Cinderella Is Dead

Kalynn Bayron takes their version of the fairy-tale and puts a twisted yet historic retelling spin on something that is familiar to readers. Every year King Manford has all of the girls who are sixteen-years-old and over go the ball to be married off. It is mandatory. Every family must comply or have to forfeit everything they own. They must dress according to his rules. The girls must memorize Cinderella. Every home must have his picture hanging and live by his rules. If you do not live by his rules, he will behead you in front of everyone.

Cinderella is Dead is not the usual retelling of the same ole' tale, it is one you want to read.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Well, this was disappointing.

TW: abuse, arranged marriages, death, homophobia, misogyny, human trafficking

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for providing me with an arc for review.

“Money, power, class, all those things come into play, but the founding tenet of our laws is that women, no matter their standing, are at the mercy of the fickle whims of men.”

Cinderella is Dead is a powerful take on a classic tale.

Sophia is sixteen year old who has questioned the way her world operates and how women within the kingdom do not have any of their own agency. As the story escalates Sophia learns the truth of how the rules came to be. Bayron is very direct towards the horrendous treatment towards women and all the ways that it can manifest. It was a little on the nose at times but that's honestly just a thing that happens in YA.

I really did enjoy this story. Much darker than I anticipated but that does not bother me that much. We got a story of queer teenage girls saying fuck the patriarchy. Another thing that I liked is that this isn't a story that takes place over 3 days. The feelings that they have for each other are something that blossom over time. I read this in about two days just because I couldn't wait to see how the heck this book was going to end.