Review for: Cinderella is Dead

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Genre: YA fantasy (Cinderella retelling)

Rating: ★★★★

Short Summary:

The fairy tale is over 200 years after Cinderella got her prince.

Teenage girls are now compelled to attend the Annual Ball, where the kingdom's men choose brides based on a girl's display of finery. The girls who are not chosen are never found again...

“That you try to flatter me when I have a blade at your neck makes me want to slit your throat and spare the world your ignorance.”

Plot:

This book was definitely a story-driven type of book for me. I loved this dark take on the classic tale of Cinderella. I have never really cared for the original that much, which probably explains why I like this version much better. The story was fast-paced. Although I saw the big twist coming I still very much enjoyed this story. The author really succeeded in my opinion with the dark fairy tale atmosphere. I liked how she took the original tale and completely made her own unique version of it.

“I don't want to be saved by some knight in shining armour. I'd like to be the one in the armour, and I'd like to be the one doing the saving.”

The characters:

The characters are the main reason why I did not rate this book a five star. It was almost a 3.5 but because I loved this dark retelling I had to rate it higher. The characters were not bad at all. I personally just had a hard time connecting to them. Sophia is a headstrong heroine, she keeps on fighting for what she believes in. The side characters felt a lot like plot devices, but nevertheless they still contributed to the story. Constance was definitely the "badass" character in the story and I liked that.

“I think sometimes we make the mistake of thinking monsters are abhorrent aberrations, lurking in the darkest recesses, when the truth is far more disturbing. The most monstrous men are those who sit in plain sight, daring you to challenge them.”

Relationship:

This is a queer book, so yes there is a LGBTQIA+ romance♡ It was so refreshing reading a retelling that was not dominated by straight characters. Although I think the couple in this book are definitely great together, I would have liked to see more progression in their relationship. It was very insta-love, which did take a bit away from the story. Our main character is immediately drawn to this love interest, which is not a bad thing in the slightest. I do not always dislike insta-love, but in this scenario I wished there was a bit more angst. Then again I can also understand why their relationship progressed so quickly. This is a standalone novel so it makes sense. All in all, I still do like the two characters as a couple.

Overall thoughts:

I read somewhere that this was pitched as; black Cinderella meets Merida and they take down the evil king. Which is what convinced me to read this book in the first place. I enjoyed this dark take on the classic tale and I am definitely going to read more books from this author in the future. The writing style was great and not at all too "dense". I recommend this book to literally everyone and anyone. It is definitely worth reading :)

“Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.”

Thank you for reading this review! And remember to always read to your heart's content♡♡♡