Whatever you’re doing right now, you need to stop and pre-order this book, especially if you’ve been looking for a fairytale that questions everything we thought we knew about what it means to live happily ever after. Everything about this story resonates, and was so phenomenal. It deals with classism, sexism, and sexuality in very straightforward ways that don’t beat around a bush. This isn’t a story about shying away from who you are, but taking charge and doing what’s best for you. I felt spoken to in this story, and I think other young women will find the same. Sophia definitely embodies the defiant fighter that I wish to be in this world. I do want to advise you that if you’re easily triggered by themes of physical abuse in relationships, you might approach this story with caution.
Now that I’ve said all that, let’s talk about what this story is about. 200 years after Cinderella found her prince and had her happily ever after, young women are now required to attend the Annual Ball, dressed in finery to attempt to catch the eye of a man who will give her the happily ever after she is destined for. The girls who aren’t chosen disappear, and are never heard from again. This is not the future that Sophia envisioned for herself. Her future involved marriage with her childhood best friend…not parading in front of suitors. When she makes the decision to flee from her fate, she finds herself in Cinderella’s mausoleum. It’s there that she meets Constance, a descendant of Cinderella’s step sisters. She’ll find out not everything is as it seems, and that the king needs to be taken down once and for all. In the process they’ll find out more about Cinderella than they ever thought they knew.
As most of you might already know, I’m always ready to read stories of young women dismantling the patriarchy. On top of that, it had wonderful queer rep, and I loved that the author didn’t hide behind metaphors to talk about some of the subjects that were addressed. Don’t get me wrong, I also love stories that make you look for the deeper meaning, but in this story, it works. The point is to QUESTION what you’ve been taught and told. Sophia is a headstrong young woman who’s stubborn about arguing for what she wants. It definitely puts her into some precarious situations, but she’s prepared to fight. I love that you also get to see the other side of it, which is the struggle of a young woman who is too afraid to fight. Seeing Sophia’s determination was inspiring, and I wanted to chase down that feeling for myself.
Constance was very interesting, and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about her. She’s definitely feisty, and knows what she believes, but I also feel like there were things about her that I wanted to know more about. In comparison to Sophia, I don’t feel like Constance got as much character development. I did enjoy the romance component of it. The villain (the king) felt a little one sided, but I thought that it was interesting that Bayron decided to move in this way. I can’t go too much into it because of spoilers, but the motivations there were definitely narcissistic. I do wish we’d gotten to explore a little more, and I will rarely admit this, I feel like this could have been a duology.
Something about this retelling that I admired was the fact that it calls all key players into questions. Loyalties are called into question, and I felt that it does add a dimension to the traditional tale that we’ve all come to know by heart.
I do wish there had been a bit more world-building in this story, because it would have added more depth to the plot. That being said, I didn’t mind that Sophia and Constance were driving the story because I think they were more important in this case. On the other hand, I will also say that I wanted to know more characters in this book. There were several opportunities where we could have gotten to know certain characters and it would have also added another dimension to the story. Honestly though, I love the message that this story portrays as it currently stands.
Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a lot. I’m rating it an 8/10, because I do wish that it had a little more world building and that characters were fleshed out a bit more. It’s a perfect feminist read, if you’re looking for stories that dismantle the patriarchy by entire castles at a time.
Cinderella Is Dead is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 7th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
It’s 200 years after Cinderella 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.
