Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

What I really want to tell you is: I love Cinder, the first book in The Lunar Chronicles. Oh, and Marissa Meyer rocks as an author! Yet as a reviewer, I need to back up those statements with reasons. Well, if I absolutely must give you more of an explanation, I enjoyed Cinder by Marissa Meyer on two accounts. As a reader, I love that it’s a fantasy, set in the future, and based on a fairy tale. As a writer, I feel in awe of how many elements of fiction Marissa Meyer gets perfect. Now for a closer look at those statements.

As a reader, I like that Cinder is a fantasy for young adults. The most recent trend is dystopian. Cinder fits into that genre, being set in a not-so-pleasant future. However, it branches beyond that, being about a teenage girl who is part cyborg and part human. Despite movies like A.I., which featured an advanced robotic boy who longs to become real, I haven’t encountered many young adult books about cyborgs. Another way that Meyer sets Cinder apart from other dystopian fiction is that she set her story in futuristic Asia. Cinder’s home is in New Beijing, delegates who meet with the prince are from actual countries (including Canada! ), and that bamboo screens, pergolas, and Buddha statues form the background of the city. Moreover, her main characters have olive complexion and dark hair and they’re addressed formally in ways other than our American standard of Mr. and Mrs. and Miss. These realistic details aside, I most felt mesmerized by the androids, net screens, mechanical legs, hovercrafts, and other markings of a futuristic world. This is an area where Meyer excels–but more on that later. Let me wrap-up this paragraph by saying that Cinder is also based on a fairy tale—I’m sure you can guess which one. As such, Cinder has an evil step mother and step sister, meets a prince and attends his ball, and there’s even a marriage proposal. Some reviewers criticized Meyer for basing Cinder on a fairy tale, because they felt this constrained her. I love fairy tales, including the modern ones when they are done well, and so I didn’t have a problem with Meyer’s choice. Moreover, I think she handled it quite smartly, in that she used what she needed and dropped what she didn’t. For instance, while there are two step sisters, one of them is nice. Also, Cinder meets the prince before the ball, and Cinder’s ‘fairy godmother’ is instead a secretive doctor. Last, there’s a Lunar Queen who is far more terrifying than the entire wicked step family.

As a writer, I feel in awe of how many elements of fiction Marissa Meyer gets perfect. The plot instantly takes off in the very first paragraph, with the introduction of Cinder who is a most unusual character in being part cyborg and part human. On page three, Cinder is shunned by a fellow merchant, even though wires are not “contagious”. One page later, Prince Kai shows up at Cinder’s mechanical repair booth with a broken android that contains top-secret information. Before the end of the chapter, a plague outbreak forces the evacuation of the market. With that much action, you might wonder if there’s any room for character development. In Meyer’s skilled hands there is! Cinder is a delightful mix of human and cyborg parts. As such, she can feel squeamish over the singing of a death-themed nursery rhyme that the local children sing but also scan the prince’s face and identify him from a net database. Her heart throbs at the sight of Prince Kai but she’s a mechanical whiz, earns her own money, and is skilled with her hands. I identify with her because she has all the normal emotions of an adolescent girl, but doesn’t derive all of her value from whether her crush has recently glanced her way. Real teenage girls will appreciate that Cinder isn’t just a trembling flower but also has amazing strengths. Regarding the story’s secondary characters, there are certainly those that are two-dimensional. For instance, a few of the minor characters are evil for no apparent reason and Prince Kai too conveniently falls in love with Cinder. However, the majority of the cast are quirky and complex; I love how sweet and fun Iko and Peony are.

Because description more than anything else is Meyer’s selling point, I’m dedicating a separate paragraph to it. Not only did Meyer become familiar with technological scientific advances enough that she could include a lengthy explanation of it on her website, but she also seamlessly integrates it into Cinder. I grew up living next to a bog and yet I don’t think I could talk as naturally about it as Meyer does about cyborgs. For more than one reason, Meyer made the perfect choice when she opened Cinder by writing: “The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross markers worn to a mangled circle. Her knuckles arched from forcing the screwdriver….” In these few opening lines, I’ve fallen for Meyer’s character and for her world. Better yet, I stayed immersed in the Cinder world for the entire three-hundred-and-eighty-seven pages.

