The kingdom of Lille was where Cinderella met her prince more than 200 years ago. And although true love ignited the flame back then, the kingdom is now ruled by evil, fear, and violence, especially toward women. All teenage girls are expected to go to the annual ball, where they hope a suitor will choose them. If they are not picked by a man at three successive balls, they are given up by their families, sold as slaves, or even killed.
While there seems to be no choice for her, Sophia is fighting it all the way. She’s never dreamed of being Cinderella—she’d much rather marry a princess, anyway. But her heart is set on her best friend Erin, even though that would never be allowed in Lille or by their families, and there really is no way to escape the clutches of the king.
The night of the ball, when things go awry, she escapes, and the king demands she be found. He enacts cruelty after cruelty to try and flush her out. When hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum one night, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters. Constance is desperate to learn the real story of her family.
Together, Sophia and Constance vow to destroy the king and make him pay for his treatment of women. But along the way they learn the truth behind Cinderella’s story—and some truths about themselves as well.
It’s been a long while since I’ve read fantasy, but this hooked me pretty quickly. While not a lot of attention is paid to world-building, the characters and the story are very vivid, and I could see it unfolding in my mind’s eye. I liked the twist of a Black teenage lesbian challenging the myth of Cinderella.
But while the story is creative and I loved the message, there was a bit more telling than showing. I’ve always talked about hating the part in superhero movies where the villain details their master plan and why they seek vengeance. There was a little of that here, too. But still, Cinderella is Dead is unique and enjoyable and I was hooked.
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