GR Blurb:
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.
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My thoughts…
This Cinderella retelling our a unique spin on the original story. I loved the fact our main character Sophia was black, she had no qualms about her beliefs and wanting to be happy. Sophia and her bestfriend Erin were in love, but due to the laws they had to be picked at the choosing ceremony. I didn’t like Erin’s character, Sophia was so good to her and she treating her like crap.
Then Constance comes along, I love the friendship that progresses to more that they had. The romance is definitely slow burn but I really enjoyed it, the relationships and banter are done so well in this book. I love how Luke openly accepted that he was gay and had the same ideals/morals as Sophia.
One of my favorite parts was when Sophia was getting her hair done for the ball and the dressers wanted to straighten her hair because the king preferred it, instead of it curly. As a black woman that’s so relatable for me, our curls are discriminated against and to look more appealing to men or to other races we have to straighten our hair. I have two favorite quotes from this book which are “Just because they deny us doesn’t mean we cease to exist.” I feel like this relates so much to everything that’s going on with George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The last quote is “Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.”
I loved the twist on this Cinderella retelling, I can’t wait for it to be released so I can get my hands on a finished copy!
Quotes..
“Just because they deny us doesn’t mean we cease to exist.”
Cinderella is Dead, Kalynn Bayron
I feel like both of these quotes relate so much to everything that’s going on with George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter Movement.
“Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.”
Cinderella is a Dead Kalynn Bayron
Where to buy this book…
I loved the twist on this Cinderella retelling, I can’t wait for it to be released July 7th so I can get my hands on a finished copy! I will leave links below for pre-order or final copy when released! I listed some of the regular places and independent bookstores!
https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/cinderella-is-dead-kalynn-bayron/1132393866?ean=9781547603879
Black Lotus Reads 
Wow, those quotes are super powerful and Sophia sounds like a great strong character who knows what she wants out of life. I can’t wait to experience this slowburn romance!
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I am about to read this one!
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This is one of my favorites!!!
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