Book Review: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Shelly's Book Corner received a review copy from NetGalley, Bloomsbury YA and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.

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 A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

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.

Review 

Sophia was strong willed and assertive. I loved that she didn’t want to get in line, know her place and live her life serving a man or anyone. The story touched on a lot of topics especially the treatment of young girls and women. The author created a world that was very detailed and I could see everything playing out in my head as I read. There is a twist that took me by surprise and I didn’t see that coming at all. I do wish the ending was longer. I would have liked more in that aspect. Overall this was a good book and I would read another book by this author.