At the moment fairytale retellings in the YA genre is not a new concept, which somehow seems to increase in the market as each year passes. Bayron has opted on this occasion to choose the classic of Cinderella and twist it on its head with themes such as the patriarchy, LGBT, and good old feminism at its finest.
We see the main character Sophia, grapple with real and ongoing concepts that relate to the real world and what it means to have self-worth in the case where not many women are able to. Her inquisitive nature of how things must be done identifies with so many people across the world, whether they feel segregated, the victim of hatred, or victim of any kind of malicious act, no matter whether it is from the spoken word, or a physical act. This is something that we all must talk about, especially to this age-range where influences are a huge part of their lives.
Because when we break down the meaning of Cinderella itself, what does this truly say to a young girl or boy? That it is ok to wait around for someone to help you? That you can't save yourself from an abusive situation? That asking for help is not an ok thing? These points show what is wrong with the tale of Cinderella and it does not apply to modern life. If anything, Bayron's book has shown that in order for things to get done we need to think critically if this form of society is the right one. That it is absolutely ok to ask for help, especially if you feel like there is no way out. We can all be the heroes of our own stories, we just need to take the leap. However, this story is not without its faults.
The problem that I found throughout this book is the pace. How everything happened felt more like fillers in a plan, rather than something that is just a part of the story itself. It didn't feel natural, kind of like it is artificial, or forced. Quite sad really when I had such high hopes for it. It could have worked amazingly if done in the right way, it was all there to manipulate to create something truly amazing.
The characters felt a little boring. Luke for instance, was such an interesting character. The author could have done so much for him in terms of how he could of moved the plot along. I'm just really sad that he became a character just for the sake of the author. Constance seemed like a promising character, but it felt like in some ways, she didn't make sense with some of the actions she made. Character development people! I will say this and I will continue to say this, it is great finding a plot that can be really intriguing, but without character development what is the point? It makes the world seem a little blander, boring. If anything characters motivations create worlds to become something else entirely. Thus, I gave Bayron's book a two star rating on Goodreads.
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