Title: Cinder ( The Lunar Chronicles
#1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: January 3rd, 2012
Buy The Book: Amazon/Barnes andNoble/The Book Depository
Goodreads Summary:
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.
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
Thoughts:
I know I
probably one of the last people to have read Cinder but, I was so hesitant to
read it because everybody has loved this book so much. I am happy to report I am
definitely a part of the Marissa Meyer fan club and I can 't wait to pick up
Scarlet. Meyer created a perfect fairytale retelling that I fell in love with.
The perfect mix of the Cinderella aspect with the fantasy elements gave it a
new and interesting feel but, it kept true to the overall fairytale which I
loved, Meyer has definitely been added to my list of favorite authors!
Cinder is
one of the best mechanics in New Beijing, she is also a cyborg. Stuck leaving wither
her evil step mother as her guardian, she is forced to give all of her earnings
from her mechanic booth at the market. She doesn't remember anything from her
life before being a cyborg, a hover accident, her life being saved by surgery making her into a cyborg.
Cyborgs are not regular citizens and she is shunned by many people in her
world, beaten down verbally because of what she is by her step-mother, she
dreams of running away and starting a new life. Lucky for her she has two
friends on her side, her step-sister Pearl and an android named Iko. Cinder's
character was the perfect mix for me, she didn't completely wallow in her self
pity for what she is and how the world see's her. Her step-mother was
definitely evil and used Cinder every chance she got. Iko, which was really her
best friend was definitely one of my favorite characters of the book. Even
though she wasn't a real person, her personality came through the book every
time she was a part of it. she added a lightness to the book and made me smile
with all of the comments and conversations she had with Cinder. I also
loved her step sister Pearl, she was so optimistic, happy, and young, she added
a vibrancy and youth to the book whenever she was in a scene.
I loved the
word-building and learning about what Cinder's world was like. Since, it was a fairytale
retelling the overall aspect of Cinderella didn't lead to any surprises or twists to the story, and I
guessed what was going to happen in the end way before it did but, it didn't
take away from the story at all. The villains of the story are the Lunars, a
group of aliens who live on the moon, I was definitely interested in them and I
really enjoyed learning about them throughout the book. They added tension and are Earth's main threat throughout the
book. Their leader Queen Levana is
determined to marry Cinder's love interest and the emperor of New Beijing, Kai.
Kai was such an endearing character and I definitely loved his character. Even
though he was the leader of his country he was down to earth and normal.
He was learning how to be a leader
throughout the book and he was willing to sacrifice everything for the good of
his people.
Overall,
Cinder was fairytale retelling at its finest. The story was fresh and new, it
did fall into the category that many of the retellings I have read before, it
wasn't just a updated retelling of the same old story. Meyer created a fantasy
world that was rich and engaging. I was kept interested with everything that
was added to the story and I loved the added aspect of Cinderella. If you are a
fantasy fan, you will definitely love Meyers mix of fairytale and science
fiction.
Want some more thoughts on Cinder? Check out the links below!
I actually couldn't get into this one and not sure why. Glad you enjoyed though!
ReplyDeleteBrandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I've still yet to start this series. I'm sure I will eventually but just haven't yet. Great review though!
ReplyDeleteKristin@Blood,Sweat and Books
Yay -- I think you'll like Scarlet even more…
ReplyDeleteYou can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics
Great review. I really really want to read this series.
ReplyDeleteI only read this a couple months ago myself and I waited so long for the same reason. And often when everyone loves a book this much I come to hate it (forever black sheep and all) but I really enjoyed this one as well and I'm glad you did too. :) I agree the world building and creativity was the best in this retelling it's definitely what sold it for me. I like that the basics were kept but it was such a different story that it still stands on its own. Great review, Kristin!
ReplyDeleteHa, I thought *I* was the last person to read Cinder right before Scarlet released. :) So glad you enjoyed it, too...and I think you'll like Scarlet even more!
ReplyDeleteI think Scarlet was even better than Cinder-just raised the stakes, added in more cool characters, and increased anticipation for the rest of the series!
ReplyDelete