Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publication Date: 7 July 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Page Count: 400
Reading Method: Digital ARC
Synopsis:
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .
Review:
What an interesting spin on the classic Cinderella story! I’m a sucker for a fairytale retelling and this one immediately caught my eye.
It was interesting to see the impact the Cinderella story had in this world. I could have done with a little more backstory or world building to really feel immersed in this world, but the author does give a general idea for the reader to work with, and it builds a bit as the story goes on. My favorite twist to this retelling was the fairy godmother! I don’t want to give anything away by explaining further, but it was definitely a unique take on the tale we are all familiar with.
Sophia lives in a world run by men, where women are treated as little more than animals. When she is summoned to the Annual Ball – where men get to choose their wives from the pool of young women – she decides she doesn’t want this life, and begs the girl she is in love with to run away with her. But everything gets completely out of hand during the ball and Sophia must leave on her own.
Sophia is a badass. She is tough, smart, and driven to change the world she lives in for the better. I loved following along on her journey and watching her kick the world in the butt. But she doesn’t do it on her own. Sophia finds help in a stranger named Constance, the last direct descendant of Cinderella. Constance is a firecracker! I saw a lot of myself in her character. She has a temper, holds a bit of a grudge, but is a softy underneath. And the relationship between Sophia and Constance was exciting as it grew stronger. Without giving too much away, Sophia and Constance go through so many obstacles and make interesting allies in order to take on the king, who is hiding a big secret.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. I do think it suffered just a tad from not building up the world a bit more. A lot can be inferred, but there were many times I felt pulled out of the story to contemplate the world and how things came to be the way they are. I loved the characters of Sophia and Constance, but my favorite character was the fairy godmother. I think this book does an excellent job as a sort of social commentary, though it does tend to go to the extremes.
You can purchase a copy of Cinderella is dead here (amazon) or here (book depository)
Learn more about Kalynn Bayron here
