Cinderella is Dead

by Kalynn Bayron

There was much excitement among the Bitches when Cinderella is Dead was announced, due to its exciting cover and concept, and the promise of a queer heroine of color. Alas, the book is virtually unreadable due to sloppy writing and a whiny, self-absorbed heroine.

The concept is great. 200 years after Cinderella met her prince, Cinderella is dead and every year all the young women in the kingdom go to a ball (not optional) at which they are chosen to be brides by the men in the kingdom. If they fail to be chosen at three balls, they are “forfeit” and condemned to a life of service. Many disappear.

Sophia, the narrator and protagonist, is in love with her friend Erin and has no interest in marrying. However, Erin refuses to run away with her, and Sophia is forced to flee alone. She meets Constance, a freedom fighter, in the woods and vows to fight the patriarchy.

I tried to read this, I really did, but at the 50% mark I gave up. Sophia is self-centered and myopic and becomes more so, not less so, as she wins the adoration of Constance. Sophia maintains that her family does not care about her, despite the fact that it’s obvious that they do care about her and are afraid of her fate and their own should she disobey the king. Constance praises Sophia for being able to see that something is wrong in the kingdom, despite the fact that it’s quite clear that EVERYONE thinks there’s something wrong in the kingdom.

When an innocent is executed because of Sophia’s actions, Sophia is gobsmacked, even though any idiot could see it coming. Sohpia acts with a total disregard for the safety of her friends, family, and community. It’s not that she faces hard choices and acts for the greater good – it’s that she doesn’t even realize that she’s making hard choices that will result in collateral damage.

As far as romance goes, Erin is supposed to be the love of Sophia’s life but Sophia is making googly eyes at Constance not a day after saying goodbye to Erin forever. Take Katniss from Hunger Games, and strip that character of all common sense, empathy, and concern about the consequences of her actions on her village and loved ones, and you get Sophia. I was so disappointed.

– Carrie S

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.

LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult