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Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
Written by Marissa Meyer
Narrated by Rebecca Soler
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Start ListeningDescription
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.
A Macmillan Audio production.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
Written by Marissa Meyer
Narrated by Rebecca Soler
Description
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.
A Macmillan Audio production.
About the author
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Reviews
This book was selected as a monthly read in one of my groups so I decided to give it a try. I knew it was a mix of fairytale and fantasy, but it turned out to be so much more.
The story takes place after WWIV on Earth, specifically in New Bejing. Cinder is a mechanic, under-appreciated by her stepmother and one of her stepsisters. The other stepsister adores her. Actually, she was adopted by her "father" so I am not sure if they are really considered "steps". It turns out that she is actually a cyborg who does not have the same rights as a normal person and her step-mother goes out of her way to remind Cinder this whenever she can. She is actually the only one who works and earns money in the family so she supports them. One day Prince Kai requests her services to fix his android. He has not idea that she is a cyborg and in true fairy tale fashion he begins to fall for her. She does not want to let him know that she is not totally human. With all this going on, the worst plotline is that the world is suffering from a deadly plague that has no cure. Meanwhile, on the moon is another race called the "Lunars". They do not suffer from the plague, they are glamourous, have bio-electric powers that can make people see, hear and do things they do not want to do and if an alliance can not be made, they will attack the Earth. The Earth's only hope depends on an alliance with the evil Lunar Queen, Levana. What she wants to create this alliance is not what Prince Kai is willing to agree to.
The characters in Cinder are wonderful. They all have their own strengths and personalities. You will either love them or hate them. Cinder is independent, feisty, and easy to relate to. She doesn't always make the right decisions, but this is a heroine that learns from her mistakes. Her heart is in the right place. Prince Kai is learning to become a leader and is strong and loyal to his people. Both great characters. The romance is so sweet. At first Cinder is wary of the Prince's advances because she is cyborg and doesn't want him to find out, but she can't help but develop feelings for him along the way.
The ending actually had me opening the next book in this series immediately after finishing this one. I am glad I waited to read it because the next books are already available. So I will move from Cinderella to Red Riding Hood to continue this story. A great read that I would recommend to fantasy and Sci-fi lovers, romance as well as those who like variations of the fairy tales. Great job Marissa Meyer!
Rating: 4The story takes place after WWIV on Earth, specifically in New Bejing. Cinder is a mechanic, under-appreciated by her stepmother and one of her stepsisters. The other stepsister adores her. Actually, she was adopted by her "father" so I am not sure if they are really considered "steps". It turns out that she is actually a cyborg who does not have the same rights as a normal person and her step-mother goes out of her way to remind Cinder this whenever she can. She is actually the only one who works and earns money in the family so she supports them. One day Prince Kai requests her services to fix his android. He has not idea that she is a cyborg and in true fairy tale fashion he begins to fall for her. She does not want to let him know that she is not totally human. With all this going on, the worst plotline is that the world is suffering from a deadly plague that has no cure. Meanwhile, on the moon is another race called the "Lunars". They do not suffer from the plague, they are glamourous, have bio-electric powers that can make people see, hear and do things they do not want to do and if an alliance can not be made, they will attack the Earth. The Earth's only hope depends on an alliance with the evil Lunar Queen, Levana. What she wants to create this alliance is not what Prince Kai is willing to agree to.
The characters in Cinder are wonderful. They all have their own strengths and personalities. You will either love them or hate them. Cinder is independent, feisty, and easy to relate to. She doesn't always make the right decisions, but this is a heroine that learns from her mistakes. Her heart is in the right place. Prince Kai is learning to become a leader and is strong and loyal to his people. Both great characters. The romance is so sweet. At first Cinder is wary of the Prince's advances because she is cyborg and doesn't want him to find out, but she can't help but develop feelings for him along the way.
The ending actually had me opening the next book in this series immediately after finishing this one. I am glad I waited to read it because the next books are already available. So I will move from Cinderella to Red Riding Hood to continue this story. A great read that I would recommend to fantasy and Sci-fi lovers, romance as well as those who like variations of the fairy tales. Great job Marissa Meyer!
It is true that I am drawn to the retelling of fairy tales in an almost magnetic fashion. There is something about taking some that has been hashed and rehashed so many times, and still finding the ability to add something new, that makes me smile. That is why when I found out about Cinder, it instantly rose to the top of my reading list. What Marissa Meyer has done with the story of Cinderella is truly magical. Take a story about a fairy tale princess, add in cyborgs, androids and alien races, and you have a book that captured my imagination. Is it steampunk? Is it a fairy tale? I think it's both.
At the heart of everything is the basic story line of the original fairy tale. Cinder is a character that was orphaned, and is now being raised by her stepmother and stepsisters. She does in fact do the majority of the work around the house, as well as running the family business to bring in money. However, that's where most of the blatant similarities end. In Meyer's story our princess is anything but a wilting flower. Cinder is tough. She's stubborn and willing to work hard for what she wants. She's witty, and her charisma flows off the page. In fact, Cinder has no idea at all that she is a princess. To her, life is all about working hard for her dream. Nothing else matters.
That is, until Prince Kai comes along. Oh, Kai. I swoon for this gorgeously portrayed prince. If ever there were a princely figure to fall in love with, it would be him. Kai is young, and being pushed into becoming emperor sooner than he'd like. However he takes it all in stride and so graciously. Even when Meyer mentions his worry, Kai finds a place in himself that he draws a smile from. He is the type of character that it is entirely impossible not to fall in love with. Paired with Cinder, the two of them s.
