Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder

(Lunar Chronicles # 1)

By: Marissa Meyer

Pub. Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Pages: 387

Source: Netgalley

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.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

Cinder wasn't really on my radar, but it kept popping up on a lot of my favorite blogs, so I decided to finally check it out. I must say that I was not at all disappointed. I thought it was a very original take on a classic fairytale. I would have to say that Cinder is part dystopian and part science fiction, and even though I am not the hugest fan of these genres, I really enjoyed Cinder. Actually, I loved it!

The first few pages started off slow for me, but then after chapter 1, the rest just flew by. I thought the pacing was excellent. Nothing dragged on. There wasn't too much of anything. Everything was just right.

The main character is Cinder, half her body is made up of metal parts so she is considered a cyborg, but she is still a normal girl. Her stepmother and stepsister were very mean to her, never making her feel like part of the family. Despite this, she was still strong and confident. One day, Prince Kai goes to her table at the market and asks her to fix his robot. Right then and there, the two of them feel something for each other, but Cinder backs off knowing there will never be a future with him.

I really liked Prince Kai. Despite being a Prince he was not at all arrogant. He seemed very real to me. I felt for Kai and the many decisions he had to make regarding his future and the future of his people, and I never knew what he was going to choose. I liked Cinder and Kai together. I thought that they were adorable.

I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book. Even though I was able to guess who Cinder really was pretty early on in the story, I still thought it was well written and there were still many surprises throughout the story.

Overall, Cinder was an amazing story, and I am looking forward to the second book in the series!