Cinderella is Dead is a continuation of the classic Cinderella that we all know so well.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. Sophia was a fun, determined MC who refused to conform to a reality where she was diminished/kept silent. This story was ripe with representation (f/f, BIPOC, feminist) and I loved seeing the women push back against the patriarchy. Tons of girl power here that I loved. This book started out very strong.

I, however, found the plot to be very one-note. I found myself reading similar passages multiple times across different parts of the book. I would have liked to read less of that repetition, and have the world expanded more to make the reasoning behind the villain more believable.

The insta-love trope is not a favorite of mine, but that’s more of a personal preference.

The ending was peculiar to me. A bit predictable (with one twist I didn’t catch) and it needed more. Everything was wrapped up very fast, and I felt like an additional few chapters of the resolution would have taken this book to the next level. I really am not a fan of rushed endings like that that take place in a letter/diary/journal log of some sort. There were a lot of loose ends that were not tied up.

I also caught a reference to additional fairy tales not being what they seemed, and would like to see if the author will expand this world eventually with more companion books to Cinderella is Dead.
All in all, I would recommend reading this book. It’s very relevant and you’ll love Sophia for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun retelling! I loved the world Bayron built. I would have liked a little more depth from a couple of characters, but overall, this was a great YA novel. The plot was engaging, and I liked the dark and twisty elements of the plot.

I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Cinderella is Dead has a wonderful premise where our characters live 200 years after the demise of Cinderella. Sophia our main character is in love with her best friend, Erin - which is a forbidden romance. Each year there is a ball where the women of the city has to attend, and find a suitable match.
In my opinion this was very lackluster because it tried so hard to include various topics that it did not know where to focus. We have homophobia, sexism, racism etc. and it felt like the author tried too hard to include everything.
Sophia was not a lovable character and I found her very annoying, and she was very fickle in her romance.
As this was a short book, I finished it. Whereas if it was much larger, I feel like a) the author could have explored more of the topics better, and b) I probably would have DNF'ed the book.
It was really disappointing to me unfortunately.

Here's a sentence I never expected to type: I thought the slightly goofy premise of a kingdom centered around/driven by the story of Cinderella was pretty well balanced by the serious portrayal of the misogyny/patriarchal structure (which wasn't exactly subtly drawn, but, hey, neither was The Handmaid's Tale, or The Power, or Vox).

However, I would echo other reviewers in the disappointment in regards to the weak world-building (there's very little sense of culture other than the patriarchal laws, obsession with Cinderella, and a vague occasional Frenchiness, and not a lot of information on how the local area is involved with other cities, countries, etc. and what other people who don't live in this kingdom think of the whole Cinderella thing), the insta-love relationship, and the generally poorly defined characters.

I did like that Sophia already had a strong sense of her own sexuality (this isn't really a coming out story) but I thought the two romances were pretty underdone: Erin didn't have much of a personality beyond "Sophia's scared friend who she's in love with," and while Constance was drawn more strongly, just being the two somewhat well-rounded characters isn't really a basis for a relationship.

The twist toward the end did surprise me and brought some extra interest, but didn't entirely tally with the rest of the book, and overall I found the ending a little pat.

Try for readers looking for darker but more empowering fairy tale retellings.

This story gets a 5/5 for diversity that more authors need to find and develop as our times change. That being said, I give the whole story a 3/5 for a couple different reasons. I love the story and concept of a world who follows in the story of Cinderella’s footsteps, it is entirely original. But the center of the book lulled quite drastically and I almost did a DNF. The magic in the book deals greatly with necromancy and the detail given I believe is above the appropriate age level of those who would be reading this story. I read a lot of books that have magic, but this felt altogether too real and made me uncomfortable. The twist at the end of the story is really good, and one most readers will not see coming!

And that is how you do a retelling my friends!
This story starts 200 years after Cinderella died and tells us of how the world was changed by that fateful night at the ball.
Just enough details from the original fairytale to satiate my inner child; she encouraged an entirely new plot-line for me to follow.
This was genius and I look forward to getting to know Kalynn Bayron's back catalogue.
Much love to NetGalley & Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for my DRC.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

I had quite a few expectations for this Sapphic feminist retelling of Cinderella with a black girl but it was a tad disappointing. The book follows Sophia, a 16 yr old girl living in the very same Kingdom where Cinderella met her prince Charming, the place which now has a decree in which all girls of age must attend a ball to find their very own "prince charming". It's a book about a black girl that loves girls and wants women to be treated like humans instead of property.

The book is very fast paced and it took me a day to read it, it quickly moves from one scene to another. Sadly, due to that same very aspect it's also very shallow. The author doesn't really develop her characters or setting beyond a name and one defining characteristic, the book feels very surface level and you can't really connect with the characters. Another issue I had is that it's not very subtle, it explains you things that are easy to understand and throws things in your face to make a statement.

On the good side, I feel like this book is great for a younger YA audience! The messages within the book are certainly great and it has a certain feel to it that you can't help but agree with.

