Kalynn Bayron
Author of Cinderella Is Dead
About the Author
Series
Works by Kalynn Bayron
Disney Descendants: A Lost Revenge: A Disney Descendants Original Graphic Novel (2026) 2 copies, 1 review
Drasal Lands 1 copy
The Lost Son 1 copy
Zero Antigen Theorem 1 1 copy
Kalynn Bayron Collection 4 Books Set (Cinderella is Dead, This Poison Heart, This Wicked Fate, Sleep Like Death) (2024) 1 copy
cinderela está morta 1 copy
Associated Works
Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight (2023) — Contributor — 127 copies, 3 reviews
The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power (2024) — Contributor — 109 copies, 2 reviews
We Mostly Come Out at Night: 15 Queer Tales of Monsters, Angels & Other Creatures (2024) — Contributor — 68 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 20th Century
- Gender
- female
- Awards and honors
- Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction (2022)
- Agent
- Jamie Vankirk
- Short biography
- Kalynn Bayron is the award-winning author of the YA fantasy novels CINDERELLA IS DEAD and THIS POISON HEART. Her latest works include the YA fantasy THIS WICKED FATE and the middle grade paranormal adventure THE VANQUISHERS. She is a CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominee, a two-time CYBILS Award nominee, and her work has been featured on Booklist’s Editor’s Choice list. She is a classically trained vocalist and musical theater enthusiast. When she's not writing you can find her watching scary movies and spending time with her kids. She currently lives in Ithaca, NY with her family.
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Ithaca, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
~~Reviewed by Toby Palevsky Smith of Toby's Nerd-Cave Library~~
It is now 200 years after the famous Cinderella has died, and the law in the land is now that all teen girls must attend the annual Ball, and must get chosen by a man to be his wife based solely on the finery she is able to wear. The women are considered spinsters if they do not marry by the age of 18. They get only three chances to attend the Ball, starting at age 16, and the girls who are not chosen are never heard from show more again… until 16 year old Sophie escapes.
Sophie - headstrong, willful, and opinionated - is in love with her best friend, Erin and wants to run away with her, but the laws of the land forbid any “Unlawful, Unsanctioned unions” and Erin is not willing to fight for her. She is forced to hide herself from everyone, even her mother, who is too afraid of the Kingdom to ever break any rules. When the night of the Ball arrives, Sophie thought she’d be safe if her in-the-closet neighbor Luke spoke for her, but after he is beaten and taken away for daring to lay claim to a girl an aristocratic man had his eye on, Sophie decides enough is enough - and flees. She finds Cinderella’s abandoned crypt and meets Constance, a fiery red-head who is a direct descendant of Cinderella’s sister Gabrielle - who was not wicked at all, and she learns that the truth of the Cinderella story and the true origin of their king are nothing like what she has been raised to believe.
I really enjoyed this version of the story, and Sophie's strong character. The themes of oppression and revolution were very well done, and the beginning of the book made very clear exactly what this world is like to its female population. I think I would call this a YA Dystopian Romance Fantasy, and I would recommend it for any readers who like Fairy Tale re-tellings, or strong political revolutions. The writing style kept me engaged throughout the story, and the pacing was not too fast, and also not bogged down with unnecessary descriptions, and the narrative just flowed really well for me. show less
It is now 200 years after the famous Cinderella has died, and the law in the land is now that all teen girls must attend the annual Ball, and must get chosen by a man to be his wife based solely on the finery she is able to wear. The women are considered spinsters if they do not marry by the age of 18. They get only three chances to attend the Ball, starting at age 16, and the girls who are not chosen are never heard from show more again… until 16 year old Sophie escapes.
