Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Reviewed by Britney S.
Grade 9

Cinderella Is Dead, but her cursed legacy continues to live on, damning nearly all other girls to a similar if not worse fate. But with the legacy the spark to fight and rebel has also lived on through the people, especially Sophia. Not wanting to follow the rules since young, she achieves her own freedom a while giving theirs to so many other girls.

Sophia is a sixteen-year-old girl, that like so many that share her fate, will be forced to follow Cinderella's footsteps as dictated by society. Now that she is of 'age' she, like Cinderella, must attend the ball to find her prince. But this doesn't mean a happy ending; it is the opposite for many, and she is well aware of it. She had hoped to escape her tragic fate when society once again uses its complicated rules to back her into a corner, but with a lucky chance she escapes into the forest. Looking for refuge in Cinderella's crypt, she finds another girl that has been running far longer than her. With the help of a wiser person and a little magic, she and her partner end this dark time in which women nearly have no rights, and together, they are ready to face the few last hurdles to fix this broken society.

The world and its setting were nicely flushed out and very immersive. I felt as if I was in there with its description and how the people acted in it. On the plaza of the town, from getting the wrong-sized shoe a little girl gets a portrait of the 'evil' stepsisters and tells her mother "Mama, I don't want to be like them.". Clearly showing the big influence that this fairy tale has become to girls, influencing them to be a certain way since young. One of Sophia's friend's family can't afford all the expenses that would make their daughter 'fit' for the ball and hope for a fairy godmother, because looking bad in the ball could end their daughter's life, showing how strict the King can be. The cruelty in a household due to the difference in power between husband and wife is displayed as Sophia witnesses a man beat his wife because she's 'stealing' all the money she makes as a seamstress which belongs to him "He raises his fist, and the woman winces as if he's already struck her." This is seconds before the protagonist steps in and as a client asks for the seamstress, because this can't be reported as the husband would be seen as right by the authorities. On the other hand, I think that the protagonist's transition in emotions could have been developed better as her love goes from her first love to her new love. She loved her first love so much made clearly many times through the text as she mentions their worry and care through many of the first chapters, but later in the book she no longer mentions them except for when she meets the second love interest and stops part of the advances. Other than that it was a very interesting story with rather relatable characters.

I think it is a good book for teen reader beginners. It is based on the original story Cinderella, even setting it as part of the conflict, but with a malicious flip on its world. It has dark themes such as domestic abuse and another best left unmentioned as it is a spoiler. It gives the basic idea of what happens with a corrupt and biased government and how hard it can be on the people and their personal feelings; especially who they fall for. It also has fantasy that will draw in many readers, plus being inclusive. But for more experienced readers the plot may seem familiar and as such taking away part of the novelty, the thrill of not knowing what's going to happen.

Review of Advance Reading Copy.
Expected publication: July 2020

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Reviewed by Anna M.
Grade 8

When I checked out the book The Healer’s Apprentice at the library, I was immensely interested by the beautiful cover. Though as I read the first few chapters, I started to fade. Getting into this long story took quite a while. I cannot say that reading this book was a total waste of time, but it was not a page turner. Don’t expect to be up all night reading it.

The protagonist of this book is a seventeen-year-old girl living in the Middle Ages. Rose, the woodcutter’s daughter, finds herself an apprentice of the town’s healer, Frau Geruscha. Rose is repetitively ordered by her mother to marry rich, old bachelors, and constantly denies her mother’s requests. Rose wants to marry a man she loves. Meanwhile the Duke of Hagenheim’s sons, Lord Hamlin and Lord Rupert, return from two years at Heidelberg’s university, and Rose finds herself falling in love with Lord Hamlin, who is betrothed to a mysterious Lady Salomea. Unfortunately, Lord Hamlin injures his leg, and Rose must sew the wound. Rose frequently finds herself getting into situations where Lord Hamlin must save her.

Reading this book, I could tell the author put much work into the plot. Rose was a very brave character, who is willing to do what is right even when it gets tough and even if it means losing the people she loves and cherishes. All the characters’ lives in this book worked out perfect except the main two, and that was unrealistic in my opinion. Like all fairy tales, it had the happily ever after ending; however, I felt that after all the hardship that had occurred the ending just happened out of nowhere, with no warning.

If you are bored, then The Healer’s Apprentice is not a terrible way to fill your time. The book did have many positive messages and was clean. I could also relate to the main characters. However, if you are looking for a page-turner, I would not bother to read this book. I personally did not like the author's style, and the rhythm of the book was dreadfully slow.

Hearts, Strings, and Other Unbreakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins

Reviewed by Nicole V.
Grade 10

Engaging debut Hearts, Strings and Other Breakable Things introduces the reader to the heroine, Edie Price. It had been seven years since she stepped into Mansfield, Massachusetts. Back then, her mother had a massive disagreement with her sister which left the family disunited. Edie pledged never to return again, until she broke that pledge and everything dramatically changed her life.

The novel opens with Edith “Edie” Price, a 17-years-old foster teen, struggling with the loss of her single mother three years ago. Edie is set to spend the last few months of her senior year with her wealthy aunt and uncle offering her a room, sending her to a private school with her cousins, and throwing a charity case party to introduce her to Mansfield society. Edie tries to fit in like her cousins, Maria and Julia, who obsessively care about fashion, parties and kissing boys while Edie cares about her education, writing music, reading classic literature and avoiding being in love. However, Edie is diverted by two love potential interests--the boy next door and the playboy. Sebastian, the boy next door and Edie’s childhood friend, quickly turns into a crush and both share literary references and same feelings for each other. Except...he has a girlfriend. Claire is gorgeous, popular and not fond of Edie. Edie senses that they aren’t a good match for each other when Claire's brother, Henry, a debonair and notorious player, gets really interested in Edie and starts flirting with her after Edie instantly rejects his action on her. When Edie’s with Sebastian, she feels like herself and knows that someone understands her situation, but as she continues to spend more time with Henry. She feels more honest and has a perfect and open connection with him, even joking around each other.


Jacqueline Firkins did an amazing job re-telling the story of Mansfield Park by transforming it from a countryside/Victorian time to a modernistic time. Although the book starts off complicated, it turns out to be heartwarming. Each individual character throughout the novel is entertaining, dramatically funny and self-controlled. For example: Edie’s conflicting relationship with her cousins can be difficult and annoying when they pressure her to do this and to do that with them, but in general they treat her like a “real” cousin rather than a mean friend. The writing overall is deftly written and contains lots of diction. Even though the plot deals with ups and downs, it was thrilling and interesting overall.

I would recommend this book because Edie's personality is unique, mature, and different from others with her superior intelligence, and she is not afraid to let her dream drop. Edie’s moral message to a young teenage girl is whatever you're striving or dreaming for, don’t let anything topple you down or let any boys distract your potential future. However, I would not recommend it to anyone younger than 13 because of its over-sexualization and deals with a lot of issues throughout the novel. I also suggest reading the original version, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and see how both authors utilizes their characters in different time periods.