PRAISE FOR CINDERELLA IS DEAD

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"Flipping the Cinderella tale on its head, Bayron’s take challenges patriarchy with kick-butt heroines and a counter-story that will forever change how readers perceive fairy tales." -BOOKLIST Starred Review

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"In Cinderella is Dead, debut author Kalynn Bayron, reimagines the world of this classic with a striking sapphic story about a determined young woman willing to risk it all to expose the secrets and lies at the very heart of Cinderella’s mythic ‘happily ever-after’ in order to free a kingdom." - Ro Moore, FIYAH LIT MAG

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“Readers looking for dystopia, queer romance, LGBTQ inclusiveness, and women sticking it to the patriarchy will be pleased…” - School Library Journal

 

“Handmaid’s Tale meets Hunger Games but with QPOC, this novel is for every queer teen seeking a page-turner of resistance and self-discovery.” - THEM

 

“A wonderfully dark, twisty, and refreshingly different take on the Cinderella fairy tale that I absolutely adored reading. Sophia is a strong, brave heroine willing to fight for her own fairy tale ending that girls and boys everywhere can look up to. Absolutely love this book!”- Marielle Orff, Towne Center Books

 

“Kalynn Bayron does more than re-write a fairy-tale . . . She breaks it apart and rebuilds it into a wholly original and captivating story where girls finally decide for themselves who lives happily ever after.”- Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely

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“A wildly imaginative spin on a classic tale with a fierce heroine who will stop at nothing to smash the patriarchy, fight for equality, and live proudly as her true self.” –Alicia Michielli, Talking Leaves…Books

“Filled with (gay!) romance, adventure, and mystery, CINDERELLA IS DEAD recasts the fairy tale as something more horrific than the Disney dream--and shouts aloud for young women to stand up for their rights and their happiness.” - Alex Schaffner, Brookline Booksmith 

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“Cinderella’ might be a classic, but CINDERELLA IS DEAD is sure to become an anthem... Its pages spill over with female power and empowerment, engaging in an age-old tale with a fresh, culturally relevant and much-needed voice. The magic of CINDERELLA IS DEAD lies not with pumpkin carriages or fairy god mothers, but with girls taking control of their own fairytale endings, overthrowing toxic patriarchies, and learning to walk like they bear crowns.” - Ava Tusek, Second Star to the Right Books

 

“An unapologetic roar at the conventional fairytale, Cinderella is Dead challenges readers with a whole new story of justice, revenge, and queer love.” - Sami Thomason, Square Books 

 

“Kalynn took a fairy tale we all know and turned it on its head, for the better. The whole time I am reading it I'm thinking this is a feminist fairy tale. I'm thinking this is the LGBTQ+ fairy tale I wish I could have read when growing up and I am so happy young people today will be able to read this story. We need more stories like this.” - Rayna Nielsen, Garden District Bookshop

 

“Sophia is not looking forward to the Annual Ball where men get to pick their wives in homage to Cinderella. In fact, she would rather marry her best friend Erin, but such things are not allowed. After a disaster at the ball, Sophia meets Constance, one of the last living relatives of Cinderella's family and a direct descendant of one of the Ugly Stepsisters. Constance is a sharp as a broken glass slipper. Together they push back against a world bent on their destruction. Each twist surprised me and kept me racing towards the tense conclusion. Timely, evocative, and an excellent twist on an old classic.” - Ivy Quirk, Bookshop Santa Cruz

 

“Bayron creates a fully realized world that plays cleverly off of fairy tale conventions and reveals all that truly all that glitters isn’t gold in the stories repeatedly told to little girls. Cinderella is Dead is action packed with thrilling tension from the first page. Sophia is a heroine that’s strong-willed and brave and easy for readers to root for and be captivated by throughout her adventure. Sophia is outspoken, daring, and compassionate—a true role model and you immediately want her to find her happily ever after that she wants on her own terms. Cinderella is Dead is Hunger Games meets Grimms Fairy Tales in the best way and Bayron is a really exciting original voice in Young Adult fantasy.” - Diana Metzger, Loyalty Bookstore

 

“Cinderella and Prince Charming got married and lived happily ever after, right?  Sophia might beg to differ.  It's been 200 years since Cinderella died and things just keep getting worse.  Now, once a year, the teen girls attend a mandatory ball and hope to be chosen.  They have one shot a year, for three years, and if they aren't chosen, they go on to a life of service.  But Sophie just wants to be free to love who she wants and who she wants to love is her best friend Erin.  But while Erin loves her, she wants to follow the king's orders. You can sum up this book in one sentence: a YA retelling of Cinderella where queer black girls overthrow the patriarchy.  This book was SO good!”- Jenn Jones, Bookmiser