This book was interesting, but ultimately, I'm giving it 3-stars. It was a decent reimagining, but for me, the plot was too slow and there were places where things could have been built up a little better. Cinderella has been dead for 200 years, but what happens when the fairytale isn't all that it's cracked up to be? Especially if you're 16-year-old Sophia, who would rather have Erin, her childhood love, than a life where she isn't even considered a second-class citizen. It is so hard reimagining a story that's been handed down through the ages, but I wish there has been a little more world-building and better pacing. This book contains a lot of misogyny, physical abuse and talk of suicide, so beware if you are sensitive to these subject matters

What if everything you knew about Cinderella was wrong? In this dystopian fantasy, Cinderella’s story has become a twisted tool to subjugate women and children. The kingdom of Lille strictly and harshly enforces laws to ensure that girls participate in a warped version of the Cinderella ball and accept their submissive and controlled roles in life, even when maltreated and abused.

Sophia, the protagonist, rejects these inequalities from a young age. She hates that women are “at the mercy of the fickle whims of men.” Sophia dreams of a life where she can be free – free to make her own decisions, free to love any girl she desires, and free from the unbelievable constraints put upon all women. See witnesses the burdens that women in Lille carry, and she hopes for something better.

Her dreams become a possibility when she escapes from the clutches of the kingdom and meets Constance, the last known relative of Cinderella’s step-sister. With Constance, Sophia learns the true Cinderella story, not the flowery glorified version she learned in Lille. She also meets someone from Cinderella’s past who can help her figure out what is really going on in Lille.

Cinderella is Dead is an entertaining and immersive story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The vivid setting and dynamic characters captivated me from the start, and I was curious to see how the author could “retell” this classic fairy tale.

She did it perfectly.

Bayron took what we know of the story and turned it on its head. Was the fairy godmother really benevolent? Was Prince Charming really Charming? How did Cinderella’s parents really die? The story answers all of these questions and more in a way that creates a fantastical, action-packed read filled with vivid imagery and strong symbolism.

The protagonist is a fabulous young heroine. Independent and strong, Sophia is fearless in her quest for equality. She is young, fierce, and occasionally impulsive, which leads her into some interesting situations. She also refuses to believe that her feelings are wrong. She loves a girl, which is prohibited in Lille, and Sophia rejects this prejudice. She knows her worth and fights to save herself from societal oppression.

Sophia won’t rest at just saving herself, however. She wants to save the kingdom and invoke change in this harsh and cruel society. She wants all women to be free from fear and abuse and to control their future. She wants the boys to grow up knowing that abusing women is wrong and to teach them honorable ways of living and respecting people.

When women in Lille go missing with no explanation, Sophia is even more determined to get answers and invoke change. Ultimately, she wants to stand up for what is right and convince others to stand with her to fight the misogyny of Lille.

Cinderella is Dead is a captivating feminist retelling of the Cinderella story with a cleverly constructed dystopian twist. A wonderful blend of action, romance, mystery, and suspense, this exceptional and fantastical page-turner is a must-read!

This book is not your mother's Cinderella retelling. Combining classic fairy tales with a dystopian future and revolution brewing, Kalynn Bayron combines some of the best storytelling tropes into this futuristic take on the consequences of that night long ago.

In Cinderella is Dead, we see girls forced to relive and repeat the traditions of the past without agency and without hope. All of that changes with Sophia and her chance encounter with Constance, the last living heir of Cinderella, and they vow to bring it all down.

The best description of this book I have seen is, "queer black girls team up to overthrow the patriarchy in the former kingdom of Cinderella" and if that doesn't hook you I don't know what will!

Rating: 4

This book was really entertaining and engaging. I felt pulled into the world and shared the opinions of how messed up the world was with the main character. The characters were very developed and I found them believable. The setting could have used more descriptions, but it was still fairly easy to imagine what the village looked like. The ending of this book was amazing as well!

Sometimes the main character did seem a bit naive and the romance felt kind of sudden. It was a little jarring at times how infatuated the main character was because the romance was so sudden.

This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA.

A very fun read! I enjoyed the twists and elaborations on Cinderella's tale, and how it was used to build the world Sophia lived in. The cruelty inherent to the system was truly pushed about, and those who saw the jagged edge felt fleshed out enough, not mere caricatures for cruelty.

I enjoyed the twist, and I hope to find other similar stories written by the writer in the future!

I adore retellings of fairy tales. Add in a mystery and a feminist POV and I'm totally there for it.

Oh, Contrived. How saddened I am to see how large a role you played in this book. <em>Cinderella is Dead </em>by Kalynn Bayron turned out to be a strong fizzle if I ever saw one. And it's a <em>massive</em> shame, really,  because this book had too promising of a start to fall apart just as all the action begins. Once my most anticipated book of the year, it kind of broke my heart when I added <em>Cinderella is Dead</em> to my 'wasted potential' shelf on Goodreads.

