Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Cinder is a wonderful futuristic retelling of the Cinderella story. Even the man character's name plays on the name Cinderella, which is kind of neat.

I really enjoyed watching Cinder fall for the Prince. But, of course, there's a bigger plot than Cinder just getting the Prince, which is something I found slightly surprising. The book deals with disease, aliens, and futuristic technology (of course). These are all interesting elements that aren't usually thrown together in a Cinderella type story. I cannot wait for the next three books in the series. They're going to be amazing.

I'm look forward to anything Marissa Meyer writes. The book was never dull or boring and everything just escalates until it finally breaks apart. I loved Cinder. I'm not sure if she or the Prince is my favorite character. All in all, a wonderful book.

Everybody in Bloglandia loves Cinder. When this book first came out, it was accompanied by so much buzz, hype, and all-around gushing that I just knew, despite my wrinkle-nose reactions to Cinderella retellings, I had to get my hands on Cinder asap.

“Asap” is a relative term, however, since I’m writing this review almost ten months past Cinder’s release date. And this is, honestly, one of the 2012 releases I wish I’d preordered. Cinder is very, very good.

Right off the bat, I was struck by Marissa Meyer’s strong, graceful prose and the way she wrote her scenes and characters. Cyborgs, Lunars, World War IV; they all fit very well together and created a seamless first impression. And even once I got past those initial thoughts, I still found Cinder to be unique and well-written.

Maybe, however, the Cinderella elements weren’t necessary? It felt, to me, that Marissa Meyer had created a really awesome future society, but wanted a quick way to make it marketable. Maybe. The Cinderella bits, while very integral to the plot itself, didn’t feel important. This is a four book series, and Cinder covered all of the Cinderella fairytale—future installments won’t be able to hide behind the fairytale gimmick, and honestly, Marissa Meyer’s writing and story crafting doesn’t need to in the first place. So why do it?

There was also a teensy issue with dramatic irony/predictibility. I’m not a fan of that type of plot. I always see that kind of thing coming a thousand miles away, and it always annoys me more than gets me emotionally invested, which is doubtless the actual intention.

Anyway. Back to characters. I liked Cinder a lot. She didn’t have a standout personality (not super sassy, super beautiful, super intelligent, super anything). That was really nice, since, for once, it really did seem like an author was sticking to the “ordinary girl” archetype and was actually serious about it. Prince Kai, of course, was drop-deadly gorgeous, charming, noble. Typical prince. I wasn’t particularly impressed with him, but both he and Cinder were very realistic, well-crafted people.

Yet while the protagonists were all right, if unremarkable, I was a tad bit annoyed by both of the antagonists, Cinder’s stepmother and the evil Lunar queen. I’m currently going through a stage where “purely evil” characters don’t work for me. I guess, given that this is supposedly based on a fairytale, juvenile black and white characters should be a given. I prefer my shades of gray, personally.

All around, Cinder was unexpectedly good. I really enjoyed the plot and the prose, even if the characters themselves were lackluster. Marissa Meyer is a skilled storyteller, and her writing came across as very smooth and controlled. And while Ella Enchanted will forever have the number one place in my heart (Kai =/= Char), there might be room somewhere in there for Cinder.

Why I Loved It: Out of books from 2012, this is one of the most unexpected love-at-first-read experiences I've had. The whole cyborg thing had me off a little, if only because it's not something I have gotten into with a book, even with my love of Star Trek. However my sister read my copy and loved it. That along with raving reviews from people I trust on Goodreads and the blogging community lead me to pick up the book, open it, and give it a chance. And afterwards, I wanted to hit myself in the head with it for waiting for so stinkin' long to read it. It was incredible. INCREDIBLE! Now all I want is more, more, MORE! *Ok I will cool it on the all-caps now*

I will keep this short and sweet for you. This is a futuristic spin on the Cinderella tale. The whole cyborg thing tends to turn people off when I first bring it up, but seriously the cyborg part just adds to the story that is already incredible. It's not weird or strange or a bit distracting from the rest of the setting. It just works. So if cyborg makes you go "ehhh", trust me. Get over it and read the book.

This is one of the most creative spins on Cinderella that I have ever read. In fact, the whole story line is filled with this incredible creative energy. There is so much mystery in Cinder's past, even though I kinda figured out where we were going a bit early, that the story seems to take on a life of it's own, enveloping you, and carrying you along for the ride. Ms. Meyer's character development is phenomenal, and I especially loved what she did with the moon. And Cinder is such a lovable character: honest, loyal, and funny. I laughed a lot during the book.

