Hardcover: 387 pages
Release date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Fewel & Friends
Goodreads Rating: 4.08
Goodreads Rating: 4.08
Goodreads Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the 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.
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.
Being a huge fan of fairytales since I was little girl, I’m always skeptical about retellings. In my opinion they’re either a hit or miss. So since retellings have been a trend the past few years, I try as much as possible to choose which ones to read. Cinder went it to my must-read list the moment I read the synopsis. Cyborg Cinderella? Count me in!
Cinder turned out to be one of the coolest fairytale retellings I’ve ever read and one of my favorite debuts this year. The author created an original twist to the Cinderella concept and added a mixture of Dystopia, Sci-fi, and Paranormal elements in the story. To top it off, Marissa Meyer introduced us to a fascinating world and amazing characters.
Cinder is far from the damsel in distress that I thought she would be. She’s tough; she’s stands up for herself as much as she could, which is not so much because her stepmother owns her, she’s smart; she’s the best mechanic in the city! And she’s sarcastic and caring. If in the fairytale there’s an evil stepmother with her equally evil daughters, this book has only one evil sister while the other one is really kind and sweet. That compassionate one is Peony. I also love Cinder’s android Iko, who has a penchant for all things girly and is more human than the stepmother will ever be. Of course this won’t be complete without the Prince Charming. I totally adored Prince Kai and his determination! I loved how our two main characters meet and their relationship builds slowly throughout the entire story. The romance lacked development, which I can overlook since there are three more books in the series for progress.
I love it when the twists and turns in the plot take my mind to the world inside the pages. My nose had been literally in this book when I was on the bus and in the jeepney to school. But if there’s one thing I can complain about, it’s the predictability of one major twist. I think I figured it out halfway through so the ending made a lesser impact than I would have liked. With that being said, I still highly enjoyed it. I’m now even more excited when I found out that the rest of the series will be based on other fairytales! How cool is that?! Cinder will still have the central role and hopefully we’ll see more of Prince Kai in the next books.
Cinder turned out to be one of the coolest fairytale retellings I’ve ever read and one of my favorite debuts this year. The author created an original twist to the Cinderella concept and added a mixture of Dystopia, Sci-fi, and Paranormal elements in the story. To top it off, Marissa Meyer introduced us to a fascinating world and amazing characters.
Cinder is far from the damsel in distress that I thought she would be. She’s tough; she’s stands up for herself as much as she could, which is not so much because her stepmother owns her, she’s smart; she’s the best mechanic in the city! And she’s sarcastic and caring. If in the fairytale there’s an evil stepmother with her equally evil daughters, this book has only one evil sister while the other one is really kind and sweet. That compassionate one is Peony. I also love Cinder’s android Iko, who has a penchant for all things girly and is more human than the stepmother will ever be. Of course this won’t be complete without the Prince Charming. I totally adored Prince Kai and his determination! I loved how our two main characters meet and their relationship builds slowly throughout the entire story. The romance lacked development, which I can overlook since there are three more books in the series for progress.
I love it when the twists and turns in the plot take my mind to the world inside the pages. My nose had been literally in this book when I was on the bus and in the jeepney to school. But if there’s one thing I can complain about, it’s the predictability of one major twist. I think I figured it out halfway through so the ending made a lesser impact than I would have liked. With that being said, I still highly enjoyed it. I’m now even more excited when I found out that the rest of the series will be based on other fairytales! How cool is that?! Cinder will still have the central role and hopefully we’ll see more of Prince Kai in the next books.
Fantastic review! I have recently purchased this and cannot wait to read it! I love the cover but the weird thing is that i have seen it online for ages but never realised that you could see the mechanics in the leg haha, how did i miss it?!!?
ReplyDeleteI was also uncertain whether to read it because i love the cinderella fairytale but took the plunge because i love sci fi/paranormal and dystopian books :) I have heard mixed reviews too but your review has cemented in my mind that i have made the right decision to buy it x thanks for sharing x
I really enjoyed Cinder, can't wait for the next book in the series! I liked that Cinder was a stronger female character than you might find in traditional fairytales.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this one Dea! While I didn't like it as much as you did, I thought this re-telling was extremely interesting and loved Cinder's relationship with Peony and Iko. Plus, cyborgs are utterly fascinating, so that was great! Fantastic review! :D
ReplyDelete~Keertana
Ivy Book Bindings
I've heard a lot about this book. good review you've convinced me.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little hesitant of re-telling too, but you've convinced me! Thanks for the review
ReplyDelete