Number of pages: 387
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a 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 surprised me. A LOT. Cinderella was never my favorite fairy tale. Cinder being a retelling of it, you can understand my skepticism. But skepticism aside, Cinder was completely and utterly amazing. I can't believe that it took me so long to finish it and that I didn't even want to read it in the first place. I'm so glad I fought through the first chapters so I could read the following fascinating ones.
Cinder starts off rather sudden for my taste (after rereading it -I was itching to read it again after finishing it - I appreciated the beginning a lot more! I guess I was just trying to find faults in the book the first time) with Cinder already meeting Prince Kai in the first chapter. And yes you read it right: Cinder is a cyborg mechanic, who has an android for a friend and of course an evil stepmother, who doesn't want Cinder to exist in the first place. And also there is a plague threatening everyone in the planet but that's not the only problem: the Lunar (yes, MOON PEOPLE - who can manipulate bioeletricity to project images and feelings on humans!) want to start a war if Prince Kai doesn't marry the Lunar Queen. You can see now that the plot is more complex (and awesome) than first anticipated.
Cinder is full of twists, surprises, romance and action, which make this book a perfect mix of everything I wish for in a book. Of course it makes it even harder for me to write a review worth of this book's awesomeness. Just believe me, Meyer did an amazing job retelling this fairy tale in a very awesome yet different way. Everything fits so effortlessly together and the characters are well-written and real, even the android and cyborg ones. Meyer's writing flows, as I could read 100 pages without even realizing it.
I'm really glad that I didn't give up on Cinder; for it turned out to be one of my favorite reads this year. It also taught me to not judge a book before reading it. And as you probably noticed, I can't say a bad word about it, this review may seem a bit exaggerated but it isn't, Cinder really couldn't be any better. I can't wait for the following three books (it's a quartet!) to come out to find out more about Cinder and her secrets.
You know, Cinder isn’t a book that I have been looking forward to, but after reading your review maybe I shouldn’t jump to judge it so quickly! I think I very well may give it a shot! :D
ReplyDeleteDarlene @ Leather Bound and Lovely
I just loved this book! Even though it's "just" a retelling, I felt the author gave it a twist and I loved how the book didn't really surround the romance.
ReplyDeleteSO SO SO glad you liked this! Cinder is still probably my favorite read of the year and I read it all the way back at the start of January <3 It was an amazing retelling and to be honest, like you, I wasn't all that excited to read it until I actually started reading! Plus you're right about the writing, it was so easy to get lost in the pages and not realize you'd way more than you'd thought haha! Amazing review :)
ReplyDeleteAnother positive review for Cinder. The more reviews I read of it, the more I want it. Thanks so much for your thoughts and review! :) I appreciate the honesty.
ReplyDeleteKendra
I so want to read this book right now
ReplyDeleteI love Cinder. I thought it was a bit predictable, but I loved it nonetheless. It's one of my favorite books this year.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about Cinder before and I've read the description, but I'm not really a science-fiction fan and the plot-line never really appealed to me. After reading your review, I've decided, as you said, that you shouldn't judge a book before reading it, so maybe I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI love anything even remotely Cinderella themed. This sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI was skeptical when I heard about Cinder because it sounded kind of weird, but I have hear so many good reviews like this one that I am going to have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I too was a bit hesitant to read Cinder but I read it and loved it! I agree with you that it was "full of twists, surprises, romance and action" and it was the perfect combination of all those things! Thanks for sharing your comments!
ReplyDeleteGlad you stuck with it as I thoroughly enjoyed it too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and i'm glad you enjoyed it! I haven't read it yet, but it's been on my wishlist and I do like the story of Cinderella. I'll definately have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI have this book, and your review convinces I must read it! I have to say it's hard getting into the book at first because of the strange mechanical language, but I hope to read and enjoy it :D
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