The summary sounds completely sci-fi. It's really a mix of sci-fi, hint of historical, lots of dystopian, and a fantasy that drives the book.

For those who have read Cinder, remember tomorrow Scarlett comes out, the second in the Lunar Chronicles. I'm so PSYCHED! I shall provide the trailer below.

I had some serious doubts going into this book. Usually when a book is extremely hyped I find myself not liking it as much as everybody else. I am honestly glad to say that this was not the case with Cinder. Everything from the character development and the setting to the plot totally blew me away. I read this book in about 3 days and hated every time I had to put this one down.

When I first heard what this book was about I was a little skeptical, a retelling of Cinderella where she's a cyborg? It turns out that the author has a talent for taking classic fairy tales and reinventing them.

I loved Cinder. She was a fantastic character. She was well developed and had some sense and wasn't afraid to kick butt or stand up for what she believed in. When put with her Android friend Iko I found myself laughing at times and others just had me in tears. Then we have Prince Kai, who becomes the love interest even though it's denied for a while Cinder just can't resist his charms. I absolutely despised Cinder's stepmother Adri and her stepsister Pearl. They were the horrible characters much like the ones in the original tale, the only difference was that the other stepsister, Peony, was kind to Cinder and was her friend.

The setting of this book was fantastic. It's the world we all know but in the future. This takes place in Asia and all of the separate Asian countries have united to create the Eastern Commonwealth. I love how the author took time to describe things from the hovers that are used for transportation all the way to how the buildings are crammed together to house a large population.

This book completely blew me away. If you haven't read it yet I suggest you pick it up you will not regret it. I will be not-so-patiently waiting for the next installment in this series!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Published by Feiwel and Friends
On Shelves Now
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: Charming (as in Prince….hehehe), Captivating, and Cool

So, I finally broke down and read Cinder because I have an ARC of Scarlet, and I needed to know what all the hoopla was about. I really enjoyed it; however, it had been put on such a high pedestal that I don’t think it could have ever lived up to the hype for me. I was expecting it to just blow me away, and I ended up just getting another good YA book. (Now, Scarlet, on the other hand, did blow me away!)

I am kind of new to fairy-tale retellings, only having read a few, so I really enjoyed that part of this story. I loved how Marissa had taken the classic characters and morphed them into something new and different, yet echoing the sentiments of the originals. I especially loved what she did with Cinder, making her a cyborg in a world where cyborgs are looked upon as little better than scrap metal. She was a pariah, yet she didn’t let that hold her down. Cinder knew exactly what she wanted, and even in the face of adversity, loss, and unimaginable revelations, she kept her focus and her strength. I found myself cheering for Cinder to succeed and win the guy. Cinder herself was by far the best part of this book—so unique, and I really loved her personality as it shined through the pages.

Now, I’m not sure I understand the fandom behind Kai. I remember during our Crush Tourney this past summer that so many people loved him, but I just don’t see it. Yes, he’s this Prince Charming guy, but other than that, there wasn’t anything striking about him. He just seemed to be this normal guy in a not so normal situation and place in society. He seemed weak with the Lunars (although most people are I will admit), and I just wanted him to be more…confident and charismatic. I’m hoping that in the future books he will grow into his position more, and stop worrying about what the world thinks/wants.

I really enjoyed the world that Marissa created—futuristic in some ways, but in other ways, the same as ours. Earth is being ravished by a deadly plague, and as a result, fear and panic are overwhelming. I could feel the tension and the uncertainty in Marissa’s words, and her world seemed to come alive around me. I loved the androids and technology that Marissa described, and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

I wish that it would have been a little less predictable. But maybe Marissa wanted us to be able to predict what was going to happen, I don’t know.
However, I like when I am surprised by the ending or a revelation in the book, and unfortunately, I did not get a surprise in this one. I saw everything coming, and that was without knowing anything about the book in the first place. Here’s to hoping that the next books will leave more in the shadows.
Overall, this was a great and fun read. Is it one that I will rush over to my friends and demand they read at once? Not normally, but having read Scarlet and knowing what is coming, I just might do it anyway.

