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A review by keysmashhh
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Plot: 3.5/5
Character: 3/5
Relationships: 3/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 4/5
Plot: The actual plot of this book was relatively simple, starting out in Lille then travelling away to the woods and then back to Lille - I definitely found the first third of the book to be the most interesting with the focus on the politics in Lille. The section in the woods felt a bit meh with very little happening in terms of plot/character. The reveals at the end were a little simplistic but semi-unpredictable. I felt that the finale was a little too quick and the implication that everything would be fine after years of living under an oppressive regime was a bit unbelievable.
Character: The main characters were all likeable enough - other than Sophia, I didn't feel like we got a lot of time to explore them though, I think that was down to the 1st person POV of the book (something I am generally not a fan of) I liked the differences in the characters however I felt like some of them were neglected a bit for the sake of plot (I'm looking at you Luke - my favourite character who I wished could have had more of a prominent role in the whole story) I liked the constant links to the Cinderella story, it helped to root the plot in its origins.
Relationships: I found the relationships in this... well my problem was I couldn't really find any. Of course, Constance and Sophia had something going on but it was never really explored as a relationship, instead of focusing on the attraction and neglecting anything more due to the plot. It was definitely interesting to see Sophia's interactions with Erin though, the complexity of their relationship was interesting. I would have liked to see more of Sophia and Luke interacting - it would have been interesting to just listen to them talk and relate more (also I would have loved for Luke to get a bf by the end) In terms of the wider relationships in the book they mainly focused on the abusive and manipulative side of Lille.
World-Building: Probably my favourite part of the book - I loved the portrayal of the Cinderella story in a religious, almost cult-like way. It was fascinating to see how the story influenced the people of Lille. One tiny detail I think could have elevated it would be a bigger focus on the description during the ballroom scenes (really playing into the fantasy cliche) In terms of the magical element - I couldn't really find myself picturing the magic which usually means the descriptions weren't strong enough. On the whole, I loved the exploration of the links between them mythical and political.
Genre: After dystopian, fairytale retellings are probably the most over-done and cliched type of YA literature but I did think this was an exception. They didn't just retell Cinderella but managed to incorporate it into the source material which I think really gave it the edge over other retellings.
Character: 3/5
Relationships: 3/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 4/5
Plot: The actual plot of this book was relatively simple, starting out in Lille then travelling away to the woods and then back to Lille - I definitely found the first third of the book to be the most interesting with the focus on the politics in Lille. The section in the woods felt a bit meh with very little happening in terms of plot/character. The reveals at the end were a little simplistic but semi-unpredictable. I felt that the finale was a little too quick and the implication that everything would be fine after years of living under an oppressive regime was a bit unbelievable.
Character: The main characters were all likeable enough - other than Sophia, I didn't feel like we got a lot of time to explore them though, I think that was down to the 1st person POV of the book (something I am generally not a fan of) I liked the differences in the characters however I felt like some of them were neglected a bit for the sake of plot (I'm looking at you Luke - my favourite character who I wished could have had more of a prominent role in the whole story) I liked the constant links to the Cinderella story, it helped to root the plot in its origins.
Relationships: I found the relationships in this... well my problem was I couldn't really find any. Of course, Constance and Sophia had something going on but it was never really explored as a relationship, instead of focusing on the attraction and neglecting anything more due to the plot. It was definitely interesting to see Sophia's interactions with Erin though, the complexity of their relationship was interesting. I would have liked to see more of Sophia and Luke interacting - it would have been interesting to just listen to them talk and relate more (also I would have loved for Luke to get a bf by the end) In terms of the wider relationships in the book they mainly focused on the abusive and manipulative side of Lille.
World-Building: Probably my favourite part of the book - I loved the portrayal of the Cinderella story in a religious, almost cult-like way. It was fascinating to see how the story influenced the people of Lille. One tiny detail I think could have elevated it would be a bigger focus on the description during the ballroom scenes (really playing into the fantasy cliche) In terms of the magical element - I couldn't really find myself picturing the magic which usually means the descriptions weren't strong enough. On the whole, I loved the exploration of the links between them mythical and political.
Genre: After dystopian, fairytale retellings are probably the most over-done and cliched type of YA literature but I did think this was an exception. They didn't just retell Cinderella but managed to incorporate it into the source material which I think really gave it the edge over other retellings.