Cinderella has been dead for the past 200 years, but her legacy is being used to control the women who live in the kingdom of Lille. In a land where women hold no power and all are beholden to their husband, Sophia is forced to attend a ball where she will be selected to be someone’s wife. The girls who aren’t chosen disappear. When everything goes horribly wrong at the ball, Sophia is forced to flee and meets Constance: a descendant of one of the wicked stepsisters. They must work together to find out the real reason behind the balls and the sinister mystery of the king’s power, and discover what it means to fight when the world tells you that you should just give in.

I really enjoyed the story of Cinderella growing up, but I have to say that this is one of the best retellings of Cinderella that I’ve read. Also, what a gorgeous cover! Cinderella Is Dead has a compelling and important story to tell. This book pulls no punches, with poignant writing, and forces the reader to examine their own assumptions/beliefs about well-known stories. I would have liked to see a bit more world-building, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment as the core story here is always Sophia’s mission to defeat the king and save the women and girls of Lille.

Sophia is a strong and determined character, who refuses to give in against insurmountable odds. There was a little instalove when it came to Sophia and Constance, but I didn’t mind because I thought they were cute and it didn’t distract Sophia from her ultimate goal. No matter what, Sophia never forgot the women and girls that she was fighting for. An important and timely retelling of Cinderella, this story deftly re-examines stories we’ve always believed to be true, explores what it means to be brave, and why it is necessary to always use your voice. Cinderella Is Dead releases on July 7, 2020. Thank you to Kalynn Bayron, Bloomsbury YA, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.