Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Release date: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Summary: It’s about Cinder, a cyborg mechanic who lives New Beijing. One day, Prince Kai brings his android Nainsi for her to fix. When her stepmother sends her as a Guinea pig to help find a cure for letumosis, she expects to die, like everyone else, but instead she finds out something shocking about herself.

   At the same time, Queen Levana, the queen of Luna, is visiting, threatening with war between Earth and Luna.

   This is the story of Cinderella – but not the way you remember it!

“Even in the future the story begins with Once Upon a Time.”

My thoughts: When I started reading Cinder, I was expecting it to be a predictable re-tell, with the singing mice, glass slippers and a fairy godmother, but I was so wrong. Though it keeps the basic structure of Cinderella, it goes beyond that. It’s not the story you remember from your childhood. It’s got a darker twist to it.

   Let’s start with Cinder. She’s a cyborg, living in New Beijing and working as a mechanic for her stepmother Adri. She’s fighting to get out of her dreary and horrid existence, but not succeeding very well, as she is sent to be a Guinea pig, and as a cyborg, she can’t say no if Adri tells her to go.

   Iko is an android who is helping Cinder work. I loved how she knew just how hot Kai is, and I loved her.

   I was caught in the world that Marissa Meyer created from the first page, and I couldn’t put it away! When I was in school, all I could think about was to get home and continue reading it. It was that awesome.

   I liked that even though it is based on Cinderella, it is different, modern and original. It was thrilling from the first page til the last. I couldn't put it away!

   Then came a plot-twist even I couldn’t foresee, and was left stunned. I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to think.

   And that ending! I was crying my eyes out, and thought the tears would never stop coming! (And they didn’t for a while).

   The things I loved about this book:

• Cinder, and her incredible knowledge of mechanics (says the girl who knows squat about it), and it really touched me how she was so selfless and felt so strongly even though she can’t cry!
• Iko, and her obsession over Prince Kai
• Kai
• Kai
• Kai, because, let’s face it, I loved him
• The ball, I was crying so much!

So go buy this book now, because you’re seriously missing out on something if you don’t!

Praise for Cinder:

“Singing mice and glass slippers are replaced with snarky androids and mechanical feet in this richly imagined and darkly subversive retelling of ‘Cinderella.’” —BCCB

“This is one buzzed novel that totally delivers.” —Stacked Books Blog

“Cinder is loads of fun—mostly due to seeing a familiar story play out in a new setting, but Cinder herself is also a tough, smart, mouthy, resourceful heroine, so spending almost 400 pages with her is completely enjoyable—and I'm totally, totally looking forward to the next one in the series.” —Bookshelves of Doom

“Terrific.” —Los Angeles Times

“Author Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre with a sci-fi twist on Cinderella.” —The Seattle Times

“Debut author Meyer ingeniously incorporates key elements of the fairy tale into this first series entry.” —Horn Book Magazine