Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer  
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, Book One
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover, 387 pages
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Source: Personal Library, Bought  
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Synopsis from Goodreads:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Review:

Gah! This book was awesome! This was a re-read for me and it was even better the second time reading it! I was unsure about this one when I first picked it up a few months ago. The whole cyborg thing kind of turned me off and I am also wary of fairytale retellings because I feel like some can be so cliché and boring, but this was amazing! There are obvious takes from Cinderella, but it was such a unique retelling of the classic fairytale that I just fell in love with it.

Cinder, our main character is a teenage cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing. The world is very different and the story takes place in the future after WWIV. The entire world has formed an alliance and hasn’t had war in 126 years, but a new tragedy is ravaging the planet: Letumosis, a horrible disease that is killing everybody infected. They have no cure and are continuing to do research, but are not having much luck. Cyborgs are looked down upon as inferior to humans in society. Cinder’s guardian Adri is like the evil stepmother in Cinderella. She is awful, treats Cinder like crap and favors her other two daughters. Unlike the classic fairytale, Cinder has a really good relationship with one of her step-sisters, Peony. Peony is adorable. She is so upbeat and you can’t help but smile when reading about her.

In a strange turn of events, Cinder ends up meeting Prince Kai when he brings one of the royal androids to her for repair work. And the Cinderella story begins. She hides the fact that she is a cyborg from him because she is afraid of his reaction. As she gets to know Prince Kai, she also finds out more about Lunars, the people who inhabit the moon. Lunars have the ability to control peoples’ minds. They can make them see whatever they want and do whatever they tell them. Their sovereign, Queen Levana is the epitome of evil. She wants to form an alliance with Earth, but her terms are extreme and will likely end badly for the humans.

I loved the characters in this book. Cinder is a typical teenage girl stuck in her cyborg body that makes everybody look down on her. She wants more than anything to be accepted and when Prince Kai takes an interest in her, she hides her cyborg nature because she enjoys his company and feeling like someone actually accepts her for once.

“And yet to have felt the comforting presence of acceptance, only to be confined by secrecy again, was even more unbearable than lying to him to begin with.” -Cinder

Prince Kai is amazing. You immediately think he is going to be this stiff, stuck-up young prince, but he’s not like that at all. He’s actually really laid back and outgoing. He is kind and passionate about serving his people to the best of his ability even if that means making personal sacrifices. He’s also funny and sarcastic which are two of my favorite personality traits and he kept me smiling the entire time I was reading about him.

“Stars, Cinder, if I'd known you were going to embargo me for asking you on a date, I wouldn't have dared." -Prince Kai

 

Overall, I adored this book. The unique retelling of this classic fairytale blew me away. There were a lot of science fiction elements, but not so much that it was overwhelming. The plot was intriguing and fast-paced. The characters were relatable and likeable and I truly enjoyed reading about them. There are some crazy plot twists in this book that I guarantee you will never see coming. I didn’t. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a wonderful fairytale retelling. I can’t wait to read the second book Scarlet, which is based on Little Red Riding Hood. Happy reading all!