The world that Cinder and Kai inhabit is beautifully rendered and immersive. Although there are ties to our current Earth, things on their world are still vastly different. Androids are a commonplace part of daily society. Lunars, or the society of people who come from the moon, are in terse negotiations with the people of Earth. Everything is so new and fresh. The one thing that boggled my mind was simply why Cinder was so afraid of people finding out that she was a Cyborg. I kind of hoped that at this point in society people would be accepting of them. Still, it's likely an important part of the story that just hasn't been revealed yet. I believe it. Cinder is a complicated character, and I love her for it.
Although the first half of the book was a little slow for me, I soon became intensely invested in Cinder and Kai's story. Marissa Meyer has created something amazing with this retelling. If you too are a fan of the retelling of fairy tales, give Cinder the top spot on your reading list! If this is the first time you're delving into this part of fiction, this book is a great place to start. Part steampunk. Part science fiction. All fairy tale romance. Cinder is a wonderful book, and I cannot wait for more!
Rating: 4At the heart of everything is the basic story line of the original fairy tale. Cinder is a character that was orphaned, and is now being raised by her stepmother and stepsisters. She does in fact do the majority of the work around the house, as well as running the family business to bring in money. However, that's where most of the blatant similarities end. In Meyer's story our princess is anything but a wilting flower. Cinder is tough. She's stubborn and willing to work hard for what she wants. She's witty, and her charisma flows off the page. In fact, Cinder has no idea at all that she is a princess. To her, life is all about working hard for her dream. Nothing else matters.
That is, until Prince Kai comes along. Oh, Kai. I swoon for this gorgeously portrayed prince. If ever there were a princely figure to fall in love with, it would be him. Kai is young, and being pushed into becoming emperor sooner than he'd like. However he takes it all in stride and so graciously. Even when Meyer mentions his worry, Kai finds a place in himself that he draws a smile from. He is the type of character that it is entirely impossible not to fall in love with. Paired with Cinder, the two of them s.
The world that Cinder and Kai inhabit is beautifully rendered and immersive. Although there are ties to our current Earth, things on their world are still vastly different. Androids are a commonplace part of daily society. Lunars, or the society of people who come from the moon, are in terse negotiations with the people of Earth. Everything is so new and fresh. The one thing that boggled my mind was simply why Cinder was so afraid of people finding out that she was a Cyborg. I kind of hoped that at this point in society people would be accepting of them. Still, it's likely an important part of the story that just hasn't been revealed yet. I believe it. Cinder is a complicated character, and I love her for it.
Although the first half of the book was a little slow for me, I soon became intensely invested in Cinder and Kai's story. Marissa Meyer has created something amazing with this retelling. If you too are a fan of the retelling of fairy tales, give Cinder the top spot on your reading list! If this is the first time you're delving into this part of fiction, this book is a great place to start. Part steampunk. Part science fiction. All fairy tale romance. Cinder is a wonderful book, and I cannot wait for more!
I enjoyed this book, an interesting take on the Cinderella story. I look forward to the next book
Rating: 4Set in the future, "Cinder" Is a clever retelling of an old favourite. Unlike the original Cinderella, Cinder is independent, feisty, a mechanic and a cyborg which makes for a very interesting protagonist. The front cover of this book is eye-catching with the red stiletto shoe and I was drawn to it as soon as I saw the book advertised in a catalogue. I thoroughly enjoyed "Cinder"and can't wait for the second book to come out.
Rating: 4Cyborg Cinderella! What more is there to say?
Rating: 3I borrowed this book from a friend. We both loved the Twilight and Hunger Games series, so I was hoping for something along those lines. I was a little disappointed. I think the young adult audience will love this, but it doesn't do it for me as an adult. I did like the Asian feel throughout the book. Not a lot of the books I read have Asian main characters. Cinder and Prince Kai were both likable characters. But the big reveal of Cinder's identity was too easy to guess very early on. And I hated how mean her step mother was to her. I know this was inspired by Cinderella, but I still didn't like that part of it.
Rating: 3Once upon a time, there was a cyborg named Linh Cinder. Traditional fairytale meets science fiction in Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, the first novel in The Lunar Chronicles. Meyer brings new life to a classic tale that most people know like the back of their hands.
Cinder lives in the future in a city called New Beijing, home of humans, cyborgs, and androids. The city is plagued by a nasty disease coined letumosis which easily decimates much of the population. Cinder’s highly-skilled work in mechanics helps keep her step-family off of the poverty-stricken streets. When Prince Kai, the local ruler, comes to call on an urgent matter, her life turns topsy-turvy.
Cinder is one of the strongest female protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of reading in the young adult fiction genre. While she lacks knowledge about her past, she is very confident in her abilities and she possesses a highly intuitive personality. Cinder acknowledges her unfortunate situation as a ward to a selfish and uncaring stepmother, but she does not allow her problematic position to bring her down. She is her own hero.
I was also impressed by Meyer’s decision to provide Cinder with both a sympathetic stepsister, Peony, and an adoring female android, Iko. It is not often that so many female characters interact, let alone relate to each other on such a high level in modern young adult fiction. I found myself rooting for all three characters and hoping that their relationships blossomed.
While love interests seem to be guaranteed in this genre, I found the exchanges between Kai and Cinder to be refreshing and shockingly realistic. Love does not always happen right away, and often one’s attempts to woo another end rather horrifically, or in this case, hilariously.
On a more serious note, the novel addresses a few intriguing questions, including to what lengths must a society go to prevent a highly contagious disease from spreading? And how would it find a cure for the disease? Meyer touches on the fact that there are never easy answers to these questions, and when decisions are made lightly, people suffer greatly.