I do recommend this book, I was just expecting more from it.

I enjoyed this retelling! I loved the Black and queer rep and the twist the author did with this hugely popular fairytale. It was darker and was aimed toward crushing the patriarchy and misogyny. The treatment toward women from men in this book was horrifying, but not far fetched which is so incredibly sad to admit. I only wish we got to see more action and more of where the story goes/picks up at the end. I think a really good sequel could be made based off of the ending and I would love to read more!

**Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I love fairy tale reimaginings, but I found Cinderella is Dead to be a bit lackluster. The premise was incredibly promising, but I found the story as a hole was pretty generic and bland. The world-building, the characters, the themes - I just felt like it had all been done before.

This book makes me want to take my (non-existent) girlfriend and smash the patriarchy. Like, more than I usually do.

This is the story of Sophia. Sophia lives in the fairy tale land of Mersailles, which is ruled by the evil, sexist (and I think white) King Manford. Sophia loves girls and has a pseudo-girlfriend, Erin, who Sophia is trying to get to run away with her. Erin refuses, due to the pressures of society. This is the kingdom that Cinderella once lived in, and every year, in her honor, a ball is held where the menfolk can take any woman they like and marry her. Sophia, being an intelligent girl, is all fuck this shit and runs away from the ball. While on the run, she meets Constance and thus begins an adventure to Save the Kingdom from Patriarchy. Go, team!

So, yes, my summary is a bit glib, but it does pretty much encompass the story of the book. I am excited for girls to get their hands on this because: A) our protagonist is a beautiful smart black girl who loves other girls, and B) while at times almost heavy-handed, the theme of smash the patriarchy runs throughout this book is so vital for teen readers of any gender. Sophia constantly points out the discrepancies in power that exist between men and women in the kingdom, and while this is set in a fairy tale land, many of these discrepancies exist in our world today. This book is a great vehicle for opening up and beginning those awkward conversations. It can also serve as an introduction for teen readers to realize that oh, hey, these aspects of life aren't fair and these things should be fixed.

This book's plot does move super, super quickly though, which is why I knocked it down to 3.5 stars. There were times I had to go back and re-read a page or 5 because I had no clue where I was in the story or what had happened. Also, while I will never, ever bitch about there being too many female protagonists in a book, sometimes the use of her/she gets a little confusing because you're not sure who exactly said or did something.

Holy crap!

This is the dark, dystopian fairy tale of my dreams! CINDERELLA IS DEAD is a lushly imagined exploration of the Cinderella tale that turns everything we thought we knew on it's head. Sophia is one of my favorite protagonists that I've read in a long time--sharp and witty, full of fire and willing to fight for everything she loves. This book is a relentless look at how the stories we tell shape the world around us, and what we must do to break the chains they make.

In this remixed Cinderella story Sophia is just a girl in love with her best friend Erin and wants nothing to do with the stupid traditions of the Kingdom of Lillie. There is an annual ball that all girls of age must attend and then they must be selected by a suitor or else they can be forfeit. There was so much about finding agency and people sitting quietly while knowing the things that are happening around them are wrong just because it's tradition. I really enjoyed the author's take on these topics and the female/female romance was so cute in the story. I definitely will be recommending this book.

I loved this! I loved the taking of such a famous cautionary tale and the way it was spun to really look at how stories can be spun out of context for the purpose of serving other's. This book really takes the notion of women/female abuse and degradation by men and the patriarchal system. This is a book any girl or boy should read because it's showing how a people/ group can be oppressed by others and how stories can be used to fuel that system is very crucial to understand. It's great writing, great characters , a great narrative. I loved this book and it's so representative, it's a crucial work to have on our shelves.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this book.
This book takes the idea of Cinderella and Prince Charming and considers the idea that maybe there wasn't a happily ever after.
It has been 200 hundred years since Cinderella died and now the girls of Lillie are required to attend the annual ball once they turn 16, they have 3 chances to be chosen before they are forfeit. The women have not power and must be meek and follow their husbands in all things.
Sophia, does not want to be chosen rather she wants the freedom to be with Erin the girl she loves.
This was an interesting book with a surprise at the very end. I figured out how the king was getting his powers pretty early on but that didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I loved how strong the girls were and that really all they wanted was to live their loves on their own terms.
The idea of complacency and just accepting the status quo was important and resontants in our society today.
Great concept and execution.

Cinderella is dead. She has been for over two hundred years. And her legacy of a happy ever after lives on in the town of Lille. Much to the horror of the women who live there. Each year eligible women are to attend the ball where suitors lay claim on them. Id they are not chosen they have two more chances before they become “forfeit” and sent to the workhouse - or worse.

