Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Loved the worldbuilding, characters, and plot. This is probably my favorite retelling of Cinderella thus far. Cyborg Cinderella? YES.

I had no expectations going into this book. I knew it was a retelling of Cinderella, but that was it. Wow, was I in for a wonderful surprise! This book is unlike anything you've ever read. Trust me. So unique and compelling. The world is post-apocalyptical, cyborgs are second-class citizens, and the race of people living on the moon are dangerous, to say the least. Cinder has heart (both the book and the character). I loved the surprises along the way (Cinder's relationship with one of her step-sisters, the mystery of the missing Lunar princess, the hot prince who is attracted to his mechanic ...). Every chapter was a new adventure. I can't wait for the sequel.

Where my tween-aged self found a soulmate in Ella Enchanted, I seem to have found it in Cinder.

The whole Cinderella oddball meets Wonder Boy Prince Charming might seem a little overdone by now, but really, Ms. Meyer does an awesome job of keeping the basic details of the storyline alive with her own little twists. First of all, there's the whole sci-fi cyborg thing. Of course, who wants to live with that - especially in Cinder's world where being half-robot makes you subhuman - but how cool of a character trait is that? And then there's the evil queen that lives on the moon, an android with a smart-mouthed personality, and of course...the Prince.


Who is very, very charming.


Cinder holds her own as a heroine. Who can't love a girl who can detect lies, has a dark, mysterious past (though, I must admit, the mind-bending twist the author throws in the last five pages was a bit of a far stretch, even for me...) and is loyal to a girl whose mother tortures her every chance she gets? No self-suffering, "someday my prince will come" warbling for this girl. She's like a matured, street-smart version of Ella, and she has the nuts and bolts to prove it.


Maybe I should have written this review a few hours after the "gah I just read a good book" high wears off. Do I sound like I'm babbling? Okay, in summary...


Sci-fi + fairy tale retelling + charming prince + high-wired heroine = MUY BUENO.


Go read. Right now.