Title: Cinder
Series: The Lunar Chronicles (Book 1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Square Fish
Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Retelling…
Number of pages: 448 pages (paperback)
Price: $5.27 (Amazon paperback)

Rating:

I went into this book not knowing what I was getting myself into. I hadn’t ready any reviews, any description, and not even the synopsis on the back of the book. All I knew was that everyone was raving about it and now I can official join the crew in praise.

After reading the first page of the book, all I could think was “wtf am I getting myself into.” Cyborgs?! A Cinderella Cyborg? I literally remember stopping and thinking to myself how stupid the concept was. In all honesty, I was never open-minded to science fiction concepts. I had shut myself off to any idea of sci-fi, but there I was… book in hand. A book I paid for, $9.99. I was not letting that money go to waste. So, I trudged on.

I quickly fell in love with Cinder. I think one of the most admirable things about the character is that she isn’t perfect. I have read too many novels about characters who are overly self-less and completely kind, that it seems unrealistic. Although, this character is definitely brave and caring, she is also extremely strong-willed and relatively normal for a cyborg. She had honest moments, realistic thoughts, and times of weakness.

It was also refreshing to see a retelling of Cinderella that incorporates a step-sister you actually like! It is safe to say that this retelling of the very loved fairy-tale is much different from any retelling ever created. Continuing with the theme of imperfection, Kai is far from what one might consider “Prince Charming.” Of course, he’s got the good looks, but he certainly does not have anything figured out. I even felt he was relatively naive. Still, it added to the story, only making me love it more!

With regards to the setting, Meyer illustrated it beautifully. For some reason, it reminded me of the fractions in Divergent. I loved the scenes in the market because, not only were the written in a way that created pleasing visuals, but they also provided understanding into how social society is within the novel. It highlighted how Cinder felt among the rest of society.

Finally, I will say the hardest part of the book for me was understanding about the war that was going on. I wish that aspect of the book would have been fleshed out more. There was a lot of information to taken in about the world, I think it was quickly passed over.

Needless to say, I WAS COMPLETELY SURPRISED by this book. It was great! Totally recommend it to all and I look forward to continuing with the rest of the series.