Thursday, January 5, 2012

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder
(Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Pages: 387
ISBN: 9780312641894

Where to buy:
B&N | Amazon | The Book Depository
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.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling. (Goodreads)
Cinder is a unique, futuristic take on the classic fairytale that we all know and loved; Cinderella. However, the original fairytale does not hold a candle to this brilliant novel.

The characters in the story were really creative, and each in their own way. The main character in the story is Cinder, who is a brilliantly gifted mechanic, who can fix just about anything. Oh, and also, she’s a cyborg as well. She lives in an apartment with her two stepsisters, and her stepmother. Cinder is a very strong character that never backs down or gives in. I love Cinder! The prince in the story is named Kai. I enjoyed his character as well, but at times, I really wanted to ring his neck! The secondary characters were well written as well, especially the evil characters. (There were quite a few evil characters, and trust me, you will love to hate them.)

While a lot of the story is similar to the classic fairytale, it also has its own very creative plot blended in. (I’m trying really hard not to give anything away!) Yes, there is a bit of predictability, but there’s still enough added onto the story to keep readers very interested. The plot was very well paced, and I found this to be a very quick read. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger, and will leave you itching to get your hands on the next books. Luckily, this book is the first in a four book series, so we are definitely going to be in for some great reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and gobbled it up in one day. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the books in the series!

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. I really want to read this.

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  2. When I first read the summary of this, I wasn't intrigued at all, but with all the amazing reviews appearing at the moment, I ordered a copy yesterday. :D And your review just made me happy that I did. Thanks for sharing!

    Carina

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  3. I totally loved this book! Cinder was such an amazing character, too!! I cannot wait for the next books!! Awesome review, Christy!!

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  4. Like Carina, I didn't feel a sudden urge to buy this and now I do! Wonderful review =).

    Also -- I always thought I was a follower, as I've been reading your blog for months! Just realized I apparently never clicked the follow button! So, now I have =).

    Chels
    Chels and a Book

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  5. I read this yesterday too! I've been looking forward to it a lot and I did enjoy it. I agree with you, I enjoyed Cinder as a character a lot too. I really liked that she was part cyborg.

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  6. I was happy to see how involved each story is going to be with each other. I figured each tale would be contained to it's own book, however, we got our first look at Cress and mentions of Winter.

    I really loved Cinder too. She is great.

    I am looking forward to the next books. The world built in this novel is facinating.

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  7. Like you, I do think there were some predictable moments, but it was sooo much fun. I think it can only get better from here, so I'm excited to see what Marissa brings to the table with other familiar fairytale characters in the next books! :)

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  8. I did love to hate the evil guys, except I was also busy being scared of them! They had such power and resources and our heroes are the little guys standing up to such a threat.

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  9. This is my next read! I can't wait to dive in. I've heard nothing buy good things about this one. Great review!

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  10. I've been seeing a lot of great reviews about this book and I really can't wait to finally read it :)

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  11. It's so funny, I seem to be the only one that didn't necessarily consider the ending a cliffhanger. I guess I'm just used to the epic cliffhanger endings like in Dreamfever–that will be the be all and end all of cliffies for me–so anything else I can take in stride:) I loved this book so much, so glad to see you did too Christy!

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  12. I love retellings of fairy tales. I think that knowing the storyline, but seeing how the author changes things is so fascinating. This books sounds really good.

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  13. i can't wiat to read this one I can't believe all these amazing reviews!!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  14. I absolutely adored Cinder and I'm glad to see you enjoyed it as well. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. Great review!

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  15. It was really hard to write a review of this one and not give anything away. Such a fab book! Unusual but you still could get a sense of the original fairy tale.

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  16. So glad you liked it too! Oh, how I love this one. I so agree with your review too! I seriously can't wait for the sequel and meeting more fairytale heroines! (Just recently came across that awesome information ;o) Awesome review!

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  17. I really enjoyed this book too. Thanks for the review :)

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  18. And I meant CHRISTY! AHHHH! I would have fixed it last night but then I realized you had to approve first. So sorry!

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  19. Oh you are so true - the original is nothing compared to this amazing novel!!! I loved the stunning twists Marissa brought to the story and worldbuilding, such creativity. And oh, the characters. Cinder/Kai and of course, Iko!!! I freaking adored her haha. I felt exactly as you did - even the predictable moments didn't deter me from being sucked in deeper and deeper. Fantastic review!

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  20. I loved this one! I honestly didn't know if I would because....cyborgs?..But wow it was fantastic! Great review.

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  21. I'm not sure if Cinder is a novel for me, it does sound really creepy with its cyborg stuff, but I think I should still give it a try. I haven't read any fairy tale remakes, only watched the original Disney movies and I am a huge fan. Great review!

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