by Marissa Meyer
279 pages (e-book edition)
Short Version: A futuristic retelling of the classic Cinderella story with cyborgs, a deadly plague and of course an irresistible prince.
Why I Read It: I saw a bunch of reviews of this book and was curious about it. Plus I love the cover!
The Book: From Goodreads
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.
My Thoughts: I just finished this book at the pool and I wish it wasn't over. I had to come inside and write this to get my thoughts out before I could focus on another book. I wish the second book in the Lunar Chronicles was out so I could start reading it right away!
Anyways...This was the first fairy tale retelling I think I have read and I loved it. It was a perfect mix of new and old story. Of course you have an evil stepmother and stepsisters, a handsome prince, and a poor girl who can't go to the ball. But then you have a twist- the poor girl is a cyborg who knows nothing of her past, is the best mechanic around, and in fact gets along with one of her stepsisters. Cinder was a great character. She stood her ground more than any other Cinderella would have against the evil stepmother, but she was still not completely in control of her life which was what caused problems. Cinder is a very genuine cyborg; she cares for those who are important to her and keeps a loyalty to them. She could never let Prince Kai know she was a cyborg. He would be disgusted, but she couldn't seem to stay away from the prince charming.
Speaking of prince charming, Kai annoyed me at times. He of course had a lot on his shoulders with becoming emperor after his father's death and also having to deal with Queen Lavena from Luna. However, he acted quite childish at times with his joking and snarky remarks during serious situations. Kai has a lot of growing up to do quickly as the new Emperor. I am hoping to see this in the following books of the Lunar Chronicles.
As for the plot, it was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it. With the basis being the story of Cinderella and the other pieces thrown in (the search for Princess Selena, those immune to the plague, Cinder's relationship with the Prince) you can pretty much guess how it all turns out. That being said they completely left the ending open. You find out all your guesses are right, then they stop the story so you are left wondering where they are going to go with it. I just looked into the second book of the Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet, to see when it was coming out (2013 is way to long!) and now I'm wondering how they are going to continue with Cinder's story. Scarlet is the story of Red Riding Hood, but hopefully they do not completely leave Cinder out. (each book of the Lunar Chronicles will feature a different fairy tale).
All in all this was a good read and I will patiently await the next book in the series. I will also be looking into reading more fairy tale retellings. Any suggestions??
4/5 Stars
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