Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Even in the future, the story begins with once upon a time…

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 thrilled young adult debut novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer's rebooted fairy tale introduces readers to a heroine and a masterfully rafted world that isn't the Cinderella you remember--but it's the one you won't forget.

I remember when I first heard about Cinder I was a little hesitant to read it, but then I heard from trusted sources that it was actually really good. And then I received a copy for review and when I started reading the book, I was drawn in right away. Who knew re-imagining Cinderella in futuristic world with humans, cyborgs and androids would work so well? I certainly didn't but I ended up enjoying every single page.

When she was 11 years old, Cinder was in a terrible hover craft accident which killed both her parents and caused her to undergo surgery that made her a cyborg. Now she works as a mechanic in the market in the city of New Beijing, all her earnings going to her stepmother. Not only does she have nothing to her name, but she gets blamed for everything including her little sister getting sick. But one day, none other than Prince Kai walks up to her mechanic stand to ask for her services. After that day, everything in Cinder's life changes and she finds herself being dragged into affairs she never even knew existed before. And she starts falling for Prince Kai, and against all odds, he seems to be falling for her too.

I am a big lover of fairy tales, so whenever I read a retelling I always go in with pretty high expectations. With Cinder, those expectations were beyond surpassed. It wasn't long before I forgot I was reading a retelling of Cinderella. The story definitely stood on its own and felt like it was a story that hadn't actually been told before. I loved the world that Marissa Meyer created, wehre humans, androids and cyborgs all live together and it felt really real. And her writing was also absolutely great. I was immediately drawn in, and when I finished reading the book, I just wanted more.

Cinder was a whole new kind of Cinderella. Right from page one I loved her and she pretty much made me forget all about the original Cinderella. Granted there were many aspects of her life that were very Cinderella-esque, Cinder was her own character and her own person. She wasn't afraid of standing her ground and doing what she wanted to do. And that was something I really loved about her. Prince Kai was definitely the dreamy kind of prince. My main issue with him was his occasional communication problems. I mean, why couldn't he just say what he meant when it was so obvious how he felt? But other than that he really was Prince Charming. Other than these two, one of the characters that really made the book for me was Iko. Basically she was the android equivalent of the mice in the original story. She was a great character and also a great source of humor and really added to the story.

Overall, Cinder was a really great read. This new take on the classic story of Cinderella will not let you down. If anything, you will forget the old story all together in favor of this new one. It will definitely stay with you once you have finished reading the book.