The fully-formed relationships between characters, the twist on the classic tale, and the developments related to letumosis left me devouring Cinder in only a few days. It is quite the page-turner, and I look forward to reading the rest of the four novels in the series.
Rating: 4Cinder lives in the future in a city called New Beijing, home of humans, cyborgs, and androids. The city is plagued by a nasty disease coined letumosis which easily decimates much of the population. Cinder’s highly-skilled work in mechanics helps keep her step-family off of the poverty-stricken streets. When Prince Kai, the local ruler, comes to call on an urgent matter, her life turns topsy-turvy.
Cinder is one of the strongest female protagonists I have ever had the pleasure of reading in the young adult fiction genre. While she lacks knowledge about her past, she is very confident in her abilities and she possesses a highly intuitive personality. Cinder acknowledges her unfortunate situation as a ward to a selfish and uncaring stepmother, but she does not allow her problematic position to bring her down. She is her own hero.
I was also impressed by Meyer’s decision to provide Cinder with both a sympathetic stepsister, Peony, and an adoring female android, Iko. It is not often that so many female characters interact, let alone relate to each other on such a high level in modern young adult fiction. I found myself rooting for all three characters and hoping that their relationships blossomed.
While love interests seem to be guaranteed in this genre, I found the exchanges between Kai and Cinder to be refreshing and shockingly realistic. Love does not always happen right away, and often one’s attempts to woo another end rather horrifically, or in this case, hilariously.
On a more serious note, the novel addresses a few intriguing questions, including to what lengths must a society go to prevent a highly contagious disease from spreading? And how would it find a cure for the disease? Meyer touches on the fact that there are never easy answers to these questions, and when decisions are made lightly, people suffer greatly.
The fully-formed relationships between characters, the twist on the classic tale, and the developments related to letumosis left me devouring Cinder in only a few days. It is quite the page-turner, and I look forward to reading the rest of the four novels in the series.
Jessica brought this home from the school library and said Mom read this! So I picked it up and couldn't put it down. At first you think its going to be the typical Cinderella story but with Cyborg as the main character. Much to my delight it was so much more....
The story is complex and takes you to many unexpected places. I can't wait to read the next boo Scarlett which is the 2nd of 4 books. This is a series to watch!
Cinder is a complicated character who doesn't remember her life before her surgery. Though she is treated as an outsider but she has love and compassion for those around her and of course she falls for the Prince Kai even though she doesn't think she is. She make a huge sacrifice to better the world and we shall see what happens in the next book!
Rating: 5The story is complex and takes you to many unexpected places. I can't wait to read the next boo Scarlett which is the 2nd of 4 books. This is a series to watch!
Cinder is a complicated character who doesn't remember her life before her surgery. Though she is treated as an outsider but she has love and compassion for those around her and of course she falls for the Prince Kai even though she doesn't think she is. She make a huge sacrifice to better the world and we shall see what happens in the next book!
Cinder, a sixteen-year-old gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She has a mysterious past, is considered a second-class citizen, and is hated by her step-mother and step-sisters. A chance meeting with Prince Kai incognito, changes the path of her life forever. As the story unravels the reader can't help but become drawn into this futuristic retelling of a classic fairy tale. Marissa Meyer does a a wonderful job of combining the traditional story with science-fiction and magic. Recommended for 6-12 graders.
Rating: 5I've been waiting a long time to read this one and it leas as good as I expected it to be. A great Cinderella story but original enough that I wasn't bored. I had the ending correctly figured out from the first couple chapters but the ride getting from start to finish was a lot of fun.
Four stars instead of five because a couple times I was annoyed by a couple key characters not doing some vital thing- like Cinder not immediately fixing the prince's android. And I never quite understood why she had to leave by the night of the ball. Yeah, it's good to give a goal a deadline but when you're hinted to that your repair job is of vital importance to national security, I think you can push back your personal deadline a few days.
Rating: 4Four stars instead of five because a couple times I was annoyed by a couple key characters not doing some vital thing- like Cinder not immediately fixing the prince's android. And I never quite understood why she had to leave by the night of the ball. Yeah, it's good to give a goal a deadline but when you're hinted to that your repair job is of vital importance to national security, I think you can push back your personal deadline a few days.
Also posted on Silk & Serif
Why did I put Cinder off for so long?! I remember reading the synopsis and being really unexcited but I kept hearing SUCH GOOD THINGS. I kept thinking “I’ll probably like it, but I have all these other books that kind of seem more interesting so I’ll read those instead.” Time went on. I didn’t read Cinder. Seriously, I regret that decision now because I loved Cinder to bits. It’s unique, exciting and you don’t see the twists coming.
Cinder is a cyborg. A gifted mechanic, but nevertheless, a second class citizen because of her half-machine parts. She doesn’t remember anything before the accident that made her into what she is and cannot control her current fate as the stepchild of a woman who hates her. It’s her skills that bring Prince Kai and his secrets to her door, changing her life irrevocably. She is suddenly thrust into an intergalactic struggle, a forbidden romance and a past that she could never have imagined.
Cinder was amazingly creative with humans and androids living among one another. Androids are little more than technology made to help humans in their daily lives like a toaster or oven: useful, but nothing more than items to be owned. It makes a cyborg a complex problem: half human, half android. The law has deemed cyborgs as non-humans and property of their owners. Cyborgs have no rights, no homes and no family yet they are still human on the inside.
I loved that Cinder not only developed a fresh world that I haven’t seen before, but there were sociological issues hidden in the text. I think the number one reason why I loved Cinder is because it has so many undercurrents of social struggle. I loved the first two Hunger Games because it linked to modern social problems; reality tv, censorship and political control. The development of a culture that is both struggling with fast technological change and yet using it on a daily basis felt like a well placed nod to today’s society.
