Cinderella Is Dead

Product Information

Amina: the Fairy Godmother of the original story. She is portrayed as more of a witch, having a variety of powers including potion making and divination. Sophia and Constance go to her for help. She has either had people come to her for help or to accuse her of evil throughout the years. She uses potions to remain looking young, though she does age.

Deliberate Values Dissonance: The kingdom of Mersailles is a very patriarchal and heavily misogynistic society, where women have no rights whatsoever and are seen as little more than servants to the men in their lives. Together with her new friend, Constance, Sophia vows to return to the kingdom and dismantle the hurtful, unfair and savage system. It may not be easy though, as the King's power stems for a formidable and unusual place. 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. MY REVIEW 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.It's risky...But sometimes that's the only way to get things done. Take the risk, light the fuse. Onward.”

Every year, teenage girls are forced by King Manford, a descendant of Prince Charming, to appear at the Annual Ball. Here, the men of the kingdom will select their wives, based upon the girls' display of finery. At the start of the story, Sophia Grimmins is being prepared to attend the ball. Sophia is a feisty heroine, totally against the idea of being 'chosen' by a man. She is in love with her friend, Erin, and wants to spend her life with her. Adaptational Heroism: Cinderella's step-family were very straight-forward bad guys in the original fairy tale and were intensely jealous of her for managing to gain the attention of the prince. In this book, they were Cinderella's co-conspirators against the tyrannical monarch and a very loving family to her. Their villain-status in the Cinderella-tale is revealed to be the doing of the royal family's revisionism.Is it saved by an amazing f/f romance? Unfortunately, no. Sophia forgets her first love interest as soon as she meets another girl, and bam, instalove. Said love interest has no more depth than Sophia or any other character in this book, and I didn't care about them. In fact, the only characters that seemed to be interesting (Luke and Fairy Godmother) are barely there. The other point that got on my nerves was the french names of characters and places mixed with others names that are definitely not french. I don't really see the point, and it just serves to make the world-building even weaker. A wildly imaginative spin on a classic tale with a fierce heroine who will stop at nothing to smash the patriarchy, fight for equality, and live proudly as her true self.”–Alicia Michielli, Talking Leaves…Books

Kalynn Bayron does more than re-write a fairytale ... She breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a wholly original and captivating story where girls finally decide for themselves who lives happily ever after 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. Girls 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 . Together, the girls must find a way to save their town (and themselves) by diving into the true story of Cinderella... but is there time? Or are they already too late?I loved the main character and I could relate to her throughout the story. She grows up seeing her world through a perspective that is proved to be made up. She's fighting every form of prejudice put her way but will she succeed??