Did not finish
Stopped at page 57, chapter 8
The beginning didn't grab me like I wanted. I can't put my finger on it exactly because it immediately shows us something unique about the world of cyborgs with Cinder taking off her foot. I put it down after four pages, and wandered around the house. But since I had read SO many good reviews about it, and it was voted by over half of the votes of what I should read next, I decided I would try to get through a few more chapters.
When we met the prince though, and the first talk about the draft and the plague was mentioned, I got into it a little bit more. But ultimately, I still didn't want to pick it back up when I stopped, and although Cinder was brave and talented, a character that I would normally adore, I just felt indifferent about what happened.

I loved this book, so much better than the original fairy tale. In your classic Cinderella, she gets nothing to deserve the prince's love, except look beautiful and be pretty. Where as in Cinder, she does everything to deserve it, she works hard and earns her pay, she's intelligent, and the Prince Kai obvious didn't just like her for her looks, as she was always covered in grease stains, he liked her for everything she's done to help him and everybody else, he likes the real person.

I loved the whole concept of taking a well-known fairy tale, and turned into something something completely different, and so much better. What I thought was nice that Cinder actually liked one of her stepsisters, Peony, and it's really depressing what happens to her. I also liked how Cinder didn't turn up perfect at the ball, but I thought it was way to stupid to do what she did there. I thought the whole future world was real clever, but the Moon is way smaller than Earth, so I was confused why they were really worried, they should of had much more people on Earth than the moon, just logic...

I loved Cinder. I thought it was great that she was nowhere near perfect (look wise, being a cyborg and all). She was such a strong character, and i feel really sorry for her not having a tear duct, but oh well. It was kinda obvious that she was Luna, it clicked when you got to know her backstory as well as the planet's. Maybe there could of been a bigger twist than what was real obvious, it would of made the book more unexpected. But the parts that were obvious were written really well.

I liked the world and all, but I thought there could of been slightly more description and world building, I didn't really get a feel for what New Beijing looked like. I got a small grasp on what the labs and Cinder's home looked like, but other than that, I think there was hardly any.

Cinder is a brilliant retelling of a classic fairy tale, and it full of aliens, future technology, forbidden crushes, and cyborgs. This book definitely deserves a read.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Published by Feiwel and Friends
On Shelves Now
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: Charming (as in Prince….hehehe), Captivating, and Cool

So, I finally broke down and read Cinder because I have an ARC of Scarlet, and I needed to know what all the hoopla was about. I really enjoyed it; however, it had been put on such a high pedestal that I don’t think it could have ever lived up to the hype for me. I was expecting it to just blow me away, and I ended up just getting another good YA book. (Now, Scarlet, on the other hand, did blow me away!)

I am kind of new to fairy-tale retellings, only having read a few, so I really enjoyed that part of this story. I loved how Marissa had taken the classic characters and morphed them into something new and different, yet echoing the sentiments of the originals. I especially loved what she did with Cinder, making her a cyborg in a world where cyborgs are looked upon as little better than scrap metal. She was a pariah, yet she didn’t let that hold her down. Cinder knew exactly what she wanted, and even in the face of adversity, loss, and unimaginable revelations, she kept her focus and her strength. I found myself cheering for Cinder to succeed and win the guy. Cinder herself was by far the best part of this book—so unique, and I really loved her personality as it shined through the pages.

Now, I’m not sure I understand the fandom behind Kai. I remember during our Crush Tourney this past summer that so many people loved him, but I just don’t see it. Yes, he’s this Prince Charming guy, but other than that, there wasn’t anything striking about him. He just seemed to be this normal guy in a not so normal situation and place in society. He seemed weak with the Lunars (although most people are I will admit), and I just wanted him to be more…confident and charismatic. I’m hoping that in the future books he will grow into his position more, and stop worrying about what the world thinks/wants.

I really enjoyed the world that Marissa created—futuristic in some ways, but in other ways, the same as ours. Earth is being ravished by a deadly plague, and as a result, fear and panic are overwhelming. I could feel the tension and the uncertainty in Marissa’s words, and her world seemed to come alive around me. I loved the androids and technology that Marissa described, and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

I wish that it would have been a little less predictable. But maybe Marissa wanted us to be able to predict what was going to happen, I don’t know. However, I like when I am surprised by the ending or a revelation in the book, and unfortunately, I did not get a surprise in this one. I saw everything coming, and that was without knowing anything about the book in the first place. Here’s to hoping that the next books will leave more in the shadows.

Overall, this was a great and fun read. Is it one that I will rush over to my friends and demand they read at once? Not normally, but having read Scarlet and knowing what is coming, I just might do it anyway.

This is a retelling of the story Cinderella. Except in this book, Cinder is a cyborg and an alien.

