sapphicshelves's review
4.0
TW: abuse, arranged marriages, death, homophobia, misogyny, human trafficking
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for providing me with an arc for review.
"Money, power, class, all those things come into play, but the founding tenet of our laws is that women, no matter their standing, are at the mercy of the fickle whims of men."
Cinderella is Dead is a powerful take on a classic tale.
Sophia is sixteen year old who has questioned the way her world operates and how women within the kingdom do not have any of their own agency. As the story escalates Sophia learns the truth of how the rules came to be. Bayron is very direct towards the horrendous treatment towards women and all the ways that it can manifest. It was a little on the nose at times but that's honestly just a thing that happens in YA.
I really did enjoy this story. Much darker than I anticipated but that does not bother me that much. We got a story of queer teenage girls saying fuck the patriarchy. Another thing that I liked is that this isn't a story that takes place over 3 days. The feelings that they have for each other are something that blossom over time. I read this in about two days just because I couldn't wait to see how the heck this book was going to end.
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for providing me with an arc for review.
"Money, power, class, all those things come into play, but the founding tenet of our laws is that women, no matter their standing, are at the mercy of the fickle whims of men."
Cinderella is Dead is a powerful take on a classic tale.
Sophia is sixteen year old who has questioned the way her world operates and how women within the kingdom do not have any of their own agency. As the story escalates Sophia learns the truth of how the rules came to be. Bayron is very direct towards the horrendous treatment towards women and all the ways that it can manifest. It was a little on the nose at times but that's honestly just a thing that happens in YA.
I really did enjoy this story. Much darker than I anticipated but that does not bother me that much. We got a story of queer teenage girls saying fuck the patriarchy. Another thing that I liked is that this isn't a story that takes place over 3 days. The feelings that they have for each other are something that blossom over time. I read this in about two days just because I couldn't wait to see how the heck this book was going to end.
devwhitreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
gssmith7's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lilyen's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was a good book with an extremely captivating premise, but there were moments when the story felt underdeveloped, rushed, and predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Kidnapping
sapphichavocreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
booksarecute's review
3.0
Great title, great concept. The execution was not strong enough, but please, let's publish more books with beautiful lesbians rescuing handsome gay men.
zaara_ali065's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
emisreadingnow's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
not that good tbh… the writing was NOT good imo: very simple sentences, simple vocabulary + it was in 1st person
the story was also kinda simple, i could mostly guess what was going to happen in advance
the only good thing was the romance, it was cute but also not the best romance i’ve ever read, just ok
anyways, i didn’t hate the book but i would not recommend it nor reread it
saskiahill's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Trafficking, Grief, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, Violence, and Physical abuse