Upon recommendation of my teenage sister, I read Cinder this past July. I intended to simply skim through it again in preparation for this review but couldn’t stick to that resolution. Despite having several other books to review, I found myself again being drawn into Cinder’s world and reading thoroughly rather than scanning. Over the next year as I work on own novel, I imagine that I’ll reread Cinder a few times again to remind myself how Meyer’s captures her main characters’ emotions and describes their world. Cinder is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s exciting enough that I can picture other authors trying to emulate it. Could Meyer start a new trend of cyborg literature?

This is a wonderful debut YA novel by Marissa Meyer that captured me right from the start. She was able to add science fiction and magical elements to a classical fairy tale that many of us grew up with.

Loosely based on the Cinderella fairy tale, the novel introduces us to Cinder as she's looking for a foot to replace the one that she's outgrown. As a cyborg, she is made up of many inhuman parts. Her leg, her arms. Even her central nervous system has been modified.

I really admire the author's way of making her main character so different from other teenagers of this futuristic world. Not only is she a cyborg, but she’s also forced to be the breadwinner of her adoptive mother and sisters. She works as a mechanic in the town square instead of doing what other teenage girls might enjoy. I believe many young adults can associate with the all the restrictions and rules her adoptive mother places on Cinder. All she truly wants is to be independent and be seen as a normal girl, despite all her physical flaws.

“Cinder. How fitting. Ashes. Dirt. Filth.” I really like this quote where someone is describing Cinder’s name. Her name literally means ashes, but I think the author is trying to make us see past the literal sense and witness her eventual rise from the ashes. Cinder is learning who she is and what she can do, and I think this transformation will be monumental in the books to come.

It's interesting that Cinder meets Prince Kai right at the beginning of the book. As he enlists her help to fix his android, they engage in an odd relationship. Cinder feels attracted to him but remains distant. Prince Kai is intrigued by this unique girl. When he invites her to be his personal guest at a grand ball, he still doesn’t know that she’s a cyborg since Cinder is hesitant to reveal herself. The dialogue between these two characters feels strenuous at times, but overall I believe they make a nice and believable couple.

Just for fun, I wanted to make a short list of the similarities/differences between Cinderella and Cinder.Of course, both books have Princes: Cinderella has her Prince Charming and Cinder has Prince Kai. As for the Fairy God-mother, she is replaced by Iko, Cinder’s android and helpful friend. Cinderella works as a maid for her step mother, while Cinder works as a mechanic for her adoptive mother. Instead of losing a glass slipper, Cinder loses her new Cyborg foot. Cinder also makes a grand entrance and arrives at the ball in a fixed-up old car instead of a pumpkin. And, obviously, Cinderella finishes with a happy ending but in Cinder’s case, the end will follow in the next books of the saga.

Despite the similarities, one of the reasons I like this novel so much is because the author didn’t necessarily concentrate on the original fairy tale story line. It’s not all about finding the perfect prince. Yes, there were many similarities, but the author is also telling us the story of a futuristic Earth that is being threatened by the special and magical race of human beings living on the moon. There is also the other problem where many humans are dying from the infectious disease of letumosis.

I'm a sucker for a fairy tale with a good ending, but even if this one doesn't end like normal one, I think it's a great beginning to an entertaining saga. The merging of a fairy tale within a science fiction realm is original and refreshing. I can think of a few modern film adaption of Cinderella but nothing comes close to Cinder.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. And please, if you notice any other similarities between the fairy tale and the book, please let me know!

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So I’ve just finished Cinder and I’m left thinking “but…where’s the rest?” Don’t get me wrong, it had a nice ending, but I want MORE. And I’m a little confused as to whether we’ll ever get to read more about Cinder and Kai or if that’s the end of the road for them.