The struggles between humanity and machine in Cinder were exceptionally well done! I loved how Cinder was loved by human and an android making her part of both worlds in so many ways.
We find Cinder many years after a crash took away her rights to humanity and living with a family that adopted her after the operation. She flits through life as nothing more than an object, mistreated and undervalued. Her only friends are her sister Peony and Iko until one day Prince Kai comes along and drags her into dark palace politics. The romance is slow and well measured. We learn about Kai over time, there is absolutely no insta-love (hurray!) and Kai reacts realistically to Cinder’s mysterious past. I definitely felt the slow growth of the romance added suspense to the novel, but the real prize was learning about Cinder’s history and her future!
Seriously, if you have Cinder on your TBR list you need to read it. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I hear the series only gets better after Cinder. Read it! You won’t be disappointed.
Rating: 4Why did I put Cinder off for so long?! I remember reading the synopsis and being really unexcited but I kept hearing SUCH GOOD THINGS. I kept thinking “I’ll probably like it, but I have all these other books that kind of seem more interesting so I’ll read those instead.” Time went on. I didn’t read Cinder. Seriously, I regret that decision now because I loved Cinder to bits. It’s unique, exciting and you don’t see the twists coming.
Cinder is a cyborg. A gifted mechanic, but nevertheless, a second class citizen because of her half-machine parts. She doesn’t remember anything before the accident that made her into what she is and cannot control her current fate as the stepchild of a woman who hates her. It’s her skills that bring Prince Kai and his secrets to her door, changing her life irrevocably. She is suddenly thrust into an intergalactic struggle, a forbidden romance and a past that she could never have imagined.
Cinder was amazingly creative with humans and androids living among one another. Androids are little more than technology made to help humans in their daily lives like a toaster or oven: useful, but nothing more than items to be owned. It makes a cyborg a complex problem: half human, half android. The law has deemed cyborgs as non-humans and property of their owners. Cyborgs have no rights, no homes and no family yet they are still human on the inside.
I loved that Cinder not only developed a fresh world that I haven’t seen before, but there were sociological issues hidden in the text. I think the number one reason why I loved Cinder is because it has so many undercurrents of social struggle. I loved the first two Hunger Games because it linked to modern social problems; reality tv, censorship and political control. The development of a culture that is both struggling with fast technological change and yet using it on a daily basis felt like a well placed nod to today’s society.
The struggles between humanity and machine in Cinder were exceptionally well done! I loved how Cinder was loved by human and an android making her part of both worlds in so many ways.
We find Cinder many years after a crash took away her rights to humanity and living with a family that adopted her after the operation. She flits through life as nothing more than an object, mistreated and undervalued. Her only friends are her sister Peony and Iko until one day Prince Kai comes along and drags her into dark palace politics. The romance is slow and well measured. We learn about Kai over time, there is absolutely no insta-love (hurray!) and Kai reacts realistically to Cinder’s mysterious past. I definitely felt the slow growth of the romance added suspense to the novel, but the real prize was learning about Cinder’s history and her future!
Seriously, if you have Cinder on your TBR list you need to read it. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I hear the series only gets better after Cinder. Read it! You won’t be disappointed.
[Cross-posted to Knite Writes]This book was a fun read, I thought, but it had a pile of issues.While the pacing of the book is pretty quick and never drags, the plot itself leaves a lot to be desired. The foreshadowing is so overdone, so obvious, and so often repeated that none of the major “twists” actually end up a surprise. Especially the main twist at the end — I’m not even sure why it was set up to be a “big reveal” at all, given the sheer amount of time spent discussing the topic beforehand.On a different note, many areas of the story were sorely underutilized. Parts that could have been exciting action sequences were reduced to short asides, and far too many interesting occurrences were glossed over over in summary form to make room for scenes that didn’t add much to the story. Worst of all, while the story moves fast, for sure, it doesn’t really move anywhere — most of the plot didn’t push the story forward, and as the book wound to a close, I realized (with horror) that Cinder suffers from the dreaded “prologue book” syndrome. This book basically acts as a minimal effort setup for the “more exciting” sequel instead of standing on its own as a strong, well-designed novel.Overall, I found the plot of Cinder lackluster and poorly constructed.The characters didn’t do much for me either. Many of them fell under the banner of absolute good or evil, and the ones who didn’t were either minor characters or woefully inconsistent in their presentation. Cinder, as a protagonist, was all over the place — sometimes, she came off as capable, other times far too childish and naive for her age (and her apparent life experience). Kai, as a love interest and a Prince, fell flat for me — he was too often used as a mechanism to get a more in-depth look as Levana. His actual personality and development were compacted into too few scenes, and he had very little emotional depth.Finally, there was Levana — the evil queen. And that’s all she was. Evil for, apparently, evil’s sake. My least favorite kind of villain. I found her presentation…not particularly compelling, to say the least. She could have been far more complex and interesting, but instead, she was cast as the default “pure evil” bad guy.So, poor plot and poor characters. Yikes. But it does get worse:By far, my biggest problem with this story was the world-building. Excuse me: what world-building? All the world-building in this story was tissue-paper thin. Everything was superficial. What could have been the sort of brilliantly vibrant and weird future society that the most imaginative of SFF books explore was instead reduced to a few key pieces of technology (androids, cyborgs, future cars) and some throwaway lines about altered country boundaries, a fourth World War, and a plague.I was so disappointed by the lack of proper world-building in this story — because the premise sounded excellent. And I could see the foundation for a ton of awesome world-building throughout the book…but it never came to fruition. It all fell to the wayside in favor the breakneck pacing and the frivolous plot details. In the end, the book leaves the reader with a very indistinct picture of the world — and an even more indistinct picture of the weird Moon society supposedly threatening the world. I would have really loved to learn the history of that. But I didn’t get the chance to.All in all, this book is definitely a case of “Cool idea! Poor execution.” Obviously, a lot of imagination went into creating the ideas behind this book, but most of those ideas were never fleshed out in the actual story. As a result, the book failed to impress me on pretty much every front.Really, the only redeeming quality of this book is that, at its core, it’s a fairly quick, fun read. It’s not horrible, really. But it just doesn’t do, well, anything, to stand out and become a great book.
