It's 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but the fairytale is over.
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball ... are forfeit.
But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world ...
An electrifying twist on the classic fairytale that will inspire girls to break out of limiting stereotypes and follow their dreams!
DNF'ed at 25%.
I really, really, reallyyyy wanted to like this book. But the first 15% is basically just conversation after conversation that just doesn't let the story begin. I'm so bored. Plus the main character, Sophia, is so self-absorbed, I really dis-like her.
I'm so sad. I had really high hopes, but I can't force myself to continue reading.
This book contains homophobia, domestic abuse, murder, and gore.
Cinderella Is Dead is not the magical fairy tale of the original story. Set 200 years after the real Cinderella's death, her kingdom is run by a mad king who uses Cinderella's story as a way to control the people. Sixteen-year-old Sophia has had it though, and after escaping the ball, teams up with a descendant of one of Cinderella's stepsisters to stop the reign of evil kings forever.
I absolutely love the idea of Cinderella Is Dead. While I did enjoy it, it didn't quite live up to the hype. Mostly because the world-building was lackluster. When it starts, we're thrust into this kingdom where the story of Cinderella is essentially gospel and law, but we don't know why. Sophia is in love with her friend Erin, but both must attend the annual ball to find husbands or disappear. The ball is the hugest event of the year and families spend most of their earnings on gowns and accessories for their daughters to ensure they find a match. But why?!
The beginning of Cinderella is Dead just kept me in a state of "why?!" After Sophia runs away, I did let that go a bit, because I figure there must be some big secret. I settled into the story and found myself really enjoying it. I absolutely loved learning the "real" Cinderella story and what actually was going on when she attended the ball and married the prince. Of course, it's nothing like the story we know, or the one that's required reading for every girl in Lille. It was a very interesting twist on the classic.
However, this original story still didn't explain why the story was such a huge part of this society. There was literally no reason given. Even during the big showdown with the evil king, after all of his secrets have been exposed, there is no explanation to how the fairy tale became law. We learn why the kings have proposed certain laws, but not what they have to do with Cinderella. Or why the people have just gone along with it all of this time. No one has tried to stage a revolt? I find that hard to believe.
On that same note, the girl that Sophia meets outside the ball, Constance, has been working toward fighting against the king from the outside where her family was exiled. But I found it strange that no one before her, including herself, ever thought to look for the fairy godmother or her descendants. If the stepsisters daughters and granddaughters have been passing down their history, wouldn't it make sense for the godmother as well? It's not until Sophia obviously points out that "hey someone else was there the night of the ball" that Constance realizes she's on to something. It just didn't fit. Everything was too conveniently written to make sure that Sophia was the brains behind it all. Yes, she's our MC, but there's no way she was the first to do any of these things.
I know this review is making it sound like I didn't like Cinderella Is Dead, but I did! I really did! I thought it was fun and a cool twist. But the world-building! It's distracting. If you're more of a plot or character reader, it might not bother you as much. I'm very much into world-building, so that's why it nagged at me.
Cinderella is Dead has been featured on Reader Voracious as an Anticipated Adventure!This is the fiercely feminist and empowering story of rebellion you've been waiting for! Bayron's debut YA fantasy weaves together an intensely powerful story that reimagines the fairy tales we all know and weaves them together with the ways society uses story to control people.
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