Sophie - headstrong, willful, and opinionated - is in love with her best friend, Erin and wants to run away with her, but the laws of the land forbid any “Unlawful, Unsanctioned unions” and Erin is not willing to fight for her. She is forced to hide herself from everyone, even her mother, who is too afraid of the Kingdom to ever break any rules. When the night of the Ball arrives, Sophie thought she’d be safe if her in-the-closet neighbor Luke spoke for her, but after he is beaten and taken away for daring to lay claim to a girl an aristocratic man had his eye on, Sophie decides enough is enough - and flees. She finds Cinderella’s abandoned crypt and meets Constance, a fiery red-head who is a direct descendant of Cinderella’s sister Gabrielle - who was not wicked at all, and she learns that the truth of the Cinderella story and the true origin of their king are nothing like what she has been raised to believe.
I really enjoyed this version of the story, and Sophie's strong character. The themes of oppression and revolution were very well done, and the beginning of the book made very clear exactly what this world is like to its female population. I think I would call this a YA Dystopian Romance Fantasy, and I would recommend it for any readers who like Fairy Tale re-tellings, or strong political revolutions. The writing style kept me engaged throughout the story, and the pacing was not too fast, and also not bogged down with unnecessary descriptions, and the narrative just flowed really well for me. show less
Briseis has always know she has a gift: plants respond to her in a strange, magical way. She can grow flowers from cuttings with a touch, and tree branches and grass lean toward her when she walks by. Her moms, who adopted her when she was born, worry about her, but they accept her gift -- and even let her put to use in their flower shop every once in a while. Summer break has started and Briseis is a bit directionless after her plans to take a botany class at the local community college show more fall through -- that is, until a lawyer shows up at their Brooklyn apartment and informs Briseis that her aunt, her birth mother's sister, has left her a whole house in upstate New York. Briseis and her moms are a little wary, but money's been tight, and some time away seems like it might be just what their family needs. So they pack up, find someone to run the shop, and head upstate for the summer. Once they reach the house, things are a little weird. It's dusty and needs to be cleaned out, but it's also full of paintings of Medea, from Greek mythology, it has a full-on apothecary shop in the back of the house, and strange people keep showing up outside. Briseis starts to get the feeling that her birth family might have known about and shared her strange gift -- and that the house might have been given to her for a reason.
I really enjoyed this fresh YA fantasy full of Black girl magic and cottagecore plant powers. It wasn't a perfect book, but I was hooked by the story and really enjoyed the ride. One thing I really loved was Briseis's relationship with her moms -- so many YA books have clueless parents who don't care, or at least parents the protagonist doesn't trust enough to ask for help. Briseis and her moms clearly love each other a lot and they show it with trust both ways. Briseis actually asks her parents for help! Often! Which just doesn't happen enough in YA books. Anyway, I picked up the sequel right after finishing this one, so clearly I enjoyed it. 4 stars. show less
I really enjoyed this fresh YA fantasy full of Black girl magic and cottagecore plant powers. It wasn't a perfect book, but I was hooked by the story and really enjoyed the ride. One thing I really loved was Briseis's relationship with her moms -- so many YA books have clueless parents who don't care, or at least parents the protagonist doesn't trust enough to ask for help. Briseis and her moms clearly love each other a lot and they show it with trust both ways. Briseis actually asks her parents for help! Often! Which just doesn't happen enough in YA books. Anyway, I picked up the sequel right after finishing this one, so clearly I enjoyed it. 4 stars. show less
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
There are many scenes of loss and grieving of a partner and a parent in this book that some readers may find upsetting. Scenes of violence, murder and attempted murder take place. There are deaths on page and deaths off page discussed. Threats, kidnapping and stalking also take place.
At the end of the previous book Briseis’ mom, Thandie, died, and her soul was taken somewhere safe by the goddess Hecate to prevent it going to the show more underworld. However, Hecate can only keep her soul safely hidden for one moon cycle. During that time Briseis has been given an impossible task; bring all the pieces of the Absyrtus Heart back together and thus resurrect Hecate’s son. On top of all that, her aunt Circe, who she had been told was dead had literally just walked in the door demanding to know what was going on.
