Content levels
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . . This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they've been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Is Cinderella Is Dead appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
This YA fairy tale retelling features lesbian protagonists fighting an oppressive patriarchal regime where girls are forced into marriage. Contains moderate action violence, same-sex romance (non-explicit), and themes of systemic misogyny and control.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include kidnapping, captivity, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will root for Sophia and Constance as they uncover dark secrets about a beloved fairy tale and fight to free girls from a cruel system.