Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn BayronBook Review by Mariah V. | Chapter and Charms📚 Genre: YA Fantasy | LGBTQ+ | Feminist Retelling | Dystopian | Black Girl Magic

✨ Another Cinderella Story—Only This Time, Cinderella Never Loved the Prince

“It’s been 200 years since Cinderella found her prince—but the fairytale is over.”

In this daring and dark YA fantasy, Kalynn Bayron reimagines the beloved fairytale with a sharp feminist twist. Cinderella Is Dead transports readers to a dystopian kingdom where the story of Cinderella is not a bedtime tale—it’s law. Girls are forced to recite the tale daily and prepare their entire lives for one night: the royal ball, where men choose their wives. If a girl isn’t chosen, her life is forfeit.

But Sophia doesn’t want to be chosen. She’s in love with her best friend, Erin, and refuses to play by the kingdom’s cruel rules. When her night at the ball takes a deadly turn, Sophia escapes,and begins uncovering the buried truth behind Cinderella’s legacy.

🔍 Why You’ll Want to Read This Queer, Feminist YA Fairytale Retelling

There are countless versions of Cinderella, but Kalynn Bayron’s take is bold, queer, and unapologetically revolutionary. Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets dark fairytale. This isn’t a soft and sparkly retelling, it’s about resistance, reclaiming power, and rewriting history.

After reading Bayron’s other novels (This Poison Heart and Wicked Fate), I already admired her style, but Cinderella Is Dead quickly became my favorite. It’s fast-paced, emotional, and has a heroine you can root for from page one.

💬 What I Loved (and What I Didn’t)

✨ Sophia as a Main Character

Sophia is everything you want in a YA heroine, brave, stubborn, and completely unwilling to accept a world built on lies. She challenges the kingdom’s outdated traditions and risks everything to be true to herself.

💔 Erin… Not So Much

Erin, her best friend and crush, sadly fell flat for me. While I understand she was scared, she came off as selfish and dismissive. I wasn’t rooting for their romance.

🤝 Sophia and Luke’s Friendship

One of the best dynamics in the book was between Sophia and Luke. He’s kind, supportive, and shares her dreams for freedom. I only wish we saw more of their bond.

💘 Sophia and Constance’s Relationship

While I liked the idea of Sophia finding love again, her relationship with Constance felt rushed. I wish their emotional connection had more depth and that the rebellion subplot didn’t get pushed aside for romance.

🔮 The Fairy Godmother Twist

Bayron’s reimagining of the fairy godmother as a manipulative witch was one of my favorite twists. It showed how the fairytale we thought we knew was actually a weapon used to control women. Her ending was a little ambiguous, though, I was left wondering whose side she was really on.

👑 Cinderella’s True Legacy

The Cinderella in this version isn’t a passive damsel. She’s a fighter, loved and supported by her stepmother and stepsisters. Bayron completely flips the traditional narrativeand it works. This Cinderella didn’t get rescued—she resisted.

🎤 Final Thoughts

Cinderella Is Dead celebrates queer Black girls, feminist resistance, and the power of rewriting oppressive stories. It reminded me of the Cheetah Girls anthem “Cinderella” and that girl power energy we all grew up loving. Only in this version, the girls aren’t waiting for their prince—they’re slaying their own dragons.

⭐️ Rating: 3.7/5 stars