This Poison Heart continues the themes of family, identity and love that began in This Poison Heart, and Bayron delves deeper into the Colchis family legacy. Through Circe, we learn more about the family’s legacy as she teaches Briseis, and there’s lots more Greek mythology in this one as they hunt down the last piece of the Absyrtus Heart. I’ll be honest, I am beginning to get a little jaded with so many authors using Greek mythology (there are more pantheons out there, just saying!), however, the way that Bayron weaves it into her story feels so much more genuine. It’s not the same old myths being rehashed. Medea is a figure who often gets overlooked because she’s a part of so many other people’s stories. She’s the daughter of someone important, the wife of a hero, the niece of a powerful witch and so on. Making her and her descendents the centre of a story is different to the many stories of demi gods and other retellings I keep seeing.
Then there’s the magic system of this duology, which has been fabulous from the start. Circe’s presence means we also get to learn more about the Colchis family powers. As the ladies set out to find Briseis’ mom she needs to be on top of her game, so she gets some lessons from Circe. Of course, these are emotionally fuelled considering the circumstances. The whole of This Poison Heart is, to be honest, and one moment my heart was swelling with love, then bursting with emotion and another moment it was thumping with emotion. This book is a total rollercoaster which is to be expected.
I loved every minute of it. I felt so much for Briseis because Bayron gently tips the reader off to some things which Briseis doesn’t quite catch up on. We have to watch as she realises what is happened, and it’s heartbreaking. It feels like the poor girl can’t catch a break and from the events of the first book it’s clear that Bayron doesn’t pull her punches. You’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout This Wicked Fate, and if you’re a crier like me tissues are definitely a must.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog! show less
Content warnings:
At the end of the previous book Briseis’ mom, Thandie, died, and her soul was taken somewhere safe by the goddess Hecate to prevent it going to the show more underworld. However, Hecate can only keep her soul safely hidden for one moon cycle. During that time Briseis has been given an impossible task; bring all the pieces of the Absyrtus Heart back together and thus resurrect Hecate’s son. On top of all that, her aunt Circe, who she had been told was dead had literally just walked in the door demanding to know what was going on.
This Poison Heart continues the themes of family, identity and love that began in This Poison Heart, and Bayron delves deeper into the Colchis family legacy. Through Circe, we learn more about the family’s legacy as she teaches Briseis, and there’s lots more Greek mythology in this one as they hunt down the last piece of the Absyrtus Heart. I’ll be honest, I am beginning to get a little jaded with so many authors using Greek mythology (there are more pantheons out there, just saying!), however, the way that Bayron weaves it into her story feels so much more genuine. It’s not the same old myths being rehashed. Medea is a figure who often gets overlooked because she’s a part of so many other people’s stories. She’s the daughter of someone important, the wife of a hero, the niece of a powerful witch and so on. Making her and her descendents the centre of a story is different to the many stories of demi gods and other retellings I keep seeing.
Then there’s the magic system of this duology, which has been fabulous from the start. Circe’s presence means we also get to learn more about the Colchis family powers. As the ladies set out to find Briseis’ mom she needs to be on top of her game, so she gets some lessons from Circe. Of course, these are emotionally fuelled considering the circumstances. The whole of This Poison Heart is, to be honest, and one moment my heart was swelling with love, then bursting with emotion and another moment it was thumping with emotion. This book is a total rollercoaster which is to be expected.
I loved every minute of it. I felt so much for Briseis because Bayron gently tips the reader off to some things which Briseis doesn’t quite catch up on. We have to watch as she realises what is happened, and it’s heartbreaking. It feels like the poor girl can’t catch a break and from the events of the first book it’s clear that Bayron doesn’t pull her punches. You’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout This Wicked Fate, and if you’re a crier like me tissues are definitely a must.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog! show less
I do not like horror. I do not watch slasher films and I stay as far away from scary video games as possible. I knew this was a horror book going into it, but I love Bayron's other books, so I was willing to give it a shot. This book does not change my opinion on the horror genre or on Bayron's talent. I love Bayron's style, and the story had me on the edge of my seat. I loved how the characters were genre savvy, even if it didn't help them in the end. I don't think I'm going to read more show more horror anytime soon, but I am glad to have read this book. show less
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- Works
- 21
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 5,616
- Popularity
- #4,418
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 143
- ISBNs
- 96
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