Going into it, I kind of figured I’d love it since 1) I really like scifi and 2)everyone’s been raving about it for ages. I kind of wish I’d had less expectations, but not because it tainted my love for Cinder or anything, just because I really wish my love for it could have been more of a surprise. Awesome books are pretty much the best surprises ever.

Okay, let’s talk about the actual book now. It is for reals amazing. The characters all have full personalities whether I they’re likable or not and the world is incredibly detailed. I never even found myself wanting for more backstory or anything of the sort.

I’d heard some people saying they couldn’t really see the Cinderella parallels, but they seemed pretty obvious to me. That’s not a complaint, though. I really loved the way the fairytale was integrated into the new story. Cinder didn’t feel any lesser because it was based off of a fairytale. Cinder was able to stand on its own two feet (or one regular and one cyborg foot) as a story and it does an absolutely fantastic job of being a fairytale spinoff. I know it’s hard to believe that scifi Cinderella works, but it definitely does.

The Nutshell: I know this is a terrible review and I’ll never be able to do Cinder justice, but believe me when I say that it’s a book worth your time. If you like scifi, fairytale spinnoffs, and strong lead firls this is definitely the book for you. I advise not waiting around any longer to read this one :]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book through Netgalley.com

Oh my gosh! Where to even start with this? I’m in love, plain and simple.Everything from the cover to to the amazing ways it’s written is just phenomenal!

I thought the cover was beautiful and intriguing, and to be completely honest when I saw it I was so drawn to it I simply had to request it from Netgalley. I’m so glad I chose to read this, because I was in such a reading slump. Nothing was interesting, nothing seemed to hold my attention. But this changed everything, it has me super excited for it’s release and I’m practically itching to make all my friends buy it. *breathes* Okay, now…to review.

As you can see from the little blurb this is an odd and unique retelling of Cinderella, and it’s probably something that you might be a little unsure about at first. I mean Cinderella, cyborgs and lunar people? What a combination! But you must trust Ms. Meyer, you are in wonderful hands and she won’t let you down. The story was beautifully written, easy to understand, and absolutely gripping. The writing style is so refreshing and flows with such an ease, not to mention the details that make this story come to life. It is of course similar to Cinderella but it doesn’t follow so closely that you get bored, sure you know some aspects that will happen but it doesn’t ruin it at all. Instead you find yourself reading more just to see how she’ll get to those points. Cinder is a fantastic main character and is probably one of the most human characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading about. She doesn’t try to be overly tough or complain about everything under the sun, her reactions are real and you can feel them with her. I loved the detail put into describing her cyborg interface, it’s so rich and easy to picture. I love Prince Kai, and I’m fairly sure I can be added to his ‘fangirl’ list. I loved Iko and Peony, and even somewhat loved Levana…but that was more in a “this is an awesome character” kind of way. The Lunars are a simply fantastic addition to this story as well, it does seem weird that moon people are involved but Meyer handles it with skill. They are intriguing and I can’t wait to see more of them.

I can’t say that there was anything I didn’t like. I mean sure I hated some of the characters, but I only hated them in the way they were supposed to be hated. In fact I haven’t felt that much hatred toward a character since Umbridge from Harry Potter. Other characters and situations I found myself getting upset and anxious for them.

Simply put…it was wonderful and I’m buying this when it comes out.

Cinder is set in future China where Cinder a cyborg mechanic is used to all of the stares and disgusted looks of others, especially from her stepmother. One day she unexpectedly gets a visit from the prince who is looking for someone to repair his robot. Aside from the strange request and the fact that he was obviously hiding something Cinder really got along well with him and they soon became fast friends. Unfortunately things only got worse for Cinder after her sister fell sick with the new deadly disease that has been going around and her stepmother decided to send Cinder off to be used as a test subject for the royal doctors. The problem is no one ever comes back alive.

Cinder is a strong character that I really admired. I actually wish I was as strong as her. She loves her stepsister Peony who is her only human friend and her robot friend IKO. She didn’t have an easy life what with most of her family hating her and being a pariah because of the fact that she is a cyborg, but she was still hopeful about her future and was a true friend to those she was close too.

