“Wholly original and captivating.” – Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of A Curse So Dark and LonelyGirls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that’s perfect for fans of Dhonielle Clayton and Melissa Albert. It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now … 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 . . .
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.
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Wow, where do I even start??
Set 200 years after Cinderella has died, Sophia lives in a world where being a woman makes you less than and you have no choice in who you get to be with.
An annual ball is held each year and once you turn 16 you must attend. Men come and choose whatever girl they want, regardless of what she wants.
Sophia however has other ideas. A strong and powerful lead who just wants to be equal and love whomever she wants to, even if that is not a man.
This book is an incredible read. Especially in today’s times when the patriarchy is still strong.
This is the best retelling of the Cinderella story so far and I can’t recommend it enough! We need more Sophias in this world.
This story was really good. I liked how a retelling of Cinderella as wovenr into this story which takes place 200 years after Cinderella ends. My only problem was with Sophia. She seemed unforgiving with the people in her lives who were too afrad to act, yet she offered Constance (a practical stranger) a choice of helping her. It was also a little unbelievable that she made it to age 16. She spoke her beliefs everywhere in front of everyone. I don’t understand how she wasn’t taken away sooner.
Look. Sometimes reviewing books is hard. Especially in times like this when all I want to do is hit the all caps and use more exclamation points than what would be considered wise.
Remaining “professional” when you love a book this much is no easy feat. So *ahem* I’m just throwing professionalism out the window.
YOU ALL NEED TO PICK THIS BOOK UP AND READ IT!!!!! Drop everything you’re doing right now!!!! Nothing is more important than blessing your lives with this gem of a story.
It’s very rare for me to fly through a 400 pages book in a day, but I seriously could not stop reading this. I breezed right through it while devouring every single word.
A truly exceptional book that I will be throwing at everyone I know.
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 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!