Author: Kalynn Bayron
Genre: Fantasy; YA; LGBT
Rating: 8/10
In a world rife with patriarchy, every sixteen-year old girl is required to attend the Annual Ball. Sophia isn’t interested in parading in front of suitors though, and would very much prefer to marry Erin, her childhood best friend and first love. But girls can’t dare to dream of a better world in Lille. When she flees the ball in a fit of desperation and ends up at Cinderella’s mausoleum, Sophia discovers that the childhood story she grew up with wasn’t as pretty as it seemed…
This was a fascinating read, and I really liked the novel take on the classic tale of Cinderella. This book had been in my TBR for quite a while, and after a while I suddenly started seeing it everywhere! I think many people were appreciative of having a black female lead in a fairytale that featured the traditional blonde princess, and it was a concept that I was very eager to read about as well. Ultimately though, while it was certainly an enjoyable read, it did not live up to the high expectations I had.
Initially, I was not really a fan of the worldbuilding. I felt that there were way too many rules restricting the world, and at some points it just felt unrealistic. Maybe that was what the author intended; to create a world that was overly oppressive and patriarchal, to emphasise how many obstacles Sophia had to overcome in the course of the story. And definitely, the world made more sense as the story progressed–the events that occurred befitted the world after more details came to light. In the end, while I still didn’t love the world, I could understand it better. I could also draw parallels between the fantasy world and our real world, which just made me feel really sad that some people in our world, even today, experience this sort of oppression.
The characters also fell a little flat for me at the start of the story. Sophia, especially, seemed to have only one mantra running in her head nonstop, and that was her desire for freedom. I could see where the character was coming from, but the way she was initially portrayed gave me the impression that she didn’t have any other personality traits, apart from her desperate urge to run away. As the story progressed though, I could see her personality becoming more nuanced, and I enjoyed watching her character grow. Apart from Sophia, most of the other characters had quite interesting personalities, though I felt that a couple could have been fleshed out with more complexity. Overall, I enjoyed reading about the various characters, but none of them were very memorable.
“I don't want to be saved by some knight in shining armour. I'd like to be the one in the armour, and I'd like to be the one doing the saving.”
I thought the plot was executed quite well. There were, however, a few faults; the story was predictable at times, and a few scenes felt unrealistic because some external force came to save the characters from their troubles in the nick of time. However, every element of the story was given its time in the spotlight, and it was just enough for the reader to understand how all the strings tied together nearing the climax.
Fantasy standalones aren’t easy to write. Establishing a new world with its own set of rules and magical elements is far easier to do with a series but this author was able to give us a pretty good story! Overall, for those looking for a quick fantasy read, and are intrigued by a dark twist to a beloved fairytale, this one’s for you.
Reviewed by: S.R. Scribbles (1st reading)
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