Mundie Moms

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer


By: Marissa Meyer
Published by: Feiwel & Friends (MacMillan)
Released on: January 3rd, 2012
Source: arc from publisher to review

Series: Book #1 in the Lunar Chronicles
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


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. - quoted from Goodreads

Cinder is a fabulously written creative twist on the beloved fairy tale, Cinderella. Though Cinder's story is no fairy tale, Marissa Meyer's debut has an incredibly engaging plot line, a dreamy Prince, a fascinating futuristic setting, and a character I really enjoyed reading about. Right off the bat it's obvious what Cinder is, and aspect of the book is what fueled my intrigue. I wanted to know more about Cinder, her world, and what it was that drove her.

One of the things I love about Cinder how smart she is. She thinks for herself, which I love. I also liked that bit of a stubborn streak she has. It's that stubbornness that gets her through some tough situations, and her a strong character. This poor girl has had a crappy upbringing, and even though I might have wanted to curse out her "wicked" stepmother, Marissa wrote her in a way that against my will, I might have felt sorry for her, even if was for a brief moment. I understood her stepmother's pain, and her bitterness, even though I didn't like that she directed it at Cinder, I got why she did. It's through her mom's horrid treatment of her that I got to see Cinder's vulnerability, and how she carefully crafted her own wall of self worth up around herself.

This setting is crazy awesome. I loved the concept of a "New" Beijing. I don't recall reading another YA book that has this kind of setting, nor are there many books I've read that have Asian characters who play such a huge role in the book, especially in a fantasy book. I loved this book's diversity! It was well written, and beautifully crafted. I love it when the setting and characters I'm reading about, are ones I can easily picture in my mind. Marissa's vivid details and vibrant imagination poured off the pages for me, and hooked me. Okay well the romance hooked me too. I LOVE there is no instana love in this book. Though Prince Kai might have made me swoon as much as he made Cinder swoon, I adored that their relationship is one that slowly developed over the course of the book. I of course loved their back and forth bantering. It's comical to say the least, and I loved that even though she wants to give to Prince Kai, Cinder stands her ground.

Prince Kai! I don't even know how I can say about him. I loved him from the moment he appears in the book, which is very early on. While he might have wowed me a bit, he also does something that made me a bit ticked at him. Like Cinder, I have hope that there is a true reason behind his action, and gah! I really need to know what that reasoning is. One of the things I enjoyed about this book are the layered little twists that get unraveled as the story continues, and the complex characters that are apart of Cinder's world. All of the characters, including the evil ones, had motives and reasons for their actions that were understandable. Seeing these actions, and reasoning made them more dimensional, and not just these filler characters.

If you're a fan of well written fairytale retellings, intrigued by a futuristic Asian setting, well crafted characters, and great character chemistry, then I highly recommend picking this book up! Just prepared that when you finish this one, you'll wish you had the sequel, Scarlet, in your hands.


5 comments:

  1. I loved Cinder. Glad ypu enjoyed it, too.

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  2. Yesss. This book is perfect. <3 So glad you loved it as well :D And I agree with everything you said :) But, well, Kai never did anything to piss me off (A) Not really. Just wait until you read Scarlet, the ending.. Heh (A) But yeah. That he was so mean at the ending of Cinder.. I do not blame him, cause Cinder kind of deserved it, to be honest (A) But anyway! I loved this book so much, and I'm so glad that you did too :D Hope you enjoy Scarlet as well :)
    Love, Carina

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    1. It's a fabulous debut!! Oh Kai! I get why he did what he did, but geez could he have done it any harsher?! I'm very anxious to see what his reasoning was behind that move of his. I have an idea about what he's planning. I'm so glad you loved this one too! I'm reading Scarlet now!! :)

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  3. Loved this one, read it when it came out. Such a clever take on the classic tale, can't wait for the next installment

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