Hello . . . it's me! I am back and writing book reviews again! This week I want to talk about "Cinder", by Marissa Meyer. As some of you may know, the finale to the Lunar Chronicles, "Winter", was released this month, so in honor of the ending, I decided to re-read the entire series, and do a review on the first book. Here it is:
Fairytale retellings seem to be a pretty common find within the past several years, especially in the Young Adult genre. But I can honestly say that I have never read a retelling quite like "Cinder".
Set in post World War 4, New Beijing (China), the story of Cinder and Prince Kai captivated me from the very beginning. In this new era, Cyborgs and androids are commonly found. But Cinder the Cyborg, and her android friend Iko, are unlike any other. Cinder is a mechanic, adopted by an inventor, who died shortly after bringing her home, killed by a plague spreading rapidly around the world. She lives with her adoptive stepmother, a terrible woman, in my opinion, her 2 step sisters, Peony and Pearl, and their household android, Iko. Peony is her human best friend, and Iko, due to her malfunctioned personality chip, that makes her more human than most androids, is Cinder?s other best friend.
The story really begins when Cinder?s stepmother forces her (Cinder) to volunteer for plague cure research, and Cinder learns that she is not fully human turned Cyborg, but also part Lunar. Lunars are an evolved version of humans, who live on the moon, and have special powers. Basically aliens.
Cinder is plunged into a world of mystery and secrets, and is forced to learn just who she really is, in order to try and save someone very dear to her, who only has weeks to live before the plague takes their life.
This book is honestly just so compelling. I could not put it down. I read it in 1 day. I recommend it completely, and I give it 4/5 stars for creativity.
Now, to dive a little bit deeper, here are some of the things I enjoyed the most about Cinder. Don't worry, there aren't any spoilers.
First off, every book needs a comedic relief of some sort, and Iko is by far, one of the best characters I have ever come across that provides just that. Iko is the most non-android android in the history of androids (although is it really a history, if this book is set in the future?) and I laughed at so many things she did and said. She was definitely my favorite character in the book, and second favorite in the series.
Romance is also a must when it comes to fairytales and retellings, because that is what makes it a fairytale. It can't be a fairytale with some element of romance to drive the characters to do what they do. I love the romance between the two protagonists, Cinder and Kai. It's very sweet, subtle, and innocent. It gives a light feeling to the air of mystery and suspense in the story.
Villains! Ugh. Levana. I won't say much about her, because I promised no spoilers, but wow. Another must have when it comes to fairytales are villains and let me tell you, Levana wins. She is so bad. So. Freaking. Bad. And I love her.
I could say so much more about "Cinder", but that would spoil, and I want you all to find out what happens for yourself! You can buy the book from the Book Depository, and get free shipping no matter where you live (no strings attached!), or find it at your local library! Also, if you followed my old book blog, I have moved it over to a new platform, and am rebuilding it, so you can find it using the link below.
Happy Reading!
Author's Note: Links: http://www.bookdepository.com/Cinder-Mariss-Meyer/9780141340135
http://xbelleofthebooks.tumblr.com/
