Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Read if You Like: Fairytale classics with a dark twist, young women overthrowing the patriarchy, great LGBTQ+ representation in YA Fantasy

Reading Goal: 6/100 (Actually, this is the first book I read this year and I forgot to blog about it, I have been lying to you)

In the Kingdom of Lille, Cinderella is not just a fairytale, but a way of life. The real Cinderella found her Prince Charming over 200 years ago, and now to celebrate her story, young women are expected to attend a yearly ball to be chosen by a husband. Those who are not chosen are never seen again. Sophia does not want to attend the ball, knowing she will never love a man as she loves her best friend, Erin. When Sophia decides to flee the ball, she meets Constance, a descendant of Cinderella, who tells her that Cinderella's story is much more sinister than what has been told to Sophia and the people of Lille. Together, Sophia and Constance vow to take down the king and reveal the truth, giving Cinderella her voice.

Conceptually, this book is great. I really love the way Bayron takes the story of Cinderella, a tale practically everyone knows, and subverts it in a way that is dark and twisted. Building an entire society based off the ideals of a fairytale and using that story essentially as propaganda is fascinating. If you knew me in college, you probably know I took an entire class on propaganda, mostly because I wouldn't shut up about it (and still won't), so I was instantly intrigued by the groundwork Bayron laid for this corrupt kingdom. I also really love the representation in this book. Our heroines, Sophia and Constance, are both strong, queer young women, and their story is very much about taking back power in their lives. You love to see it.

However, I think that there could've been more world building overall. The narrative spent a lot of time telling the reader about the toxic masculinity that exists in the society rather than letting me live in the story and come to that conclusion on my own. Sophia spends most of her inner monologue telling us how bad the Kingdom of Lille is, and yes, its bad, especially for young women, but its not something I have to be consistently reminded of, I can see it in how the characters are treated. I also feel that some of the secondary characters deserved more development than they got, particularly Erin. At the beginning of the story, Sophia loves Erin so much that she is willing to risk everything to be with her, and Erin is gives very little to the Sophia or the story, which, to me, was frustrating.

That being said, I think that I would've absolutely loved this book when I was 14 or 15 years old, which is the demographic it's aiming for. It has all the elements of compelling YA fantasy, and by that I mean, at parts it made me feel like I, too, could take down a corrupt leader with absolutely no training while wearing a ballgown. You know, my one true goal in this life.