Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: January 2012
Number of Pages: Paperback, 387
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fairy Tales, Steampunk, Retellings, Romance
Setting: New Beijing
Plot: Humans and androids crown the raucaus streets of New Beijing. A deadly plaque 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...
Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her step-mother. 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. Because there is something unusual about Cinder, something that others would kill for!
Personal thoughts: Cinder is not a typical teenager. She's a cyborg and reading that part of the blurb above might just turn you off from this book... but don't let it. Yes, Cinder is adopted and has a step-mother and step-sisters. Yes, Cinder is a teenager, forced to work for her family for money. Yes, Cinder is a little like 'Cinderella'. Yes, there is a ball, and a Prince, and a villian. But that's where the similarities with the original fairy tale kind of stop! There is no fairy-godmother or talking mice...but there is a hilarious droid, a helpful doctor and a step-sister who isn't so wicked!
It took about the first two chapters to really get me excited to see where this book would take me. I'm not always a 'sci-fi' kind of girl. This book actually caught my attention and kept it with a story of a teenage cyborg who just wants to be human. Cinder keeps unfolding her past which forces her to realize that she's even weirder than she imagined, but that she's also gifted in a way and an asset to her world on Earth!
This story takes place in the future when cars are hovers and there are androids in every house hold! Speaking of, my favorite character in this book is the android that follows Cinder around, Iko! She's so witty and hilarious!
Vague spoilers below:
At the beginning of the story, Cinder meets Prince Kai at her mechanic shop at the market. He brings her an old droid to work on. When repairing her back at home with Iko, they get to talking about the Prince and about weaknesses. Cinder says "We all have weaknesses". Iko replies with, "I know... mine is shoes." Later, Iko suggests that "maybe her programming was overwhelmed by Prince Kai's uncanny hotness".... then later asks "Do you think she's seen him in the nude?" I literally busted out laughing in this scene. I could just picture them in the basement chatting over this droid!
About the Lunar part of the story.... Prince Kai and the Lunar Queen get into agreements on peace and marriage.When seeing the Queen from afar, she realized that the Queens ability to glamor her. If she was Lunar, how come she wasn't immune like the doctor has said? This is what pushed her to find out more about her self... drove her to look into her history and the years before her 'accident' that she couldn't remember. Causes her to question the doctor about what's going on with her and why she was able to submit to the Queen!
The romance between Cinder and Kai starts slow... with him pushing and her backing away, many times. He asks her to the ball as his date more times than I can actually count... but it's so sweet that he's so persistent. But then again, Cinder can't seem to stay away from him either, especially when the Queen is in town.. and he doctor had already warned her to stay away - to protect her own life! It all comes to a head at the ball when soon after she finds out exactly who she is and the power she possesses! While some of the plot is easily predicted, it was fun to read and find out what kind of tangled web Cinder would weave!
You'll have to read the book to know more! Believe me, it's worth a read!
Recommended Age Level: 12+
Rating: 4.5
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