Cinderella is Dead: Kalynn Bayron

We meet again!

Something about me: I’m not usually crazy on fairytale adaptions. As a matter of fact, before I dove into the world of the Lunar Chronicles (looooove Marissa Meyer in this house) I hadn’t read one that had really piqued my interest. However, every once in a while, one comes along that surprises me by surpassing the history. Ones that look on the darker side especially grab my attention, like the Dorothy Must Die saga and Meyer’s own Heartless. Today’s review is one of those darker fairy tale depictions, this time about Cinderella. Here we go :)

Brief Synopsis: Sophia doesn’t want to be the next Cinderella and be plucked from the annual ball by one of the local men, to live her entire life under his thumb, his rule and his way. All Sophia wants is to be able to be in love with her children best friend, Erin, and have that be enough for everyone else.

But that’s not the way that her world works.

In Lille, the tale of Cinderella as we all know it is sacred text. Because Lille is where the real Cinderella was from, and Lille is where Cinderella fell in love with Prince Charming. To honor this, each year a ball is hosted and men get to choose their beloved. Women are only able to attend the ball thrice, and if they aren’t chosen, they’re outcasted and become the lowest of the low as workers and servants.

Everything about this seems wrong to Sophia, though most everyone she knows covets the lifestyle and recognizes anyone that goes against it as blasphemous. When her own ball comes around and her parents tell her that loving another woman is the absolute definition of wrong, Sophia truly intends to try and toe the line. That doesn’t work, though.

When the ball goes just about as bad as it can and it seems like all Erin really wants is to follow the rules, Sophia flees and finds herself at Cinderella’s tomb. She hides inside it to escape the king’s guards, and there she finds Constance. Beautiful, strong, rebellious Constance, who is actually closer to the story of Cinderella than Sophia would’ve guessed.

Together, the two of them make the choice to venture into the White Wood and search out the so-called “Fairy Godmother” to finds more answers about the past and a possible way to stop the king and this tyrannical rule once and for all.

What they find is that everything that was once known about the story of Cinderella story is backward and wrong. Prince Charming? Does some really devious things to be charming. And it’s been 200 years, but is he dead or not? And how exactly did Cinderella really die? How in love was she was with the prince?

The book comes to an ultimate end when everyone is required to attend the winter solstice, a clear attempt for the king to draw Sophia back out into the open so that he can conquer her and her rebellious ways. But who will be left standing in the end?

My rating:

7/10. I’m glad that this book is a standalone because I really do feel like everything that needed to be said and told within the story did happen, and anything more would probably just drag it out. Like I said before, I am not wild about fairy tale depictions, but I still really enjoyed this one.

Favorite Quote(s):

“We know these stolen moments are rushing us toward a catastrophic end.”

“That something could look so beautiful and still be a nightmare is terrifying.”

A book I read with similar vibes:

Heartless by Meyer, which I mentioned earlier, is a clear choice. It also reminded me of one I read a while back that was a retelling of beauty and the beast, between a young boy and a transgender female he falls for. It was honestly a beautiful story.

Check out my Goodreads (Traci Bishop) to see what I’m currently reading and to see a good chunk of the books I have already read. My Instagram can be found on the home page and I will share whenever a new post is up as well!

Until next time <3