This gripping tale will take hold of you instantly and won’t let go. It was such a relevant story line for times like now where women still have to fight for their freedom . The love story here was a great addition but didn’t distract from a thrilling and important story

What a fantastic book. I didn’t fully know what I was getting into when I got it from Netgalley—only knowing it was sapphic and had something to do with Cinderella. I adore this idea of using the Grimms fairy tale version of Cinderella as the bases of a patriarchal society. The Cinderella story is this society’s bible. What a cool concept! And I loved the execution of it. Sophia is a great character. She’s strong and independent. And Constance is just the coolest. The two perfect girls to take down the patriarchy! Also it’s gay which makes every book better.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not going to lie, when I saw that I was accepted to read Cinderella Is Dead I most definitely screamed and geeked out. I was a giddy kid and weirdly enough wanted to watch all the Cinderella movies known to man. After reading this, I will definitely do that very thing.

In this, you will meet Sophia who is a 16 year old girl. She is stubborn and in love with a girl named Erin. Unfortunately, their romance is forbidden and they are about to be apart of a ball where a man can and will probably claim them. Sophia definitely deserves way better than Erin, friendship and/or romance wise - I'm just saying.

I honestly enjoyed the heck out of this retelling. There was just something about this version and how so many little details could somehow blow my mind. One thing I didn't see coming was the ending, well - some of it.

Along the way, we do get to know some hidden truths and we get a new character to fall in love with. I definitely enjoyed everything about Constance in this book. She was just a little spitfire and I fell in love with her instantly.

In the end, this was such a good book. Definitely a page turner, gives you a couple to SHIP, and it was amazingly addicting to read.

This book had a lot of potential and I would still really recommend this if you are interested in it but I did have some problems with this book. The ending felt a bit anticlimactic and quick. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the romance. I mean, it could have been so fucking cute and amazing but I just think it was very underdeveloped. There were also some moments I wasn't really interested. A lot of the wolrd building was done in an info-dumpy way and just dragged things out a bit. But overall this is a pretty quick and engaging read, set in a dark fairy-taley world. It does very interesting things with the original tale of Cinderella and TRULY switched it on its head. I quite liked out characters and even though some parts of the story were predictable I had a great time reading this. So yeah, it's a not a great book but also not a bad one, an automatic three star.

Read the book in one evening! Could not put it down.
If you like Dystopian books or dark retellings of fairy tales, this is for you.
Lots of action and adventure and magic.
Strong female characters overcoming their awful circumstances.
Age appropriate for High School and up.

This is no normal re-telling! This fresh take, a "remix" if you will, was SO. GOOD. It was unlike any Cinderella story I've ever read before. It never stops with the surprises and will leave you gasping at every page!</p>


It's been 200 years and Cinderella is dead. Now the teen girls in the land must go to a ball with the current prince to be matched with someone. If they don't find a match, they disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Sophia is not satisfied with that. She runs and ends up at Cinderella's grave.... Where she meets someone else that's not supposed to be there. Together they vow to do whatever they can to make some changes around their land.

This is definitely not your average re-telling. I finally REALLY get what L.L. McKinney was talking about in the Juneteenth Bookfest when she called stories like this a "remix." The elements of the story are there, but the story itself is NOTHING like what you saw on Disney movies. And that makes it all the more better for me. I LOVED the things she changed and I loved seeing the way it all tied into the story. This was a very cool, dark, and twisted Cinderella that I fell into. I couldn't stop reading it. I was hooked from the very beginning. </p>


The only thing I had a real issue with was the plot. In the beginning it was very slow going and the only thing happening was what was in the synopsis. And that was until like 50% of the book. But I was still so intrigued by the concept and what else she was going to do with the story that I kept reading when normally I would have DNF'ed. And as cliche as it sounds, I'm so glad I did! This story was super entertaining and really had me sitting on the edge of my seat! It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it REALLY does. I won't tell you what's the in the story, because you won't believe me. You'll just have to read it to find out.

The characters were my favorite thing about this story. Sophia is fierce and feeling wise she seemed a lot like me. She just wanted equity for everyone. And then there's Constance. She was definitely like me from her toughness. I remember writing down a quote of hers and laughing because I could see myself actually saying that too. I saw myself in both of them, and I don't normally connect with more than one character in a book. That showed me that Bayron really fleshed these characters out.


I also wish there was more world building. I know the story Cinderella, and I've watched the movie, and I know what a marketplace is, etc. , but I wanted to see more of this through Sophia's eyes. She doesn't really take a look around her. It's more of a telling versus a showing. But it didn't bother me as much because as I said, I've seen the movies and am familiar with the story and the places that are in the story.


The ending of this story was also a win for me. I remember being scared at about 85% because I didn't feel like there was much book left for the amount of questions that I needed answered and things that needed to happen. But in the end, everything that needed to happen did and though it felt a bit rushed, it wasn't too bad. Bayron still devotes time to the big reveals and I promise you, you won't see most of them coming. But it all came together in the end.

This "remix" of Cinderella was everything I needed it to be. It wasn't perfect, but with original idea and the perfect characters, and the wild twists and turns you never see coming, it came pretty close. I hope to see more of this in Bayron's future. I would really enjoy seeing her revisit all the timeless classics we know and love and making us look at them through fresh eyes.