Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Steph's Review:
Cinder is a wonderful read that follows retelling pattern of the fairy tale, Cinderella (hence Cinder). We get a robotic twist in this one, where our protagonist, Cinder, is a cyborg. Caught in a terrible fire as a child, Cinder was injured so horribly to the point where surgeons had to replace parts of skin, limbs, and bones with metal parts in order for her to survive. It's great having her life back, but the downside is losing privileges that a "normal human" would have. She's basically treated like dirt, just like the beginning of the tale of Cinderella, and she even lives with two step-sisters and an wicked stepmother. The plus is being a great mechanic--something that's hard not to be good at especially when parts of your body are chunks of metal. Weighed down with the job of being the only source of income for her "family", Cinder really has nothing great to say about her life.

When one of Cinder's sisters contracts the cure-less, ravaging plague "letumosis", the blame is put on Cinder by Adri, none other than Cinder's evil stepmother. Looking for any chance to get rid of a burden, Adri hands Cinder over to the New Beijing government to be a guinea pig for letumosis cure testing, in exchange for money. While being prodded at though, scientists find a special secret about Cinder, one she did not know about herself. She is a double-edged sword. She may be the savior to humankind, but if the Lunars (the enemies in disguise) get their hands on her, it could all be over.

I am a really big fan of the Cinderella story amongst fairytales, so of course I would enjoy any revamp of it. Meyer makes Cinder a witty and sarcastic heroine, and throws her into the most awkward situations (I love reading awkward situations, have you noticed? :D). These situations include our lovely prince, Kai. I didn't feel Kai was a super hot guy, but I liked him, just like in the real Cinderella story. He is a complex character; he is a prince who basically wishes he wasn't one, but must stand strong to his country who lives in fear of the Lunars and the plague. The poor guy can't really catch a break, especially with his father having contracted the plague as well. Cinder automatically grows on him because she's one of the few people who doesn't treat him like a prince, and she actually bothers to joke with him. Some of Cinder's lines really made me LOL during the book, especially this one (No not with Kai unfortunately, with the docs. Probably one of my favorites in the whole book!):

“I don't know. I don't actually remember anything from before the surgery."

His eyebrows rose, his blue eyes sucking in all the light of the room. "The cybernetic opetation?"

"No, the sex change."

The doctor's smile faltered.

"I'm joking.”

Besides the plague, New Beijing has the Lunars to worry about--people of the moon hence their name. With their magic of brainwashing and compulsion, they could bend any human to their will and take over the world. The only thing stopping them is the tense peace treaty signed between Earth and Lunars. It's fragile, and deteriorating. I detest these Lunars with all of my heart, and it was a wonderful twist on top of the normal Cinderella story. I think the conflict with the Lunars is what makes this story stand out, because if it was only the fairy tail it'd be pretty mediocre. Without warning, Cinder is thrown into the heart of the Lunar/Earthen problem, where keeping her secret is the utmost priority.

The only problem with this book is that since it is a retelling, it is very predictable. I could sense the plot twists and the ending from miles away, so I never felt especially giddy at any point in the book. It is a great read, no doubt, but it isn't particularly suspenseful. I love the world and characters though, and they make up for the so-so plot. I am definitely going to be reading Scarlet, book 2 of the Lunar Chronicles, which is the story of Red Riding Hood told Marissa Meyer style!

From Steph @ http://awalkonwords.blogspot.com/

I absolutely loved that this was set in futuristic China rather than the US like so many other novels are. The author’s descriptions of New Bejing are wonderful. We get plenty of little details that made it easy to imagine. There’s androids, hover vehicles, littered streets, netscreens, and holographic fires. The Emperor’s palace is an amazing mash-up of sleek futuristic technology and ancient Chinese design. Everything is just super imaginative, but not too out there.

The characters also had a lot more depth than the fairytale. Cinder is not only mistreated by her stepmother, but she’s also looked down upon by those in society who know she is a cyborg. Cinder tries to blend in as much as possible and earns her keep as a mechanic. Her stepsister, Pearl, is cruel towards Cinder, but her younger sister, Peony isn’t. Even though that strays from the original, I loved that Cinder had at least one person who cared for her. Cinder loves her little sister very much, and I felt so awful when her one ally is taken away by med-droids after contracting the plague. At that point Cinder’s life as she knows it changes forever.