Kai was a very charming prince and what I loved most about his character was that he wasn’t one dimensional like his character is sometimes portrayed in other retellings. He has a sense of humor and even though he has problems he doesn’t let them completely take over his life. Kai was also very noble and kindhearted which really showed through when he was protecting the lives of his people. I really liked seeing the relationship between him and Cinder develop throughout the story.

IKO was most definitely one of my favorite characters in this book she is so silly and happy go lucky. It’s hard to feel sad whenever she is around. She was also a great friend to Cinder.

The sci-fi elements in this story were really interesting and I liked to see how they played a role in this futuristic world of Cinder’s. Even with all of the technological advancements of this world they still had celebrated old traditions like the festival which I felt made the story seem even more real and showed how even as time goes on human society still holds onto and remembers it’s routes. My favorite quote from
“Cinder” has to be “Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”

I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages it is simply amazing and I cannot wait until the next book comes out!

Marissa Meyer has completely blown me away with her debut book, Cinder. Full of the familiar details we associate with Cinderella - a handsome prince, a wicked stepmother and a seemingly unattainable ball - but told in such a new and different way that the story becomes fresh and exciting!

Linh Cinder is a cyborg - a human who has been surgically repaired with mechanical parts - and this makes her both a second-class citizen and the property of her legal guardian and stepmother - Adri. Working as a mechanic in New Beijing alongside her android companion Iko, Cinder dreams of a life of freedom for her, Iko and Peony - the stepsister she loves. Her thoughts of escape quickly crumble as Peony catches the fatal plague Letumosis and Adri has Cinder's body "volunteered" for plague research, blaming Cinder for Peony having been infected.

Cinder is a wonderful protagonist. She's sarcastic and full of witty one-liners:

"If you excuse me, I'd better go try to earn my keep so you might actually blink an eye the next time you find a convenient way to get rid of me."

She knows the treatment of cyborgs is unfair, but she doesn't complain about it. She feels such passion that I can't understand how anyone could question whether she was human, especially when it comes to the people she loves. She's selfless - sacrificing her dignity and her pride to do what she knows is right, and she never takes the easy way out. She grows to care for Prince Kai, which fuels her guilt over withholding that she is a cyborg. I loved watching Cinder's journey, and the many discoveries she makes about herself and her past along the way. I truly felt my heart ache for her with every accusation thrown at her by Adri - whether it was being blamed for her stepfather's death or being told her emotions weren't valid (because she's incapable of feeling). I admired her strength with coming to terms with her past and what that will mean for her future, and her resilience in the face of multiple obstacles.

I loved watching her relationship with Prince Kai develop from mere astonishment at being in his presence, to the banter and teasing of a blooming crush. Watching Kai try harder with each of Cinder's objections was entertaining, and his complete bafflement over her rejection to his request(s) that she accompany him to the ball was endearing. Trusting Cinder with the information she uncovered in his android was a risky move, but it was nice to see him open up honestly, without the censorship that comes with being diplomatic. I really enjoyed that Cinder didn't spend a lot of her free time thinking about Kai's physical appearance, and that when she did spare a minute for him, it was with concern for his well-being. It was refreshing to see a romance that had chemistry and spark, but that wasn't all-consuming for either person involved.

I also loved the supporting characters. Iko is sassy and charming and hilarious! I laughed out loud when she wheeled in, dressed up in Adri's pearls and lipstick, pretending she was at the ball. My heart seized up in my chest when Adri told Cinder she had left some spare parts on her bed that couldn't be sold and thus were useless, and I cried real tears for Cinder who couldn't. Queen Levana (and the lunars in general) was so creepy, never knowing what was hiding under her projected illusion of beauty. Her ability to manipulate a large, enraged and protesting crowd into believing she was worthy of being their empress was both impressive and frightening and knowing that everything she does has an alterior motive kept me in suspense of her next move. Dr. Erland is mysterious and slightly crazy, but you can't help but feel drawn to him. He has this quality about him that is simultaneously both exasperating and captivating, making you soak up every word he says - it's like he holds the secrets of the universe, but wants to leak them to you slowly instead of just blurting out what he knows. So frustratingly good!