Rating: 3You can also see this review on my blog here
I have heard such great things about Cinder over the past several months, but I had already wanted to read it since I read my friend Jac at For Love and Books’s review of it last year. It just took me a while to get to it.
I’ll start off by saying that I listened to the audio of Cinder, and I kind of wish that I had read it instead. I did really well with audiobooks in January, but my listening has become more and more sporadic, as I prioritize my reading books, so they take me a while. Sometimes, I go so long between listening that I forget some of what has happened, and it takes me out of the world of the story, and I feel like that happened a bit with Cinder.
Because I started this so long ago, I don’t remember much about my feelings as I started reading. I remember that Cinder was working in her booth at the market, as a mechanic, when Prince Kai came to her and asked her to fix her android. After he left, there was an outbreak of the plague, and Cinder and her android hid. What I do remember is that things seemed to pick up quickly and keep going.
It took me a while to really remember what a cyborg was, but once I did, I was really impressed by Cinder. It felt like her life would be really hard, and in some ways, it was, but in other ways, she was a completely normal girl. I thought Prince Kai was totally amazing because he wasn’t pompous or arrogant. He was a totally down-to-earth, caring individual. And Queen Levana was definitely an intriguing villain. She is scary on all kinds of levels!
There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and they were pretty great. It really made Cinder feel like so much more of a fully-developed story than the original Cinderella. However, there was one major plot twist that I called really early on in the book. I just knew that it was going that way, so I wasn’t surprised when it came out. However, the circumstances surrounding the big reveal did surprise me.
Overall, I thought that Cinder was a really good book. Also, I did enjoy the audio book. However, I think I may read my kindle version before going on to Scarlet, just to make sure I didn’t miss or forget anything. I would absolutely recommend reading Cinder, and I would recommend the audiobook if you listen more frequently than I do!
Rating: 4I have heard such great things about Cinder over the past several months, but I had already wanted to read it since I read my friend Jac at For Love and Books’s review of it last year. It just took me a while to get to it.
I’ll start off by saying that I listened to the audio of Cinder, and I kind of wish that I had read it instead. I did really well with audiobooks in January, but my listening has become more and more sporadic, as I prioritize my reading books, so they take me a while. Sometimes, I go so long between listening that I forget some of what has happened, and it takes me out of the world of the story, and I feel like that happened a bit with Cinder.
Because I started this so long ago, I don’t remember much about my feelings as I started reading. I remember that Cinder was working in her booth at the market, as a mechanic, when Prince Kai came to her and asked her to fix her android. After he left, there was an outbreak of the plague, and Cinder and her android hid. What I do remember is that things seemed to pick up quickly and keep going.
It took me a while to really remember what a cyborg was, but once I did, I was really impressed by Cinder. It felt like her life would be really hard, and in some ways, it was, but in other ways, she was a completely normal girl. I thought Prince Kai was totally amazing because he wasn’t pompous or arrogant. He was a totally down-to-earth, caring individual. And Queen Levana was definitely an intriguing villain. She is scary on all kinds of levels!
There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and they were pretty great. It really made Cinder feel like so much more of a fully-developed story than the original Cinderella. However, there was one major plot twist that I called really early on in the book. I just knew that it was going that way, so I wasn’t surprised when it came out. However, the circumstances surrounding the big reveal did surprise me.
Overall, I thought that Cinder was a really good book. Also, I did enjoy the audio book. However, I think I may read my kindle version before going on to Scarlet, just to make sure I didn’t miss or forget anything. I would absolutely recommend reading Cinder, and I would recommend the audiobook if you listen more frequently than I do!
This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: Definitely interesting. Stands out from the typical YA cover. Love the font and the red shoe. Will fit nicely with the cover for Scarlet, can't wait to see the covers for the two after that.
The Gist: In this updated re-telling of the classic Cinderella story, Cinder, a cyborg, lives with her horrid adoptive mother and two sisters. Her city of New Bejing has been decimated by a mysterious plague and no one can find a cure. When a chance encounter with the sought after Prince Kai and a brush with the plague brings Cinder under scrutiny, she begins to learn about who she was before her surgery and the important role that she may play in the country's security.
Review:
I don't normally go in for Sci Fi novels. Which will explain why I didn't get around to this book until a year after the release date. I was finally tempted by the great reviews and the fairy tale aspect.
The character of Cinder is interesting, if occasionally infuriating. She refuses to believe that she is anything special and has a lot of difficulty standing up for herself. She has a tendency to talk herself out of taking any action and this often drove me to distraction. At the same time, she is clearly a caring individual (in a world seeming to be populated with the most unfeeling of citizens) and with wonderfully sarcastic wit. Her step-mother, Audrey was cold and calculating, but at times came off as bit too cartoonish in her hatred. I loved the addition of a sympathetic sister and cheered Marissa Meyer on in being able to make some difficult choices as to the fate of her characters. I truly enjoyed Prince Kai and could feel a real spark between him and Cinder. I really was rooting for them to finally get it together (ie for Cinder to stop fighting the inevitable) and was horrified by the unwanted advances of Queen Levana.
