Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Firstly, I want to (hopefully) save some readers the confusion and label this book as Syfy-Fantasy-Lite, with a feel on the middle-grade end of the YA spectrum. If I'd looked at it this way up front, I'm sure I would have been in a better mindset to enjoy the read rather than getting hung up on the many scientific and medical aspects that required a suspension of logic/disbelief. Instead it took me until 2/3rds of the way through the book to arrive at this crucial genre and target-audience specification.

The cyberpunk fairytale concept is intriguing. In a market flooded by retellings, this twist on Cinderella offers a cyborg grease-monkey heroine with a spitfire attitude and a bad case of technologically-induced amnesia. (Nope...haven't seen that before!) There's no fairy godmother to be had, and the closest thing Cinder has to benevolent animal companions is an outdated, pleasantly dysfunctional android named Iko. But despite the questionably-justified (and minimally explored) suspension of human rights for cyborgs—and the looming threat of an incurable (but vaguely explained) pandemic—this story really doesn't have that gritty dystopian aftertaste.

How far in the future the book is set isn't clear. Readers will gather that it's been 125+ years since World War 4 decimated large portions of the population and somehow resulted in a joining together of countries into a conglomerate of six nations—which generally sound like they're based on the six habitable continents. Each resulting nation seems to run its own form of sovereign government—the story taking place in the “Eastern Commonwealth,” a monarchy with New Beijing at its center. There are hints that this is taking place many centuries farther in the future—or perhaps in some alternate version of our reality's future (my personally favored theory).
In Cinder's world, characters throw around words like “intergalactic,”and the moon has been long ago colonized by humans who have—through unspecified means—become something both more and less than human. And by “more and less than human” I mean they've turned into a reclusive race of telepathically-manipulative, technologically-superior beings controlled by one uber-vain brainwashing queen who brazenly slaughters all who do or might oppose her sociopathic will.

Side Note: I'm not among those who have some huge ethnicity beef with this book. It's set (presumably) so far in the future, I would expect a significant genetic muddling to have taken place by then. Add to that, there seems a deliberate sparseness of physical descriptors for a majority of main and side characters. I'm still not clear on what Prince Kai looked like, aside from black hair and handsome-by-general-consensus. The same goes for Cinder, the two stepsisters, and whatever the stepmother looks like sans makeup. Queen Lavana is intricately described...but this is a touch ironic, considering her appearance is a telepathically reinforced lie.

What DID bother me about the whole New Beijing setting was tied to weaknesses in the worldbuilding. The Asiatic references (primarily names, food, and a few iconic props) felt a bit superficial and watered down. But if I look at it from a more fantasy angle, this becomes easier to dismiss. It also helps ease some expectations I initially had for a deeper examination of why Cyborgs (even those with only a small percentage of artificial parts) would be so widely regarded as sub-human. While it seems a lost opportunity to explore the roots of prejudice and subjugation, I expect that would have added too much length and complication to a story that already has a lot going on.

Sadly, this reader didn't care much for the hero. Prince Kai came off a bit blasé and weak as far as dynastic future-rulers go. He's kind and well-intentioned, to be sure...but the limited time spent in his head isn't much for helping readers get to know him beyond his title. Handicapped by a seemingly useless adviser and woefully outmaneuvered by his enemy, I kept hoping he'd come up with some hint of cleverness or way of asserting himself outside of sarcasm...but alas, that didn't occur. I suppose there is hope for future books.

Which brings me to the ending...
Without giving anything away, I think I'm safe saying it's a fairly unresolved cliffhanger. Unfortunately it leaves little satisfaction in it's efforts to entice readers into picking up the next book. But on the up side...there's also no Deus ex Machina to be found.

Despite my mixed feelings, this is an entertaining book I would still feel good about handing to my 14-year-old goddaughter. The pacing is quick, the writing is effective, and the underlying message is empowering. Cinder is a strong-yet-flawed heroine—one whom readers will be more inclined to root for than pity, despite her backstory. And while there is a romantic angle, it avoids going the hyper-sexualized route and takes a far backseat to the plot.

I was just interested enough to pick up Scarlet, the next book in the series.

First, I just want to say how much I love the idea of this series. Each book in the futuristic sci-fi Lunar Chronicles is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, and I think that combo is magical. Cinder, obviously, is Cinderella. The sequel, Scarlet, is Little Red Riding Hood. And still to come are Cress (Rapunzel) and Winter (Snow White). Each book will continue the tales of the characters from the prior book while introducing us to new re-imaginings of the fairy tale characters, and while I have no idea how Marissa Meyer is going to pull that off, I'm thrilled about the concept.

Now, talking about the book itself, Cinder was a fun protagonist. She was Cinderella meets Kaylee from Firefly, with robot parts. And I liked that although, like the fairy tale, Cinder's romance with the Prince was definitely part of the story, her main motivation was not love, it was independence. Cinder was prepared to pull herself up by her mechanical bootstraps, and I appreciated that about her.

Prince Kai wasn't the most fleshed out of characters, although I liked him well enough. No, I didn't fully understand what made him so very appealing to Cinder, but he wasn't unappealing. I just didn't quite love him. But that's okay, since as I said, the love story was not actually central to the plot. I'm okay warming up to Kai over several books while I stay invested in the rest of the plot. Even Cinder ends the book not entirely sure about how she feels about him, so it's all right for me to feel the same way.

I really enjoyed the way the fairy tale elements were woven into the story. There's still an evil stepmother, and an evil stepsister. There's a prince, and a ball. And there is the classic running-away-down-the-steps scene, although with a twist.

But at the same time, there's an evil queen who rules a race of people who live on the moon, with mind control powers. There's political unrest. There's a mysterious plague. There's androids and hovers and cyborgs. So while it is recognizable as the fairy tale that inspired it, it also brings a lot of freshness and imagination that makes it stand out from the crowd.

I will say it's a bit predictable. I called the big "twist" ending somewhere in the first 50 pages. But it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book. I still loved to see how everything unfolded. The thing with fairy tale retellings is that we already know all the bones of the story, so I don't think a surprise ending is all that important. What matters is the creativity of how the tale is told, and how it differs from the original. The characters and setting and how they can hold my interest, even if I know (more or less) what's coming. And I think Cinder accomplished that in spades.

If you are looking for a fun, imaginative new series that puts an exciting sci-fi twist on the stories you grew up with, I'd highly recommend Cinder.

After first hearing about this book from our school media specialists, I was intrigued. I had just finished The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman and Tales Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz and was looking for another "Fairy Tale" genre book. Cinder's plot line in parts is predictable,which allows the reader to make connections tonth characters. Cinder, cyborg and master mechanic, is a strong minded Cinderella. She has her evil stepmother, her legal guardian, and stepsisters.

However, Marissa Meyer adds her own twists. There are threats of plague haunting New Bejing and hundreds of people are dying. People are celebrating over a hundred years of peace after World War IV while trying to keep peace negotiations going with the ruler of Luna(the moon).

This book combines the romantic elements of the classic Cinderella tale, with the science fiction of Star Wars, and maybe a little bit of deception. It is a book I would recommend to all my middle school students, male and female alike. There is a little bit for everyone. A great read that keeps you on the edge of your seat.