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Cinderella is Dead

  • Writer: matthewkojotelles
    matthewkojotelles
  • Apr 27, 2022
  • 6 min read

Everything that we need to know is quickly established as we are told that there are balls held every year for girls to get married and that our main character, Sophia, is in love with a girl, Erin, which isn't accepted in this society. We also learn about how Erin isn't as accepting and willing to break the rules to be with the one that she loves, and would rather just go along with what is expected of her because it is less hassle.

What we know about Sophia's family dynamic is that her mother takes the balls very seriously. Not only is her mother very invested in Sophia finding a good partner at the ball and standing out, but her father is also extremely invested in her ability to stand out from the crowd and be picked above all the other girls as the one who is the most desirable. What they both want, her mother the most, is that she finds someone who doesn't beat her, and treats her like she deserves to be treated, which is commendable on her part considering the alternative to this is getting Sophia arrested and all her families assets taken away.


One thing that I found really funny was the assertion, in the rules six created by the king, that one had to have a copy of the cinderella book in their house. It is something that in our world would be completely absurd, rather than something that would have to be followed consistently. Also, I would say the same about the fact that they have to keep a portrait of the king up in their house at all times but I think that there is less to laugh about with this matter considering certain countries actually force their citizens to do this. Such as North Korea with Kim Jong-il, or Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh.


While the invitations sent out may seem heartfelt, and make the ball seem more like an option, and something set up specifically for the girls chosen, the fact that the invitation also says that failure to comply will result in imprisonment and seizure of all assets from the immediate family really ruins the image that they are trying to portray about the ball on the outside.


I think that this quick listing of all the information we needed to know how this place, while looking nice, beautiful and like a utopia on the surface is nothing more than a way for the king to keep his citizens constantly thinking about something else and not allowing them to worry about what he is doing. I think that Kalynn allows us to gain all this information as quickly as we did, learn about some of the most important characters while not allowing it to be overwhelming is very well done on her part. She recreated a very interesting premise based on the Cinderella fairy tale and with the beginning being the most important, as you have to draw your readers in, it does a very good job of creating this feeling.

I do think that there could have been more tension during the first part of the book because although there was a lot going on, there were guards all over the place, and yet it didn't feel completely necessary. We knew that none of them was going to get captured, so Kalynn could have added something to create more tension. For example, creating a situation where Erin or Sophia were captured and only able to escape from that situation because of the sacrifice of another person. This would have made the opening scene seem more needed in my opinion.


The fact that this marriage is basically arranged between the two parties allows the young girls to be paired up with people who don't deserve to be married. It is mentioned how many women carry bruises on their necks because their husbands don't treat them like any decent human being should treat another. I think this perfectly illustrates the dangers that may be faced because of the ball, moreso than all the things we already know about.


There is a lot of description about the place that they live in, Lille, which is something that instantly sticks out and gives clues as to the world that the author is trying to build. It also shows that the author is trying to impart a greater meaning to this environment. The reason for this is unknown, but the best assumption, the one that makes the most sense, is that Kalynn is trying the make the environment part of the cast. Everything a character does is able to do dictated by their environment, and creating a specific environment that is also intertwined with the story allows for a lot more characterisation of the environment than if there wasn't.


This regime should be rebelled against, but that doesn't mean that it should be without a reason. We are shown that Sophia is very against this regime, but for it to hold more weight we need to see the reason behind this decision. An inciting incident is something that drives our main character towards her goals (I know that this is Erin, but their relationship isn't explored at the start at all, and that is something that takes away from this book a lot and makes it very hard to get into) and we don't really get to see this. We get to know that she does want to rebel and that her mother is against this regime, but there is no sense of urgency that allows the start of the book to be more in line with what is expected (not everything has to be in line with that, but there are guidelines for genres and form for a reason).


After everything goes wrong at the ball predictably, we are introduced to another character. Constance knows about all the secrets that the kings have been hiding, and is going to fight, or die, trying to expose the generations of kings. We all knew that this society was built upon lies, his dictator behaviour wouldn't have been needed if the truth was told, but we still watch as Sophia has to come to terms with the fact that basically everything she has been told about the story of Cinderella has been a complete lie. She suspected that there were some parts that were lied about to make the story seem more appealing but she didn't know that basically the whole thing was made up to better control the citizens.


The second half of the book, once Constance was introduced, was a lot more interesting when compared to the first half. There was a lot more going on, and the character interactions felt a lot more genuine. The plan that they had to execute was also a lot more interesting and the stakes were raised. Things started to make more sense and the construction of the story was a lot more fruitful in creating an excellent story when compared to how the first half of the book until the ball went.


I did enjoy the last plot twist, as I had never fully accepted that there could be trust between those characters but the way they revealed that she wasn't to be trusted at all was very well done. Although she definitely did betray them and tried to kill Sophia, that doesn't mean that she didn't actually help them somewhat. Things such as raising Cinderella, telling them all the stories of the past, even if she embellished her own, and also everything we learned about the horrible things that the kings have been doing for generations. She obviously told them this, which was why it was so surprising to learn that she hadn't been on their side. To what extent she wasn't we will never know, but we do know that she was never fully against them.


Once we reached the ending, the finale was disappointing, in that I had been expecting more. There were not many other ways that this book could have ended because of how powerful they made the final person they fought. They weren't someone to be delicately trifled with, and the finale had to happen in the way it did, but that doesn't mean it doesn't end up losing points because of it.


Do not be silent.

Raise your voice.

Be a light in the dark.


The final message given was very relevant today, as oppression in different countries is all over the news. It is more talked about across the world than ever before because social media allows us to finally see how people function when put into completely different situations.

Situations in real life about oppression are like the Ukrainian people, while under siege by the Russian army and struggling to fight back, are still rejecting African people are their border because they are black. Oppression knows no one, cares for no one and only wants to harm. It isn't stopped by war, as war only further enhances it.


I liked this book, and the middle part was definitely the best part, but overall there was a lot of disappointment as I saw many things that could have been improved in this book. I would say that it is a fine read, and would recommend it, but not strongly as something you should go out of your way to find and read.


author: Kalynn Bayron

book: Cinderella is Dead


7/10




 
 
 

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