Book Review: Cinderella is Dead
- Rudi
- Sep 15, 2020
- 3 min read
Details
Name: Cinderella is Dead
Series: -
Date of Release: July 7th, 2020
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Genre: #Fantasy #YoungAdult #Romance #Fiction #LGBTQ+ #Fairytale
No of Pages: 400 pg (hardcover)
My Rating: 3/5
Synopsis
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.
Overview
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 . . .
Plot (few spoilers)
I remember reading the story of Cinderella as a child. In fact it was my favourite bed time story. 'Cinderella is Dead' gives a whole new and different perspective to the same story. For starters, Cinderella did not 'live happily ever after', she died at a fairly young age of a fatal disease. She didn't actually fall in love with Prince Charming, she was manipulated. There are a lot more differences than just those but then we'd be stuck here for a couple of hundred pages.
There are some parts of the plot that I have never come across before. For example King Manford's secret, that let him live for so long... definitely a new concept. Even the fairy god mother's truth is a slight surprise, a welcome one though.
I was sightly disappointed by the ending. For starters I found it abrupt. A large part of the book has been spent in building the momentum for the climax and its a let down. I did like the fact that, unlike the story from which this book derives inspiration, the ending is realistic. The book ends on a high note but it's not a fairy tale happy ending.
Characters
The characters (not all) are stereotypical. Let's take Sophia for example- she's rebellious, she hates the current system/government and she wants to do something about it but she doesn't know how. She's also in love with her best friend (ugh!). However, after meeting Constance, her behaviour and manners change. She seems more confident and sure of herself while doing any task.
Then there is Erin. This one makes the 'tragic' life choice that ruins her forever. She also happens to be miss-goody-two-shoes. She just wants to 'fit in' and she does just that.
Lastly we have Constance. Now this one is my favourite. She's strong and she's bold and she's not afraid to be herself.Although she plays a supporting role, she has more of a presence than any of the other characters. She's sarcastic, she's brave and most importantly, she always has her wits about her (that alone makes her my role model).
Writing/Concept
I definitely liked the idea of using a Children's Fairy tale as the base theme, I even liked the realist touch to the actual story. Regardless of the uniqueness, Cinderella has been one of my favourite stories, and I hate to say this but, it was kinda ruined for me. I cannot read the original Cinderella and not think of all the bloodshed portrayed in this book.
Another aspect that is note-worthy is the emphasis on social causes. From abuse to sexism and even a hint of racism, it's all there. And it's not like they are the focal point of the story, there are only subtle hints, but the message is strong.
I struggled slightly while reading this book because of its pace. At some points in the book, the story moves very slowly and at some points it races ahead. There are also a lot of time skips and a couple of throwbacks. They threw me off a little and sometimes I had to go back and re-read the previous pages to catch up to what was happening.
Apart from this, the writing itself is amazing.
“And you're not lost?"
"Maybe I am. But the difference is that I want to be found. I'm not happy pretending everything is fine when I know it's not."
"And just who is it that you suppose will find you?"
"It'll be me. I will find myself.”
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