The world-building was fantastic, and actually incorporated the entire world! After WWIV, the remaining Eartherners came together to form a united front, joining together in an alliance of peace. All that remains is getting Queen Levana of the Lunar planet to commit to the alliance - something the leaders of each area are trying to accomplish together. It was easy to picture New Beijing, a bustling city filled with new technology and old traditions, and the idea that a nuclear war lead to the destruction of life as we currently know it is completely feasible. The plague that has affected both Cinder and Kai personally is a world-wide pandemic, leaving no region untouched. Everything was just different enough that it didn't take a lot of suspension of belief to achieve the type of world Cinder lives in, which really helped me capture Meyer's vision.

I loved everything about this book. I did see the twist ending coming, but even that wasn't enough to curb my excitement over hearing it revealed or the lingering suspense left with the open ending! Brilliant characters, a fast-moving plot and a completely fresh spin on a classic tale has left me eager for more!

If you haven't read this, DO IT NOW!!!

It is very important, when picking up a new book, to look closely at the title page. Then one might notice details that the book itself does not make necessarily obvious until the final couple chapters. Such as the fact that this is the first of a series, that the story of Cinder and Kai and the imminent lunar war upon Earth just might take four entire books to complete.

I am so very tired of first-books-in-a-series, but I suppose that's just what one gets when one (I really will stop speaking in "ones" in a moment) is able to finish a book in six hours. I suppose a six-hour book really ought to be only the start of something greater, if the story is worth its salt.

Cinder is worth it. Set in a very far future almost two centuries after the close of World War IV, Kai is the soon-to-be-emperor of one of the largest of six countries that make up the entire peaceful union of Earth. No longer fighting against each other, Earth's greatest threat comes from the Lunars, a strange people capable of manipulation and illusion, hailing from - where else - the moon. Cinder is a cyborg who's "stepmother" has been using her for free labor, abusing her fascinating talent for fixing machines, and keeping her tethered to service by a claim of ownership. Cyborgs, after all, are not considered human.

As far-fetched as the premise may be, the world-building is so confidently managed and the characters of Cinder and Kai so thoroughly believable that the reader is willingly and delightfully pulled into the narrative. Cinder's mechanical parts are only the first of her problems, and Kai's ailing father is just the tip of the iceberg for him. What begins as a curious and clever take on the Cinderella story quickly becomes a much more complex story of identity, oppression, and deceit - with a dash of hopeful romance thrown in for good measure.

Perhaps I should have mentioned this first, but it was almost two years ago that I first declared cyborg fiction would be the next "it" subgenre for teens. If Marissa Meyer's Cinder is anything to go by, I was ever so briefly a prophet. This is the sort of book that will draw imitations, and plenty of willing fans in the process. Apart from being bitter about waiting for three more books in the series, year by tedious year, I couldn't be more pleased.

Cinder is a teenage cyborg whose guardian (aka stepmother) is as self-centered and hateful as any wicked queen of yore. While working as a mechanic in the weekly market, Cinder is visited by the Prince Kai who is in disguise and needs an android that holds sensitive information repaired. Thus sparks a series of events that will change Cinder's very existence and rewrite everything she thought she knew about herself and her place in the world.
Marissa Meyer has written an unique, fully imagined debut novel that will have the techs and the romantics out there on pins and needles. While Meyer's world is fully realized and rich with detail, those elements do not weigh down the tale which is essentially a reboot of the classic Cinderella tale. As the cover art suggests, this is a novel full of futuristic technology but is balanced by both the action and romantic elements of the story. Cinder takes off at a brisk pace before sprinting to the end leaving readers anxiously waiting for the next novel in the series Scarlet due out in 2013. Personally, I can't wait for the next novel!

Recommended for Readers Of:
Anna Sheehan, Beth Revis, Bill Willingham, Mercedes Lackey