The plot was fairly predictable and I really hope that Meyer didn't intend the final big revelation to actually be a big revelation for the reader. I did enjoy the unexpected twists on the Cinderella story and the reversal of the plot (ending with the ball instead of starting with it). It allowed the book to be based on the fairy tale, but with enough originality to be given its own life. I especially liked the tidbits that alluded to future characters and allowed me to wonder where this might lead in future novels.
The ending was a little unsatisfying. I kept seeing the minutes tick away and thinking "she can't possibly end it without more resolution". I guess I was hoping for some emotional or romantic payoff - all that chemistry for nothing! I can deal with the cliffhanger ending this time, but I really hope Meyer doesn't make it a habit.
For those interesting in the audiobook, it is voiced by Rebecca Soler, who is wonderful. Her pacing is good, her voice is fantastic and she is able to pull of a number of accents throughout the book.
Bring on Scarlet!
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 12 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Mind Control, Gunplay
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking
Other Issues: Descriptions of Medical Procedures
As posted on booknook - YA and Fantasy book reviewsOh my god, this book is amazing! This is the kind of book you never want to end because it's just so... amazing! It's fresh, original, and totally unique. It meshes two completely different worlds -- fairy tales and machinery/science -- and it does so miraculously.Cinder is Cinderella meets cyborg meets plague meets other worlds meets politics. Talk about an incredible combination. The different elements of this book are what it make it so incredibly fascinating. First, this story is set in a futuristic Beijing. That immediately drew me in because it's such an original setting. I have literally never read a YA book that takes place in Beijing! Moving on.. Cinder is a cyborg who lives with her evil stepmother and her two stepsisters. Her stepmother only keeps her around for the extra income -- Cinder is an amazing mechanic! But naturally, all of her income goes straight into the greedy stepmother's pocket.In this futuristic world, a terrible plague is taking lives. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to where the plague starts or how it chooses its victims, and therefore there is no cure. When Cinder's stepsister becomes infected, her stepmother offers up Cinder to become a lab experiment. Cyborgs are taken in and experimented on in hopes of finding a cure for the plague.. but so far, no luck.And amidst all of this, there is a super delicious spark brewing between Cinder and the prince of New Beijing: Kai. YUM! These two are seriously the cutest couple ever! There's no annoying drama, no "I'm going to tell you what to do" attitude, no "guy is a jerk/bad boy" nonsense.. it's just beautiful! I was constantly rooting for them and hoping things would work out.There are so many incredible themes and emotions riddled throughout Cinder that I barely even know where to begin. It's really about a girl who is treated like an outcast. Since she's a cyborg, she's viewed as a freak, and she has to try to find a way to live with that. Part of how she copes is actually by trying to hide her true identity. With enough clothing to cover up her parts, she can actually pass as human. Cinder is also about friendship, family, independence, and loyalty, and sticking with someone through all the difficulties -- no matter what. Then there's everything with Kai. He's the prince of an entire nation and has a huge weight on his shoulders. He has to make difficult decisions and incredible sacrifices, and he's still only a teenager.Cinder is super fast paced and there is never a dull moment. I was glued to my book all day until I finally got to the last page. Marissa Meyer, you are now one of my favourite authors and the Cinder is right up there with my favourite books of all time!
Rating: 5Read the full review here. When I first heard about Cinder, I was sceptical. I haven’t had positive experiences with retellings of fairytales, and a retelling of Cinderella with a cyborg Cinderella sounds silly to me. Once I started reading the book, I found that it isn’t the same calibre as most of the YA genre. It has some light politics, some romantic elements, but it is primarily about a young girl who is struggling mightily with her identity. The characters were my favourite aspect of the book. Cinder is a wonderful heroine, who struggles with being treated like a second-class citizen because she is a cyborg. She legally belongs to her stepmother, which makes her life difficult. Cinder is a compassionate and likeable character, and her interactions with Prince Kai were great to read. Kai is a humorous and charming man, who finds it hard to walk the line between his personal and political life.Meyer has taken a well known folk tale and done fantastic things to it. I was pleasantly surprised by Cinder, and will recommend it to any other person who enjoys young adult novels.
Rating: 5Find this review and more at On The Shelf!The main thing I have to say about this book is I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! I was very excited about it from the beginning. The cover is what initially drew my interest, and then I read the synopsis and thought it would be a very unique retelling of Cinderella. Sometimes I can be a bit skeptical of a book when it uses known characters or retellings of stories, but this book was fantastic! The only bad thing I can really say is that I am disappointed I have to wait a year for the next one!I didn’t want to put this book down the entire time I had it, and when I was at work, I couldn’t wait to go on break or get home to read more of it, so it definitely held my attention quite well. Being a retelling, you mostly know how the story is going to go, so a lot of it you can figure out or expect, but there is also plenty that doesn’t go exactly the way you think it is going to.Meyer does a wonderful job at invoking your emotions through out the novel. There are characters you love, some you hate profusely, and there are funny parts with witty android comments and heartbreaking situations.Cinder was a strong character and I felt bad for her because of how she was treated. Cyborg are nothing but property to most of the people and are not looked at as human, but she still stands for what she believes is right. Prince Kai could come to my mechanic shop (if I had one) anytime he wanted! He doesn’t come on strongly and there is not insta-love between the two of them. There are a couple of points where he acted a bit immaturely, but considering the situations, many guys probably would have, too. Adri made my blood boil through out the book, she is certainly a character you love to hate!The story it self is very interesting and unique way to retell the Cinderella story and I can’t wait until I get to read the rest of the series, and my mouth is watering just wishing for the next book! This book is a highly recommended read!! I don’t give out 5 star ratings easily, but giving this one a 4.5 just wouldn’t have been good enough!Unique, emotionally evocative, leaves you yearning for more!!
