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Abi (The Knights Who Say Book)'s Reviews > Cinderella Is Dead
Cinderella Is Dead
by
by
Abi (The Knights Who Say Book)'s review
bookshelves: arcs, diverse-reads, fantasy, feminist-focused, given-for-review, lesbian-protagonist, lgbtqa-main-character, lgbtqa-minor-characters, main-character-of-color, retelling, standalone, wlw, young-adult
Apr 22, 2020
bookshelves: arcs, diverse-reads, fantasy, feminist-focused, given-for-review, lesbian-protagonist, lgbtqa-main-character, lgbtqa-minor-characters, main-character-of-color, retelling, standalone, wlw, young-adult
I liked this book a lot!
It has some flaws. There are a few coincidences in the plot which could have been products of skill and determination instead, if the author put some more thought into it. But mostly my problem was was that the writing of the Horrible Oppressive Patriarchal Kingdom was So Obvious. It conveys the horror of the setting, but at the cost of more subtle and evocative writing. I think the misogyny and hopelessness and horror could have been conveyed with writing more like a scalpel instead of a pick axe, if you get what I'm saying. On the other hand, the straightforwardness of it means no one could be dense enough to miss the message. And with its retelling angle and not having sexual content but with the same message, it might be a fantastic The Handmaid's Tale for younger audiences.
I also wanted more fleshing out of the fairy-tales-are-state-propaganda angle! The treatment of Cinderella this way is the basis of the entire book, but the mention of Snow White caught my interest so hard, I wanted to know how so many other tales would go if they got the same treatment. Hoping this was left to be fleshed out in sequels!
Though I wish the flaws were fixed, I am very happy with this book. We got gay girls. We got queer characters supporting each other. We got morally gray characters and heroes and villains. We got a million different ways people crumple under and quietly resist and loudly revolt against the patriarchy, and incredible character development as Sophia learns not to judge people who go quietly because they just want to survive, even though she is a different kind of person. And she does it all while kissing girls.
It has some flaws. There are a few coincidences in the plot which could have been products of skill and determination instead, if the author put some more thought into it. But mostly my problem was was that the writing of the Horrible Oppressive Patriarchal Kingdom was So Obvious. It conveys the horror of the setting, but at the cost of more subtle and evocative writing. I think the misogyny and hopelessness and horror could have been conveyed with writing more like a scalpel instead of a pick axe, if you get what I'm saying. On the other hand, the straightforwardness of it means no one could be dense enough to miss the message. And with its retelling angle and not having sexual content but with the same message, it might be a fantastic The Handmaid's Tale for younger audiences.
I also wanted more fleshing out of the fairy-tales-are-state-propaganda angle! The treatment of Cinderella this way is the basis of the entire book, but the mention of Snow White caught my interest so hard, I wanted to know how so many other tales would go if they got the same treatment. Hoping this was left to be fleshed out in sequels!
Though I wish the flaws were fixed, I am very happy with this book. We got gay girls. We got queer characters supporting each other. We got morally gray characters and heroes and villains. We got a million different ways people crumple under and quietly resist and loudly revolt against the patriarchy, and incredible character development as Sophia learns not to judge people who go quietly because they just want to survive, even though she is a different kind of person. And she does it all while kissing girls.
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Reading Progress
November 13, 2019
– Shelved
November 13, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
April 13, 2020
–
Started Reading
April 22, 2020
–
68.0%
"i think the book hit its stride halfway through. it’s better when it’s focusing on how to take down the patriarchy than on describing life under the patriarchy"
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
arcs
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
diverse-reads
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
fantasy
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
feminist-focused
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
given-for-review
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
lesbian-protagonist
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
lgbtqa-main-character
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
lgbtqa-minor-characters
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
main-character-of-color
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
retelling
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
standalone
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
wlw
April 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
young-adult
April 22, 2020
–
Finished Reading