Review – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

   

Genre: Futuristic Fairytale Retelling

Hardcover – 390 pgs

Published: 2012 by Macmillan

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Rating: 4/5

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.

This morning I'm sitting here thinking about Cinder wondering what I could possibly say about this book that another review hasn't. Everyone loves this book. There are so many reviews and posts about this series that gush about the amazing Lunar Chronicles Series. I don't disagree with those people that this series looks like its going to be amazing and I really enjoyed the book. However, like so many books, the hype is so extremely positive and its hard for a book to live up to it. I really enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as the hype made me think I would.

Before I make it seem like I didn't enjoy this, let's jump into all the things I did love about this book. Cinder is an independent and really self-reliant character who has no problem speaking her mind or working for what she wants. I absolutely loved her. She won me over really quickly with her stubbornness and determination to get things done herself. It was also really nice for me to swoon over a love interest more than a main character. Prince Kai was a really fun character and I loved their quick witty banter throughout the book.

Meyer created a complex world around her main character. The writing is simple, but really effective at introducing the reader to the world and characters. I loved her futuristic spin for Earth and the Lunars are really interesting. I am curious to see more of the history of this high-tech world and the Lunars. The human/cyborg/android dynamic is really interesting and consistent throughout the book. Because the next two books are already out, I caught glimpses of things I'm sure are going to be important later on. Overall Meyer has a very engaging writing style and I am hooked on this series.

Because this is a fairytale retelling, it is predictable which bothered me a lot more while I was reading than it does now. Meyers built such a good foundation for her series with this book. I was thoroughly impressed with the elements of Cinderella that she used and how she shaped them within her own story. Even if you didn't know that fairytale, this story can stand by itself.

I can't pin point one thing that disappointed me about this book. I just didn't love it wholeheartedly. By the end of the novel, I was completely absorbed by Cinder and the story but the first half didn't capture me as much. I'm excited for the sequel and have heard things only get better from here so I'll pick up Scarlet soon to see how it goes for me.

So overall I don't have much to add to this discussion. I really enjoyed this story and would encourage people who have trouble at the beginning to keep going and give the story a chance to ramp up. Cinder's adventure is amazing and I'm invested so now I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!

Happy Reading!