Rating: 5Clever retelling and new slant on Cinderella, giving her a bit more spunk and spine, and not just the metal kind.
Rating: 4I kept seeing this on a list of books one should read. It offered an Interesting opening, but felt like a squished together concept of three different storylines. There's the obvious - the retelling of Cinderella. Then there's the Lunies or Lunar Colony people and their affect on humanity and the pandemic plague that's taking everyone to quarantine. You don't realize how linked these stories are until you get deep into the book.The whole wicked step mother, the handsome prince everyone drools over except the Main Character, all there. Once the author started releasing the details, things became too obvious. The ending is very anticlimactic. Like there should be more but isn't. (Then I read into the descriptions of the rest of the series and just sigh) It feels like the storyline isn't complete, which it isn't.Not sure I want to continue the series. It will be pondered.
Rating: 3I have been putting off reading this as I really did not think it was something I was going to enjoy. I really did not think I would get past chapter 1 without wanting to DNF this. I was I wrong! I really, really enjoyed it.It was almost addicting! I flew through this in just two nights. I cannot really explain it. I loved the writing and the characters (especially Iko). There was nothing keeping me on the edge of my seat, but I was just caught up into the world and the story.The plot twist was predictable and I figured it out as soon as it was mentioned. But, it still did not take away from how good this was or wanting to know what happens. I will be picking up Scarlet soon!
Rating: 4SynopsisThis book is a Cinderella retelling set in a futuristic world. Without giving spoilers here I will just warn that there are some major elements of the Cinderella story that are changed and I wasn't entirely prepared for that. Mostly near the end of the story. In this book, Cinder is a cyborg. She is an adopted child with no idea about her past. All she knows is she was in an accident where her parents were killed which led to her being turned into a cyborg. She was adopted by a scientist but he died shortly after her adoption leaving her in the care of her cruel step-mother. Cinder works as a mechanic to earn money for her family. One day, the prince comes to her shop because he needs an android repaired. They talk. They flirt. They run into each other over and over again. Cinder gets invited to the ball. So, typical Cinderella stuff.But, a lot of other stuff is happening too. There is a plague and tons of political drama happening.My rating: 4/5This book is great if you are somewhat new to sci-fi. I don't read a ton of sci-fi but I didn't have any trouble following what was happening. I really enjoyed this book. One thing that I loved about Cinder much more than the original Cinderella stories is that Cinder is a very active protagonist. She is trying hard to save herself through the whole book and not just laying down and taking the terrible treatment of her step mother. There is so much happening in this book and it was such a fun ride to take. Much of it was fairly predictable but there were some things that completely shocked me. One of those things was the ending. I won't spoil it but I will say that this book ends on a cliff hanger and I wasn't prepared for that. I am excited for the next book which I believe is a Little Red Riding Hood Retelling but I want to finish up Cinder's story. I was really annoyed with the way Cinder ended actually. Overall though, this was an amazing book and I highly recommend it. I will be reading Scarlet and I totally understand why this book is a popular series. I really was fascinated by the world. I really liked Cinder and several of the side characters. I loved the plot and everything that was happening. Throughout most of the book I liked the prince though I felt like he made a lot of really bad decisions for the "right" reasons. I understood his motivations I just thought that a lot of the time he should have done things differently.I highly recommend this book. Especially if you enjoy YA fantasy. This book reads kind of like YA or middle grade fantasy. It is a complex world but well explained and highly character driven. The science stuff is mostly setting related. This is one of those books that I feel very confident telling everyone who asks for a book recommendation to read. Just overall a very nice book.
Rating: 4My 12 year old daughter insisted I read this. I was surprised at how much I loved it and now plan to read more fairy tale retellings. Books like these make me wish Goodreads had a ten point scale or 1/2 stars as I'd give it another 1/2
Rating: 4Marissa Meyer has really written a fantastic retelling of a childhood classic. I like it because it isn't like the usual retellings that really don't feel like a retelling. This actually does retell the story a different way, in its own way, that's a little dark and still sweet. Cinder had some good humor written into it as well that makes it feel alive and not just a story on a page. The narrator was good in this one. Although I did doze off in a couple chapters that were really descriptive. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, I just have to wait until its available for me to borrow from my local library. Cinder herself is fun for me to read. She has a smart ass side to her and could tell it like it is which is fun to read. But she also has a sweet caring side to her. Her family is mostly set up like the typical Cinderella story except she does have one sister who isn't completely horrible to her. Cinder doesn't have forest friends, or dwarves, or enchanted furniture as friends. Nope, she has an android for a friend who has this bizarre personality chip that makes it seem like she is a boy-crazy teenage girl. Her stepmother is really awful to her, but other than that you don't know anything else about her.The events through the book keep changing Cinder's perspective of herself over and over. She starts the book out as a cyborg, half robot half human creation, to being something completely else. Cyborgs are something no people like at all. And when I say no people I mean the human's on earth and the Lunars on planet Luna, which is like the moon. Lunars are different because their time on the moon has changed the people there that now they have powers. Powers like mind control. They can manipulate the way that people think or what they think about doing. The people on Earth are not big fans of Lunars, to say the least. We value our freedom, and on planet Luna there is none.There are a lot of events that may possibly happen in the future that makes me want to continue the series. A prison break, maybe a war, maybe overthrowing a queen, maybe more love?