Now, don't let that turn you away, though. While I say that this book is contrived and flop-ish, <em>Cinderella is Dead</em> is actually pretty brilliant on an ideas level. The plot? Phenomenal. The setup? Brilliant. The execution? Well, here's where we get a little off. What I mean to say is, <em>Cinderella is Dead</em> began so beautifully. It was kind of exceptional. Had the same level of writing quality existed throughout the course of the entire novel, this would have easily been a five star read for me.

So, what happened?

The Cinderella of this story is actually not the protagonist, rather we meet young Sophia who lives in a world where an extremely patriarchal society controls the lives of women entirely. They are worth little more than property, bought at a ball under the guise of getting their very own "Cinderella" stories. After which they are no longer their father's property, but rather they belong to their new husbands. Sophia, who has been in love with her best friend Erin for the majority of her sixteen years, wants nothing to do with the ceremony that will give her away to whichever man chooses her.

Sounds brilliant, right?

And it was. The novel quickly introduces readers to this disturbing world of Sophia's. Everywhere she goes the Cinderella story is touted in a biblical manner. Girls regularly conform themselves to the patriarchal laws of the land, piously living their lives in the hope that a fairy godmother will visit her and bestow the same glamor Cinderella once had bestowed upon her. The ugly stepsisters are to be feared. Men are to be worshipped and desired. At the age of sixteen, all women are expected to attend a royal ball in which they will be chosen by one of the men of their society. Some of these men have even forfeited their wives to come for a new, younger one. And Sophia is having none of it.

When the night of her ball arrives, Sophia finds herself dreading it more than anything in the world. And while the arrival of neighbor Luke, who shares a secret similar to Sophia's, presents the opportunity for relief from some of the societal expectations, that relief is quickly dashed by the claim of a more prominent male member of society. Within moments, Sophia is running--an act that will be punished greatly--and soon finds herself in Cinderella's tomb. It is here that she meets a young woman descended from Cinderella's family with secrets of her own about the truth behind the Cinderella story everyone thinks they know.


Bayron actually does a pretty exceptional job with the start of her novel. Readers quickly become immersed in the world, thoroughly invested in what happens to the characters. There's a dark mystery behind Cinderella that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat as you work to decipher the clues the book sets forth. The biggest one, admittedly, I found out very early on and you will, too, so long as you're paying close enough attention. One thing, however, did genuinely surprise me.

What went wrong, then?

Where everything really flopped was at the inclusion of the fairy godmother. To keep this spoiler-free, I will merely say that every instance in which the fairy godmother came up in the story after Sophia's ball was <em>terrible</em>. It derailed the story so many times that I honestly, at times, felt like I was reading a fanfiction of a series in which the first part was the novel written by the author and the middle was someone's attempt at completing it.

Sophia and Constance's journey really spoke of two girls with <em>no idea</em> where to really begin their quest. A shot in the dark that made only some sense works out in the end and ultimately leads to a lot of poorly written scenes. Both of our leading ladies enjoy a depressingly irritating loss of character development. Where I had <em>loved</em> Constance initially, after a certain point her commentary became annoying. Where Sophia seemed strong at first, she loses some of it as the novel shifts to focus on her being soft and empathetic (and "special" as another character says).

Also, I'm sorry, but what in the hell was the ritual in the woods about?

High-quality writing returns as we near the end.

In many ways, the plot of this story is wonderful. It's just the right amount of dark and mysterious mixed in with some adventure and romance. The secret behind Cinderella's truths was sufficiently creepy and devastating. The final battle, while definitely employing a little deus ex machina, was not altogether unenjoyable.

The finale was actually quite good. I had a great time reading it. It's dark and disturbing but, best of all, it's suspenseful. If this story is to shock you, the culmination of the entire story is where you are most like to find it. Sophia does not disappoint once throughout the entire thing. I even stopped finding Constance increasingly irritating and started to like her again.

Then, in the last few pages, it disappears again.

The fight is over, the conflict ends. Suddenly we're back to characters who <em>have no idea </em>what to do.

There's a reason, to write well, you should write what you know. Melding the politics of a kingdom into some perfect ending is difficult in the best of circumstances, but it was immediately clear to me that the author had no idea how to conclude her story with regards to the world she had built. Realistically, it never would have ended as cookie-cutter as she made it to.

Frankly, I could have done without the confrontation outside of the palace and the poorly written, child-like all-is-well epilogue that came next. The story suffered for having it.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

WHAT AN AMAZING STORY!!!!!! YES!!!! You won't regret picking up a copy!!!! My attention was held the entire time. Strong characters. Great plot. Amazing imagery. Everyone should read it!

Wow. What an amazing read. I loved the characters and the writing really surprised me.I highly recommend this one.

#CinderellaisDead
#NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the E-arc copy of Cinderella is Dead.