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msbedelia's review
I understood that this was a "Black, queer Cinderella destroys the patriarchy" book for young adults (great premise!), but I didn't anticipate just how much unrelenting misogynist violence and violent rhetoric there would be to show just how bad the society she's fighting against is. I usually reach for YA for something lighter- even when themes are mature- but in terms of triggering events, this *feels* more like The Handmaid's Tale, and without the lyrical prose and insight that made that work so beautiful. This book might be *extremely* fun for someone in the age range it was intended for, but despite my curioristy for how it turns out (and what the truth about Cinderella is!), I have to DNF at this time. I can't do the unrelenting dystopia, and the overt nature/simplicity of the authoritarianism- while very much a YA genre feature- is also boring and grating to me. But again- would probably encourage a teenager to read it and see what they thought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual harassment