Rating: 4Finally. I finally read this book. Seems like everyone has been telling me to read it since it came out. I even got my copy signed by the author, but it still took me over a year from the purchase of the book to actually read it. And it was good. For being almost 400 pages, it seemed to move fairly quickly. I admit it was nice to read some scifi where the premise is not the most important part. (cyborg teenagers. Can they find love?) The political enmity between the moon - people (Lunars) and the earth - people (Earthans) was a good background for the story, though I thought the weird mutant Lunars' Disallusionment Charm-esque "glamour" was unbelievable.
I don't know if it was the fairytale undertones, or that I've been reading too much YA, but I found the plot predicable. Its not totally a bad thing. Meyer's writing is good, and it was nice to see how things came about, even if I knew they were coming.
So, basically, this book is "what if Cinderella was a teenaged cyborg in future Asia? And what if magic moon people were threatening earth with war, slavery, and brainwashing?" So we have political intrigue that will continue through the series, and the fairytale plot for the one book. I liked main character Cinder fairly well, and the prince and other side characters were great. The world was introduced well, and I look forward to reading more in the next books.
Rating: 4I don't know if it was the fairytale undertones, or that I've been reading too much YA, but I found the plot predicable. Its not totally a bad thing. Meyer's writing is good, and it was nice to see how things came about, even if I knew they were coming.
So, basically, this book is "what if Cinderella was a teenaged cyborg in future Asia? And what if magic moon people were threatening earth with war, slavery, and brainwashing?" So we have political intrigue that will continue through the series, and the fairytale plot for the one book. I liked main character Cinder fairly well, and the prince and other side characters were great. The world was introduced well, and I look forward to reading more in the next books.
I really, really enjoyed "Cinder" and will definitely be picking up any and all subsequent books in the series. I was skeptical of the premise at first because I wasn't sure if I wanted to read yet another retelling of a princess story.
Turns out I absolutely did, even if I didn't know it. The world within "Cinder," however, is so thoroughly different than the now-classic retellings (such as Gail Carson Levine's admittedly-awesome "Ella Enchanted") simply because the elusive YA-science-fiction-with-a-female-main-character has finally appeared on shelves at a Barnes and Noble near you.
"Cinder" deviates far enough from the traditional Cinderella story that it makes the plot fresh--there is the addition of a deadly plague and "Lunars," or the not-quite-humans living on Earth's moon. There are aspects of the Snow White fairy tale, and I predict in the coming sequels that the story will deviate further from any traditional roots it may have grown from.
The writing is good and the narrative voice is solid. There were several instances I could see a twist coming far earlier than was intended, but I still enjoyed the time I spent reading. The most annoying part of the entire book was running out of pages before the story was over--but that is the nature of most YA series these days.
Rating: 4Turns out I absolutely did, even if I didn't know it. The world within "Cinder," however, is so thoroughly different than the now-classic retellings (such as Gail Carson Levine's admittedly-awesome "Ella Enchanted") simply because the elusive YA-science-fiction-with-a-female-main-character has finally appeared on shelves at a Barnes and Noble near you.
"Cinder" deviates far enough from the traditional Cinderella story that it makes the plot fresh--there is the addition of a deadly plague and "Lunars," or the not-quite-humans living on Earth's moon. There are aspects of the Snow White fairy tale, and I predict in the coming sequels that the story will deviate further from any traditional roots it may have grown from.
The writing is good and the narrative voice is solid. There were several instances I could see a twist coming far earlier than was intended, but I still enjoyed the time I spent reading. The most annoying part of the entire book was running out of pages before the story was over--but that is the nature of most YA series these days.
I read this for my YA at Heart book club. I really enjoyed it despite it having a more than predictable twist. I thought Cinder was a relatable, interesting character with a wry sense of humor.Another thing I enjoyed about this book that makes me look forward to reading the rest of the series is the extra plot outside of the romance plot. This sub-plot is about how the Queen of the Moon is trying to take over Earth. I really appreciated this plot because it was larger than a simple romance plot which is what I was worried that I would encounter with this book since it was based on the Cinderella fairy tale.
Rating: 4Finally joining the masses
After seeing so much hype about this series I finally decided to read it. I knew nothing about the story and was completely confused at the start. The book sucked me in and I read it all in one day. I recommend this book for sure.
Rating: 4After seeing so much hype about this series I finally decided to read it. I knew nothing about the story and was completely confused at the start. The book sucked me in and I read it all in one day. I recommend this book for sure.
Really good.
Rating: 4Oh, I did not expect to read this book so fast, or love it this much. Kai is so adorable, I am glad though that he doesn't end up with you know who right away. leave a little mystery for the fifth date. Levana drives me insane just to think about her. I have known so many people just like her, creepy mind control included.
wasn't expecting to meet Cress so quickly either, for some reason I was under the impression these were tied in standalone novels. They are so much better than that. If you haven't tried them yet, do so.
Rating: 5wasn't expecting to meet Cress so quickly either, for some reason I was under the impression these were tied in standalone novels. They are so much better than that. If you haven't tried them yet, do so.
Sci-fi Cinderella? That didn't sound like my kind of story, but the friend who recommended it had never steered me wrong. As it turned out, I loved this book.The author made me see New Beijing, the characters seemed to live and breathe, and I liked that there was much more at stake than whether the main character could win the prince's heart.Some plot developments were easy to see coming, but that doesn't usually bother me as long as I don't feel the situation should have been apparent to the character. In this case, I felt I had both more information and more objectivity than the character in question.I look forward to the rest of the series, and I've already started the second book.
Rating: 5