Cinderella is dead

BY Kalynn Bayron

We're doing another YA fantasy x spec-fic (see our PET review in "Previous Reads."

From https://www.rachel.ie/cinderella-is-dead-kalynn-bayron:

It’s time to smash the fairytale glass ceiling.

Cinderella Is Dead is Kalynn Bayron’s eighth novel but the first to reach critical acclaim. Published in 2020, it covers a broad range of crucial issues that need to be addressed in the modern world. From sexism to racism to LGBT+ rights, this book kicks oppression in the face.

It rightfully became an immediate success, and has won numerous awards: 2020 Book Shimmy Award for diverse books, 2020 Books Are My Bag Readers Award for young adult fiction and 2020 Wordery’s Book Of The Year Award for children’s books.

In Mersailles, “Cinderella” is more than just a fairy tale: It’s the basis for a harsh monarch’s throttlehold on his kingdom. Sophia is turning 16, the age at which young women must attend King Manford’s annual ball, at which they are scrutinized by and married off to male attendees.... While racial diversity is a natural part of this world, the same acceptance does not exist for those who defy rigid gender norms: Anything other than heterosexual desire is strictly forbidden, and while Sophia wishes to escape as a couple, Erin is too fearful. ...The atmospheric setting is a particular strength, and the twists and turns will keep readers in suspense.