Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) – Marissa Meyer

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) – Marissa MeyerTitle: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Publishing Info: January 3, 2012 by Macmillan
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: January 5, 2013
Related Posts: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2), , Glitches (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5), The Queen's Army (The Lunar Chronicles #1.5), Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky (Lunar Chronicles #3.1), Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1), Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2), Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3), Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4), Stars Above (A Lunar Chronicles Collection), Heartless, Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 (Wires and Nerve #1), Renegades (Renegades #1)

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.

bookreview1

Yes, I FINALLY read CINDER, you guys!!! It’s about time, I know. I had put it off so long because come on. Cyborg Cinderella? Moon people? No way was I going to like that story. It just seemed impossible. But thanks to all of the encouragements and gentle aggressive prods from my fellow bloggers, I knew this was one that I really had to try before judging so quickly!

So, Cinder. Yes, she’s a cyborg. I’m not a big fan of sci-fi as far as robots and the like go so I wasn’t really sure how this would come off, but really it seemed quite natural in the story. I guess I also wasn’t really clear on what a cyborg actually was because it’s not like Cinder is a robot (which is kind of how I was picturing it) – No, she was once a fully living and breathing person, all whole and intact until after a tragic accident (which she can’t remember), a scientist put Humpty Dumpty back together again (oops, wrong fairy tale) with robotic parts, from limbs to internal wiring. Now you’d think everyone would be like “Hey, cool, you’ve got these awesome abilities!” but not in New Beijing. Cyborgs are treated as less than human, so not only does Cinder have to deal with her wicked step-mother, but everyone else treats her like dirt too.

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy.... But call me Cinder - I'll comm you, maybe

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy…. But call me Cinder – I’ll comm you, maybe

Okay, enough plot recap. Now let’s talk about how I felt about it.
Ummm. Wow! I admit, maybe it was the hype about the book that I didn’t quite make it to the five-star rating that a lot of people have given it, but CINDER truly stands on its own as far as retellings go. I was really impressed with how much we see of the classic Cinderella tale we see in CINDER, but also how original it is in its own right. I was actually really impressed with the science fiction aspects of the book — like Cinder’s cyborginess (shh, that’s a word) and even the presence of the androids seemed totally natural. I was incredibly wary about the Lunars at first – I mean, a moon nation? Nuh uh. No way — but the way they were so different yet so similar to the Earthen people made for some really interesting plot turns and even villains. There IS a lot of sci-fi in the book, but it’s done so well (and I may have even caught a Star Wars scene tucked in there?) that I think it’s absolutely enjoyable by people who don’t like science fiction or dystopians.

Screen Shot 2013-01-05 at 2.08.33 PM

The ending of the book was brilliant and really got me gripped in the last 100 pages or so. Now I cannot wait for to read Scarlet (secret: I’ve heard it’s even better than CINDER) and good thing I have amazing friends who are sending me their ARC copy to borrow!! YAY!

CLICK HERE!

AUDIOBOOK: Although my review isn’t for the audiobook, I’ve heard so many great things about it! As a little incentive to check it out, here’s a clip from the audiobook, courtesy of MacMillan (thanks!) – Just click on the image to the right to hear the sample from the CINDER audiobook! UPDATE: I’m actually planning to re-read the entire series via audio so I’ll definitely let you know how it goes!!

character_breakdown1


Cinder: Gosh darnit, Cinder, you really impressed me! And one thing I totally wasn’t expecting was  her sarcasm and snarky attitude (although not always and not overly so because that gets tiresome) but hell yeah, Cinder you tell ’em! She was the perfect Cinderella redone and I like her new attitude and determination!
Kai: Yes sir, I can’t wait to see more of Kai and Cinder! I love the relationship that develops between them. Super impressed by the way Marissa Meyer weaves their interactions without revealing all of Cinder’s secrets to Kai.
Queen Levana: I’m supremely creeped out. And that’s that. 

