Title: Cinderella Is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: July 7, 2020
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Summary
200 years after Cinderella married Prince Charming, young girls are required to find their husbands at a ball. If they don’t find a match, they mysteriously disappear without a trace. Coming up on her own ball, Sophia would rather marry Erin than any of the men at the ball. But that’s not an option.
So, Sophia decides to flee the kingdom where she happens upon Constance, a descendant of one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. It turns out, the story of Cinderella hasn’t been completely accurate. The story Sophia grew up with is hiding something much more sinister. Together, Sophia and Constance must stop the king before it’s too late.
Review: Cinderella Is Dead
We received an ARC of this at the library where I work, and after reading the summary, I quickly snatched it up! It has everything you could possibly want: fairy tale re-tellings, an epic fight against evil, and an adorable love story. What more could you want in a summer release?
Right away, Bayron’s twists on the original story were impressive. As someone who reads a lot of re-tellings, her twist on the original fairy tale was fresh and kept evolving as the story went on. The plot and the story structure are probably the best aspects of the book overall. It’s fast paced and difficult to put down!
The only reason this isn’t getting five stars is because the characters fell a little flat at times. I wanted more characterization throughout the novel. Outside of being strong and rebellious, we don’t get much else about Sophia’s character. I wanted more emotions from both of the main characters outside of their outrage and feelings for each other. More of a spectrum would have tipped this book over the top for me.
Overall, anyone looking for a fast-paced re-telling to read this summer, I definitely recommend this! It’s a great book to have for your vacation. Or staycation, if you don’t have anywhere to go.
4/5 stars
Great review! I really loved this one.
Thank you so much! I really loved it, too. 🙂
Great review and I am so happy you enjoyed the book! It is still high on my OHHH need to read list and your review has pushed it a bit higher on the list.
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that–it’s such a fantastic read!! 🙂