The plot was INCREDIBLY predictable. I suppose that's kind of the point, because we know about Cinderella, so we can draw parallels between the original and this new version. I get that, but the predictableness didn't really work for me. I'm sorry, I like books where the plot has a few twists and you have to keep changing your guess. Here, from the first like five pages, I already guessed exactly what was going to happen.

I'm not saying that the original Cinderella was melded perfectly into this new version, with lots of new interesting things added in everywhere, and changed, and now we get to know more about the character of Cinderella, but the plot was so predictable. Anyway. Moving on.

Cinder lives in New Beijing, with her evil stepmother and stepsisters (well, actually only one step sister is evil) who treat her like a servant. She is a mechanic, and a cyborg, and apparently an alien as well. (Btw, cyborg doesn't mean she is totally a robot. She is just part robot, the body parts that got damaged irreparably in an accident having been replaced.) There is NO fairy godmother in this one. And of course, there's the ball. And the prince. The prince is the emperor-in-waiting, and unlike in Cinderella, where he falls in love with her on first sight, this is a more gradual ease-into-the-relationship kind of thing. And there's also this whole issue about Lunars, people who live on the moon. See, their queen wants to marry the prince, but if she marries the prince, using her special powers (Lunars have special powers), she will enslave the whole country. If she doesn't marry the prince, she will wage war. The prince is really searching for a way out, and during that research, learns of the Queen's niece, who is apparently dead, but the prince thinks differently. And then of course he meets Cinder and they fall in love, and he doesn't know she's a cyborg, which makes everything a whole lots more difficult.

It was great that the setting was finally somewhere OTHER than North America. Seriously. Give me one great dystopian that is not set in North America. This was set in New Beijing (after the old one got destroyed in the Fourth World War). I was a bit confused by the language. I mean, were they speaking Chinese or was English now a universal language?

As I said before, the plot was well thought out in accordance with the original story, and even though it was predictable, there were lots of other things that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The romance wasn't heavy, which was good. I hate obsessive, heavy romances.

My favourite character was probably Iko, Cinder's metal sidekick. I LOVED her! Cinder was also great, with just enough rebellious streak. I also loved Kai, who was not only a prince, but genuinely nice and incredibly hot (well, in my imagination, at least.)

I definitely recommend this book. Unless, of course, you hate Cinderella. Or hate cyborgs. Or hot Asian princes who are not cold bastards. Or you have an incredible aversion to predictable plots.

When i first heard the title I was soooo excited to read this. Then as I read the blurb, I was like.... Uhhh Cyborgs? Lunar people? Androids? Yeahhhh not happening. When everyone else was requesting it on Netgalley, I was trying to stay far away from it. But then I noticed that everyone was giving it 5 star reviews... And as you all should know I take all my blogger friends recommendations seriously.... So I went ahead and added it to my TBR pile. And I let it sit there and sit there. Until I got word that the sequel was coming out sometime next year. Yes I still had time, but because I've been on a fairy tale retelling kick lately, I decided to give it a go. So, I did...... And I really did fall in LOVE.
This book was nothing like I thought it would be. From the very beginning I was pulled into Cinder's world. And let me tell you, Meyer's world building is fan-effing-tastic. I could see the entire book played out in my head as I read, from the hovercrafts, to the palace, to the andriods. I loved everything about it. With her words she is able to take you to a place way off in the future way off in another country.
In Cinder's world, she lives with her "evil stepmother and stepsister" who treat her as the servant. Even through all this, she still was able to remain herself. Her wit and sarcasm was what I loved about her. As the story goes on, Cinder is the Commonwealth's top mechanic. She has the pleasure of meeting Prince Kai one day when he asks her to take a look at his android. And then the story takes off from there.
The only thing that I disliked about the story was the fact that I was expecting more Cinderella elements... I can't say what was there or what was missing for fear of giving away spoilers, but just know they were there, but not what I was expecting. I guess I was looking more for that precious fairy tale (because Cinderella was one of my favorites. Second only to Beauty and the Beast...) and not thinking it would more than likely ruin her retelling. But overall, I did enjoy the parts that were there.
Lastly, what the crap was up with that ending?! I mean JESUS Meyer are you really trying to make your readers suffer over this cliffhanger?! Now that the sequel is coming out I know a little of what may happen from reading its blurb, but I NEEEEEEEEEED the next book. And the fact that there are ARCs out right now circulating the US.... Ughhhh I need someone to be my very best friend ever in life and let me borrow it. I promise I will read it and return it in mint condition :)