from a mysterious outcast with a fateful family lineage and a fairy godmother.

Cinderella is Dead is an interesting premise for turning the traditional "Disney Princess/HEA" literary theme on its head. And I think that Cinderella is Dead is filled with some clever characters and well drawn back story. However, my main issue with this book is that it should have absolutely been split up into two or even three separate installments. Time moves SO quickly, lots of situations could be explained in so much more depth, more backstory and character experiences could be expanded upon, and the lore of this story would have only benefitted. Some of the transitions are so abrupt that its jarring. A journey back into town that readers find out will take three days in one sentence is over in the following sentence. I also feel that this story can easily tread into heavy-handedness when it comes to hand-feeding its readers the morals of the story.

While Cinderella is Dead has lots of important ideas, I would have liked to see more room for the plots and characters to grow, making the story more engaging and moving. Liked the overall thematic points but the execution missed the mark for me.

4 stars — Yet another book that I was wary of when I started…just wasn’t immediately sucked in, you know? Kept wondering where it was going to go. But somewhere along the way I did get sucked in, and I desperately wanted to know details of the mystery. I think this is probably a 3.75 star book for me, but since that’s even more impossible to indicate than half stars, I’m just going to be generous.

It was great to have an ownvoices aspect to this story, but I will say that Sophia being black really didn’t play into the narrative at all (it’s just nice having a black heroine). But the LGBT aspect played a HUGE role. I appreciated the role it played, and only occasionally did it feel like the allusions to present day were a bit heavy handed…otherwise it was pretty smooth and eye opening.

I was worried a bit about the romance in this one, particularly given Erin. But I thought that was all handled very well, and it was really cute watching Sophia and Constance develop feelings, and navigate a new potential relationship. Their romance didn’t play a major role, but their orientation definitely did.

As far as the retelling aspect, this is obviously not exactly a retelling so much as a “what happens after”, and “maybe we didn’t have all the facts” type of story. But I’m still classifying it as a retelling, because the story plays a MAJOR role in the plot.

There were certain aspects of the story that, as a READER, were so obvious it was actually painful when none of the characters saw it. Why can’t they just be reading this book and seeing all the clues the way I am? I’m a bit impatient that way, so that was…occasionally frustrating. But there were plenty of other aspects of the mystery that I *totally* did NOT guess, and kept me on my toes! I kind of loved a few of the explanations in this one, it really made me think and want to keep reading.

There are some heavy themes involving domestic violence, the toxic elements of inequality among the genders, and all that falls out of that. I appreciated the way it presented how good people can feel hopeless and thus allow a bad situation to continue.

All in all, I was entertained and kept on my toes. And the side romance didn’t hurt at all. I feel like I’ve been generous in my reading lately (and how I’m rating this), so I bet a couple months ago Lenore would have rated this one more 3.5, but still a fun ride.

It is time for Sophia to go to the Annual Ball, where men pick their wives based on their display of finery. That is what they do in Lille to honor CInderella. But Sophia doesn't believe in all that, she doesn't want to get married to some random man, she much rather prefers to spend the rest of her life with her childhood best friend Erin. When the Ball turns out to be worse than she ever expected, Sophia finds herself fleeing the castle and hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There she meets Constance, the last person who knows the true story. Together they vow to put an end to the cruel king of Lille and his rules.
It is a beautiful retelling, that takes place 200 years after Cinderella's death. It a fast-paced, full of action book, with a cute lesbian love story. It has strong female characters that are very relatable and just like all storytelling it has a very hateful villain. This book has so many messages hidden in its pages and so much to give to its readers.
Overall I really enjoyed Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron, I think she did a fantastic job and I would recommend everyone to read it.

Cinderella is dead is about a girl in a society where women are expected to behave like Cinderella in the beloved (well, they're forced to love it) fairy-tale: wait until you're somethingth birthday and then you must go to a ball to be chosen by a boy/man/grandpa who you will be forced to obey for the rest of your life. Those who refuse are executed. When our main character falls in love with another girl instead of waiting to be chosen at the ball, she decides it's time for a change.