Cinder now has to deal with her stepmother’s backlash, since she blames Cinder for her youngest daughter’s illness as well as her husband’s death. It’s no secret that Adri is disgusted by Cinder and wants her gone. Cinder also gets sold off to become a lab rat in order to find a cure for the plague, but her test results reveal a lot of unknown things about her heritage. There’s a bit of a mystery surrounding that, but it was very predictable. However, that didn’t keep me from enjoying it.

In addition to the new technology and the swiftly spreading disease, Cinder also covers some of the politics of the time. The moon is now inhabited by Lunars and a peace treaty is needed between them and Earth. However, the Lunar queen, Levada, is a horrible woman! She wants what she wants, and she wants it now! She’ll stop at nothing to gain power and take control of Earth, but Prince Kai does his best to not allow it. Kai has a huge burden to carry, but he still manages to be incredibly charming. Unfortunately, Cinder makes sure to keep him at a steel arm’s length.

Cinder is a highly imaginative retelling of Cinderella! It keeps just enough of the original premise in tact to make it recognizable, but it also has plenty of unique features to set it apart. It’s also full of characters that you’ll both love and hate, and maybe love to hate! This book is full of twists and turns for our heroine, but she handles them to the best of her ability. The ending has left me wanting more! Damn that cliffhanger!

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.

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.

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.

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!

I have to admit that I was uncertain about this book going in. Now, I absolutely *love* cyborgs and have wished to BE a cyborg for many years. So naturally, the cyborg part of this story intrigued me, but the idea of people living on the moon made me raise an eyebrow.

Folks… I should not have doubted this book for a second. The moment I met Cinder, I was hooked so hard. She’s a *cyborg* and she’s an awesome mechanic and she’s got such a great attitude! Despite the poor treatment from her foster family and general discrimination against cyborgs, Cinder perseveres and just does her own thing. Together with her sidekick, the android Iko (who is hilarious and adorable), she decides to create her own future and escape the oppression.

Each character in this book (Cinder, Iko, Prince Kai, the doctor) comes to life so vividly that I often felt like I was watching an anime while reading! Marissa Meyer’s writing style is so full of charm and wit that I’m pretty sure I was grinning through most of the pages. Remember those Lunar people I was unsure about? Dude. They came through in a very interesting, creepy, and great way. The Lunar Queen is so evil that I just can’t wait to see how she gets taken down. Every character is awesome to read about.

My favorite thing about this book is that the world came alive so incredibly well. I read in a recent interview with Meyer that she spent a lot of time re-watching Firefly to try to get the world of The Lunar Chronicles to have the same feel. I’m telling you – she nailed it. Basically, I want to live in Cinder’s world. And I want to be Cinder’s best friend.

Cinder is probably one of my favorite retellings and probably has one of the best ideas. I mean, a cyborg Cinderella?

Cinder herself has got to be one of my favorite characters. She’s whitty, and quirky, intelligent and resourceful. She really can think for herself, and is a less-whine-more-do kind of person. She’s not all strength and spunk – she hides some vulnerabilities, too, and the way she deals with it all and the way Meyer wrote Cinder makes Cinder someone you find genuinely interesting. Prince Kai, too, is a great character, and so far from that cliche princely character we see so much of in books. He really is himself. He neither does everything too rashly, nor lets other people walk all over him.

The two have great chemistry, too. It’s a light sub-plot, though, and doesn’t take center stage – the kind of romance I enjoy reading. Their interactions really helped build up on that chemistry, and much like the characters, the relationship between them seems genuine and likeable – one that I rooted for from the start.

I loved how the author chose a different setting for her futuristic novel rather than the common one – America. But I found myself reading Cinder more for the characters than anything. Because, while Cinder and Prince Kai both had well defined, well-rounded, the world around them wasn’t as much so. The story seemed to depend on the characters to carry it forward, and the world around them – New Beijing – wasn’t as set to stone. What makes New Beijing different from anyplace else in the world that we know right now? There wasn’t anything that really personalized and defined the place. It might as well be colorless and empty for all I knew. Needless to say, the world-building aspects of Cinder suffered a bit, lacking in necessary descriptions and details.

The foreshadowing in Cinder was also not as strong. I could guess what really happened almost from the first time it was mentioned – it was pretty obvious. Like a neon yellow sign. Meyer all but gave it away. And so, though I’ve seen others on squeal and lament over that ‘surprising’ cliffhanger, I found it to be extremely predictable.

Even so, this book is an enjoyable, fast-paced read. With a light romance, and likable cyborgs and princes, Cinder is a nice, easy read. Definitely one to check out.