Cinder by Marissa Meyer Book Review

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
US Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Author Info: Marissa Meyer's Blog
Source: Amazon Kindle Store
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi/Fantasy
Series: #1 of the Lunar Chronicles
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge


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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.

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Onto the review!
(If you're too lazy to read my review you can just check out my video at CookieReadingCorner on youtube.)



Plot: This isn't your happily-ever-after Disney Cinderella. There is no singing mice of fairy godmothers. This book is much more complex then that. The are a lot of twists and turns and interesting storylines that all weave together beautifully. Cinder has a lot of surprising moments that either rip your heart out or make you scream for joy or just things that take you completely off guard. I loved the complexity of the plot and the way everything came together so well in the end.


Pacing: Perfect. The book is split up into 3 sections so that helps with the pacing. This book is not super fast nor is it super slow. It's perfectly in the middle. It keeps you moving but not so you're out of breath and exhausted at the end. Instead it leaves you wanting more.


Characters: All the characters were great. Cinder, the protagonist, is an awesome, tough-as-nails (haha get it?) chick who doesn't take crap from others. Despite all the hardship and cruelty she's faced and continues to face in the book, she keeps fighting and pushing for what she wants and what she believes she must do. Iko, her awesome sidekick, is a great addition to the novel. She adds some sassy humor and livens things up a bit. Prince Kai is magnificent. He is not the brooding and quiet love interest that you see too often in YA novels. Instead, he seemed real. You get to see his struggles at ruling a country at such a young age and trying to figure out what to do. But, you also get to see him smile and laugh (usually with Cinder) despite everything he's going through. Queen Levena is just flat out evil. You hate her and she knows it which, to be honest, I love.


Writing: Marissa Meyer's writing is not overly flowy or clever but neither is it lacking in anyway. It serves it's purpose in telling a story. She does an excellent job at describing the world around Cinder so it is easy for the reader to visualize and she really keeps you focused on the story and the characters.


Overall: I truly loved Cinder. Its a fantastic, complex, and adventurous read that was so much better then I thought it would be. Marissa Meyer took a bold step making Cinderella into a cyborg but she pulled it off masterfully. The world she created was unique and complex and was the perfect backdrop for this awesome story. I can't wait to see what's next.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

yes

Should you buy it?

Yes

The next book in the series is Scarlet and it will come out sometime next year, 2013.