I saw this book ages ago on Netgalley and while I love the cover (and don't be afraid to chose a book by it's cover, kids!), I'm pretty over anything to do with Cinderella as I feel as though I've read around 8 million re-tellings in the last five years or so. Then, I heard some folks from Bloomsbury talk about this book at a recent conference, and I was sold! Unfortunately, though, there was way too much Cinderella in it for me to truly enjoy it. The worldbuilding and plot waffled between being creative and a bit silly. The characters were one-dimensional and the romance unearned. That said, I think the book's audience, younger teens, will enjoy it, so I'll definitely be recommending it.

This is the perfect book for younger teens who just can't get enough of Cinderella or who are looking to make the jump from middle grade to young adult fiction. For this older reader, the coolness of the author's innovation with the Cinderella fairytale was outweighed by bland characters and forced romance. 2 stars - it was ok.

Thanks to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for the eARC which I received for an unbiased review.

This book was such a fun ride. Filled with suspense and action, it's such a great read. Sometimes the pacing felt very fast, but it works for this book. I'm always a fan of the twisted fairy tale, and this one was sufficiently twisted.

<i>arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

DNF

I’m so sad about the fact that I am dnfing this! I really wanted to love it but I just had a hard time getting into the story. I really just found myself getting bored and not connecting with the characters and their story.

I definitely think this book is important with the queer and poc representation!

This just wasn’t the book for me but if you enjoy retellings with a strong, independent main character, you’ll love this one!

TW: homophobia, domestic abuse, assault

I absolutely love fairytale retellings and this one didn't disappoint!! This was the perfect story for my camping trip this past weekend. Such a unique take on a classic with a female love interest. Sophia is a strong independent woman willing to smash all the constructs in her country. I was rooting for her the entire story. I personally would have liked to see the love story develop more deeply, but overall this was a great read. Pick it up on release day tomorrow and support an incredible black author. Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this eARC.

The cover definitely caught my attention, as did the premise. You know I’m always ready for a fresh new take on an old fairy tale, especially when it incorporates diverse characters. In this story, Sophia is queer and Black, and there are other LGBT characters featured throughout the story. The fairy tale of Cinderella has been used to create a twisted patriarchy that is not only oppressive, but dangerous to people who don’t fit into what society expects of them.

Despite the book being 400 pages, I flew through this in just a few hours. It was a fast-paced read. I liked Sophia’s character right away — she’s smart, tough, practical, and the type of girl who thinks for herself even in a society where this is unacceptable. This isn’t always a good thing, but I’m a firm believer in the fact that even the best characters have flaws. I struggle to identify with characters who are perfect.

“I picture myself being paraded through the streets in shackles, maybe even stuffed into a cage in the center of town where Lille’s people are so often made to endure public humiliation as penance for stepping off the beaten path.”

In a world where there are severe consequences for being different, Sophia isn’t willing to change who she is to fit into society’s expectations. She doesn’t understand why the system is set up the way it is, and decides that rather than changing herself to fit the mold, she’s going to break the system and free not only herself, but all the people who suffer under this tyrannical, patriarchal system. The story addresses such important issues that we face in our everyday world, such as toxic masculinity, domestic violence, patriarchy, and homophobia, but I didn’t feel like it was done in an overly heavy-handed way.

I really liked how the entire fairy tale of Cinderella was explored and reimagined from a different perspective. Each of the characters in the fairy tale was turned upside down and no one was portrayed as they were originally. I did feel like the story was a bit predictable. I guessed most of the plot twists, although there was one that got me. Even so, the story was a great one, and I’d definitely recommend it.

The language was deceptively mild in this dark retelling of Cinderella. It was an enchanting story with real-world problems and emotions, and a society built on tyranny. This story was violent and dark and the feelings throughout the novel were entirely relatable in today's age of judgement. While the society itself was extreme, the views on homosexuality and women's rights were realistic and troubling. These issues, while far more blatant in the novel, show that we as a society have a long way to go toward acceptance and equality. I thought this was a beautifully written reflection of this.

This novel would be a great choice for those who love retellings with a dark twist, magic, and love. I look forward to other novels by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing a copy of this e-book for review.