Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review
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.
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:
Fairy tale retellings are becoming a thing and I am sooo here for it! I’m in the front row, waving my ‘retelling’ flag like there is no tomorrow!!
Cinderella has been dead for 200 years and a new tradition has conspired under her legacy, where woman of Lille, bask in her steps. They dress up and attend a ball hosted by the King and be chosen by what would be a future husband. But if you attend three balls and leave each one without a proposal gets shipped to the workhouse.
Cinderella is Dead is centred around Sophia, who couldn’t care for the ball and doesn’t want to find herself a husband. Instead, she wants to spend the rest of her life with Erin, a girl she loves. On the night of the ball, Sophia runs into Constance, Cinderella’s last known descendant who unlocks history like they never knew.
I loved this. This book is full of girl power (fuck yeahhh), powerful and inspiring LDBTQ characters and one of my favourites, necromancy! There was a hint of darkness throughout the book and I loved it. Actually – I can’t fault this book. The plot was brilliant, the characters were bloody fantastic, and the writing was amazing. This needs to be on your TBR asap!!
Rating: 5/5
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
ISBN: 9781547603886