addiction_factor1

BUY IT

What a great first book in the series! I loved so many things about CINDER and it really had it all: romance, action, adventure, magic… I can’t wait for more!

book_recommendations1BOOKS LIKE CINDER

                 SHADOW AND BONE COVER

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

Recently Read

Dead Moon
The Fold
14
Instant Karma
American Girl
The Recovery Agent
The Harbor
One of Us Is Dead
The Last Thing He Told Me
Hook, Line, and Sinker
It Happened One Summer
The Good Lie


Brittany S.’s favorite books »

23 thoughts on “Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) – Marissa Meyer

  1. Rae

    I have been looking everywhere for a great retelling of fairytales with a new twist. Your excitement over this book, which I thought sounded strange and have been passing on reading it for too long, made me seriously doubt my good book detecting skills. I can’t wait to see how the author can bring such a magical story like Cinderella to life in her own way!

    Reply
  2. Jackie G.

    I love science fiction movies, but I haven’t read much in the way of science fiction books because they seem really intimidating. I did read Cinder though, and I was impressed. I don’t normally advance past the first book in a series, but I did recently pick up Scarlet, and I’m hoping to start that soon. Ya’ know, I know this is an older post, but when I saw the link to it come across my Twitter feed I couldn’t help myself. Perhaps this is a sign that I need to read Scarlet sooner rather than later!

    Reply
  3. Heidi

    Yay! I’m so happy that you finally read this one, Brittany. I’m continually pushing this on people with the ‘Really–it’s so much better than it sounds!’ tag because yes–cybord Cinderella did sound a bit off. Who knew it would be so incredibly awesome!? I just love all of the characters so much, I even love to hate Queen Levana. So excited for you to read Scarlet–it’s even better!

    Reply
  4. Alyssa

    YAAAYYYY I LOVED THIS BOOK (and this review!) The “call me maybe” part actually reminded me more of dirty dancing “I carried a watermelon?!” but I see what you are saying…Kai is yummyyy but wait until you read Scarlet…I NEED Cress to be out NOW. Desperately hoping they will showcase that baby at BEA!!

    Reply
  5. thebookslayer

    Great review. I have to agree with the hype of the book part. Cinder didn’t get 5 stars from me either. I did really really really enjoy it, but it just didn’t blow me away like I had hoped. I do, however, recommend this book to almost everyone as well. I loved the different take on Cinderella.

    Reply
  6. tigerlilyrachel

    The whole sci-fi thing is the only reason I haven’t read this book yet. But clearly that most likely won’t be an issue. I still don’t know if I’m going to read it, but your review has caused me to keep it in consideration 🙂

    Reply
  7. Alice in Readerland

    I’ve *got* to read this soon, especially since I’m really interested by the looks of Scarlet. This book didn’t really seem like my thing, but I keep seeing great reviews like yours, so I’ll have to give it a try! 🙂

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

    Reply
  8. Quinn

    I HATE science fiction, so even though I heard so many wonderful things about Cinder when it was released last year, I never even thought of reading it. But I finally did read it, and oh my stars, this will be one of my favorite books I read this year. I listened to it via audiobook, which is completely amazing! I might be getting an ARC of Scarlet, too, and oh my gosh, I need to read it.

    I gave this 4.5 stars.

    I haven’t published posted my review yet, but plan to next week. I am glad you liked it so much. I think the cover is perfect!

    Reply
  9. Stormy

    I loved this book, but it took me forever to warm up to it. I spotted the word “cyborg” and put the book back on the shelf quite a few times, but it ended up fitting in the story so well! I loved the characters of Kai & Cinder both, but especially Cinder. She’s a much more proactive Cinderella than in many retellings/versions. I’m so excited for Scarlet now, words don’t even do it justice.

    Reply
  10. C

    Wow, glad you liked it. I admit to being turned off by the same things in the premise, so now I think I’ll give it a try 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: