Review: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayronn

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This was published on July 7, 2020.

If you like twisted tales and retellings, you need to give this a go.  I really enjoyed this take on Cinderella.  It isn't anything like the fairy tale we are all used to.  It does however read like many other YA fantasy novels out there.  This has a diverse cast of characters and takes on some serious issues.  

Sophia doesn't want to live by the kingdoms rules for women.  She doesn't want to  attend the ball and be chosen by a man to marry and serve.  In fact she wants to run away with her best friend and live happily ever after with her.  Unfortunately, the kingdom doesn't support same sex relationships, women have a curfew, and they are the property of their fathers or husbands until they die.  Sophia doesn't want to pretend to be happy in this type of life, and when the ball that Cinderella herself found her Prince is at hand she finds herself faced with an opportunity to escape for good.  Sophia encounters Constance, a distant relative of one of the "evil stepsisters" and learns that the tale of Cinderella may not be entirely true and the laws that the King has imposed may not be what Cinderella wanted for her subjects.  Determined to stop the King for good they seek out the Fairy Godmother to find out what the true story of the famed Cinderella really was and if there is a way to save the kingdom from the tyrant King.

This does lack the world building you expect from a fantasy or fairy tale.  While the setting is not that important to the story,   It also lacks the character development I expected from a book that takes on such important topics.  Our main character, Sophia, is set in her ways from the very beginning and that never changes.  I appreciate that she never loses focus on taking down the patriarchy and never stops fighting against the wrongs that are done to the women of the town.  She is immature and impulsive throughout, but I would have liked to see her develop a little bit of maturity throughout her adventures.  While the plot was a bit predictable, especially if you've read a ton of YA fantasy like I have, I still enjoyed this.  Cinderella is one of my favorite fairy tales and I really liked how the author spun this.  I also really liked how she took on the social issues.

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