Cinderella Is Dead

The premise of the story is great. A town brainwashed by the story of Cinderella finding her prince at a ball has used this to create a suffocating patriarchy with a totalitarian monarchy. Whilst not totally unique, it is an interesting premise for those that have enjoyed such tropes in other books such as Girls of Paper and Fire.The execution however is more than lacking. The writing is clunky, and pacing is awkward. It is very much 'I did this then she did that' with very little scene-building or real description which is crucial to inviting a reader into a fantasy world. The main character is kind of dull, and so the idea that everyone revolved around her is rather unbelievable. There was no development with any of the characters really. The big 'plot twist' had very little build up and was soon glossed over. The book as a whole is lacking emotion, the reader gets told x character feels x way (despite this being in first person), but the actions don't reflect this which makes for a jarring read. There was also little conclusion, with some prominent characters' fates not mentioned at all, which is a bit of a disappointing note to end a book on.Overall, it's not awful, however it did become a bit of a chore to complete during the later chapters. It's a shame, as it had so much potential, I'm quite confused as to why the publisher didn't re-draft it before publishing.

"Do not be silent.Raise your voice.Be a light in the dark."I don't tend to give 5-star ratings too often, but I honestly cannot think of a single thing wrong with it. The writing, the pace, the characters, the plot – it was perfect.When this book first came onto my radar, my initial thought was 'Holy cow, that cover!' It's simply stunning. Then I read the premise – a Cinderella re-telling but with a twist – and I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed.Starting with the premise, it's so clever. This isn't your everyday retelling. The story of Cinderella has long-since happened... but did it happen the way we know it? Two-hundred years on, Sophia is set to attend her first Royal Ball where she and every other girl of age in Lille hopes to find a husband. But that hope doesn't come from a longing for a fairytale ending of their own. No. They hope because if they don't find a husband, they face becoming 'forfeit' – a mysterious fate from which none return.Which leads me nicely onto the pacing of this book. We start a couple of days before the Royal Ball and it gives us plenty of time to get to know Sophia and to understand the world she is living in. And let's just say that woman get the short end of the stick in this society. After this, the events slow down a little, but the pace never really drops, if that makes sense. I was never bored. Every scene was exactly as long as it needed to be and no longer. I find this is a lot rarer than it may seem. Especially when there are lots of plot points to cover and make clear.And what about the characters? Well, Sophia is a great protagonist. She's strong-willed, brave, smart. She has an incredibly massive task ahead of her, and yet I never felt like what she faced was too much or that it was unachievable. Then we have Constance, who is a lot more fiery than Sophia, but equally as brave and smart. She's a knife-wielding, no-nonsense-taking, badass descendant of the Cinderella family tree and I loved her. Together, her and Sophia made the perfect duo and I couldn't help but root for them.Quite simply, this book was excellent. I wanted to take longer reading it, but I couldn't slow down. It lived up to my expectations 100% and now I get to pop this absolutely gorgeous book on my shelf – though I may have to position it with the cover out because it's so pretty!Absolutely recommend!

I loved the idea of this book, and it was a very fun read! I think in the end this just read a little too young for me. I wanted a little more complexity, but I think this handles important topics, is diverse, and, like I said, the concept was so fascinating to me. Would definitely recommend to slightly younger YA readers.

In this story, Cinderella has been dead for 200 years and every year there is a ball where every eligible girl has to go to find a husband but that is not at all what Sophie wants. She is in love with Erin and wants to run away. When she runs away from the ball she steps into an adventure and learns that the story of Cinderella is not at all what she has been told her whole life.In this world, every female of every age has been ruled by their male family members and of course the king. If a girl attends the ball a third time and she still hasn't been picked she will be forfeit. Nobody knows where these girls go, only that punishments for disobeying rules are severe. If a girl gets picked she belongs solemnly to her husband and he can do with her whatever he thinks is right.My only downside was that I didn't like the ending all that much. It was a bit of a letdown. The story had a sweet thrill to it and the end was a bit short. I think that the ending could have been a bit grander? I'm not sure yet though, need to wrap my mind around it.This is a Cinderella retelling with a very nice twist. It's feministic, witchy and there is a sweet romance that is just there for being there and doesn't take the lead.

amoo livros com jacket, qualidade excelente, comecei o livro e já estou amando