Under King Manford, women have no rights and are treated like property. Another character uses the lives of others to fuel their own power. Strong profanity used around a dozen times.Ī sorceress uses necromancy to raise the dead. Sophie and two other characters are lesbians. It’s kind of the opposite in terms of the plot, but I think readers who liked the series for its strong-willed heroine and the marriage of romance and rebellion will definitely enjoy CINDERELLA IS DEAD. Something about the writing style and the setting reminded me a little bit of THE SELECTION series. Honestly, though, that intensity might have been what drove me through the book so quickly. She stays super intense through so much of the story. I love Sophie, but there were times I wanted to see more emotional range from her. She’s headstrong, kind of an “attack now, plan as I go” kind of girl. Sophie is brave and angry and incapable of giving up on the people she loves, and I love those things about her.

It’s a bit dark, between the twisted fairy tale story and some dark magic and violence. That seems to me like a model we’ve adopted from fairy tales, so I kind of liked reading this dystopian take on how a wedding ISN’T always a happily ever after.Īll that aside, CINDERELLA IS DEAD was a super quick read. I know women who’ve rushed toward a wedding, thinking of it as this happily-ever-after moment without a lot of thought for what comes next. Our relationships with fairy tales can be a bit complicated as it is. I think the thing that drew me to this story most was this idea that a culture could twist a fairy tale, particularly Cinderella’s story, until it actually became a reason to oppress women and remove their personhood. This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them. 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. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. 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. It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Published JAmazon | Bookshop | Goodreads About Cinderella is Dead

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron