A very popular book on bookstagram right now is Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bay. After seeing it so many times in beautiful pictures, I gave in and bought the book. I deliberately choose the paperback version because I think that this cover is so stunning. I was convinced that this would be a fun read and at least a 4-star review, but sadly, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think that after reading so many positive things about it, I, of course, would also like it. While there were good things in this book and it had much potential, it also lacked some crucial things.
Before getting into this, I want to say that sometimes it is better to not write a review if it is not positive. Because it is still someone that wrote this, and I would also not like it when someone is flaming my book in their blog. That is not my intention here at all, I hope to write a critical review with useful feedback because this book was not all bad. Not at all and I think that this woman has a lot more potential in future books. I also did not find reading this a 'waste' of my time because I started making notes and looking more critical to elements in the novel, which I will discuss. I also hope that when people read this review, they will be able to make a good choice if this book is something they would enjoy reading. I will keep it as spoiler-free as I can.
Let's start with the positive things in this book. First off, representation. The main character in this book is a black lesbian girl. Sadly, the most popular fantasy novels are all white centred, yet slowly we see this change. The fact that Sophia (the main character) is also gay, makes this book also interesting for readers enjoying LGBT books. This combined into a retelling of Cinderella makes this book new and unique. Which is one of the reasons why it is so hyped up.
Bay's writing style and word choice are often very powerful. I read to it at a fast pace and that made it more enjoyable. I haven't struggled with reading on for one second, even though I did not enjoy all of it, Bay's writing still let me read on. This is why I think that I still would give Bay's future books a try even though this one wasn't it for me. Her story and writing have a lot of potentials and I would love to see her progress and grow as a writer.
However, there were also things that I did not like and left me irritated. First off, this book feels rushed. Not the story itself, but it feels like it has been rushed to the publisher while it actually needed one 'rewrite' or at least a check to figure out some plot holes. Because for me, as a reader, there were a lot of gaps in the story that were unfilled, and paragraphs that didn't really make sense. This started in chapter 12 and onward when Sophia meets Constance. Little things as the extra clothes in the temple make this more unbelievable and that is such a shame.
The motivation and just Sophia herself were not convincing enough for me. The book starts out with her wanting to run away with Erin, her love interest. Fair, when we are told what of cruel society they live in. Erin does not agree with this and wants to save her family, also a good standpoint. From the moment Sophia meets Constance her motivations to flee are suddenly changed, she wants to kill the king. Why and how? Well, she has no plan at all. During the book, she suddenly is unsure about herself not wanting to kill the king, but then all of a sudden she is motivated again. I missed good motivation from her as the main character. The fact that she wants to save the people of Lille is not convincing enough for me, I also was surprised by the sudden shift in her behaviour.
Skip this paragraph if you do not want to be spoiled! In the first chapters I really liked the bond between Erin and Sophia, it was clear that they loved each other even though it was impossible for them to be together in their current society. What I truly disliked was the instant love between Constance and Sophia, that happens on the evening of the ball, while not much than a few hours before Sophia exclaimed her love for Erin. The moment they meet, Erin seems forgotten, I truly missed the sense of shame, guilt and disloyalty from Sophia. She even exclaims to Constance that she thinks about Erin all the time however her name was only mentioned twice during their trip together, not believable enough for me, the reader. I did not mind the fact that she might fall in love with someone else, but I wanted more feelings, falling in love with someone else while you have another girl you were also in love with, shouldn't be so easy. I was also disappointed that at the end Erin is almost sketched as the 'bad girl', while she just tried to protect her family and both of them. I also missed her at the end in the palace, I would have loved to see her reaction, she was now free after all.
You can continue here. Bay created a few characters with a lot of potentials, Luke, for example, I expected to see more of him during the book. He has a backstory and relates to Sophia, as he finds himself in a similar position. Yet he is 'shoved' into a cell and we do not see him again. Bay focussed on Sophia and Constance, I just had liked to see something different. This was an entertaining read, but I truly missed some important points. I do not often dislike instant love, but it needs to be well written and that wasn't the case here. Like I said, it feels like this book needed a last rewrite to make it all fit.
The setup and the change Bay made to the Cinderella story was fun and unique. I enjoyed this a lot and I wished the story itself was just better. I read somewhere that she might revisit this world in one of her future books, that does interest me because I really like the world she created.
I think that my standards for fantasy might be too high to like this. I was hyped up and bought/read the book on an impulse. I think that if I had done a little more research I would have decided to skip this book. Yet, the writing style of Bay has left a positive impression of her as a writer, I do think I will try one of her books in the future. For, not mayor fantasy lovers, and people interested in LGBT/black main character books I do think that this is a fun read. It just wasn't the right fit for me. I hope that I have not offended anyone by writing this, this is not my intention. Yet on my blog, I am always honest about my opinions of books, that was also the case here. I hope to see you in the next post!
Keep reading,
Julia
Interested in reading Cinderella is dead? You can buy it here. (This is an affiliate link, without extra costs for you I earn a small commission on your purchase.)
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