Cinder

Summary: Cinder is a young woman and a gifted mechanic… well, she's mostly a young woman. She's actually a cyborg, with mechanical components installed in a surgery when she was a girl - a surgery that marks the beginning of her memory, with everything before it a frightening blank. She was adopted by a scientist named Garan, but he died shortly thereafter from letumosis, a virulent plague that's been ravaging the population. That left Cinder in the "care" of Adri, who treats her as little more than a possession. And in truth, cyborgs are very much second-class citizens, leaving Cinder with no real friends except for Iko, an android with a malfunctioning personality chip, and Peony, Adri's youngest daughter. Then one day, a customer show more at Cinder's stall turns out to be the handsome Prince Kai in disguise, seeking help for one of his androids. Cinder's taken with him, and he seems to like her, but she knows it can never work… he's got more important things on his mind, like negotiating peace with the powerful and dangerous Queen Levanna, from Luna. Plus, he's a prince… and she knows he would be disgusted if he ever found out her true cyborg nature.

Review: Why did no one sit me down and tell me to read this two years ago? C'mon, people! You're all fired. (Myself included. I should have been all over this well before now.)

This book was right smack up the middle of my alley. I love fairy tales, I love fairy tale retellings, and I especially love when they're done in a creative way. Cinder does a bang-up job of it, keeping all of the recognizable elements of the familiar story, but tweaking all of them into a new context (I mean, it's Cinderella, but you know from the first line that she's not exactly going to be losing a slipper so much as a foot!), and adding enough subplots to keep things interesting. Meyer's writing is light and easy and mostly unobtrusive, allowing the story to take center stage. (Although I did notice a few errors in the e-book. A "coy pond" full of fish; ouch.)

The plague angle added some interesting elements and emotions to the story, and allowed Meyer to bring in some darker aspects to the book. The whole bit with the Lunar Queen and the Lunars' powers was a little bit far-fetched - maybe closer to fantasy than sci-fi - but it's used well, and there are lots of interesting possibilities as to where the story can go from here. I did figure out Cinder's backstory basically right away, but then, fairy tales are by their nature a little predictable, so I can't fault it too much for that. But the best part was definitely the characters. The villains were appropriately villainous, Peony was adorable, and Iko stole most of the scenes she was in. Cinder and Kai were both believable as young people trying to figure out their place in the world as best they can, and extremely likable to boot. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this one, and I'll definitely be reading the sequels. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: There's a huge market in teen SF/F these days, and this is definitely a worthwhile entry in the genre. Fans of fairy tales and/or futuristic (semi-dystopian) sci-fi should all really enjoy this one. show less

Sucked me in right from the start, although I'm not quite sure why; possibly Cinder's sarcastic streak, maybe the creative insertions from the traditional tale, the rapid pace certainly helped and some pretty believable fantasy world-building didn't hurt what was a marvelously innovative take on Cinderella. My only complaint is that the plot arc followed the fairy tale too closely, resulting in ending foretelling; there's probably no way to avoid this without going completely off-tale, though.

I am really loving the current trend of turning popular fairy tales on their heads. I thought it was revolutionary to turn Dorothy Gale into an evil sorceress but THIS is extraordinary storytelling. Not only did the story have a dystopian feel but there are cyborgs (!) and the Prince is more than just a pretty face who rescues the damsel (refreshingly, that's flipped around also). Topics such as prejudice, slavery, plague, war, manipulation, and many more are covered in Cinder, the first book of the Lunar Chronicles. I found it intriguing how Meyer envisioned our world after its near annihilation after World War IV. Further proving that young adult novels tackle serious topics, Meyer doesn't shy away from giving the reader a glimpse of show more the dark underbelly that pervades a war torn society. Cinder is multifaceted and complex which makes it a no-brainer to continue with its sequel, Scarlet. It would be a mistake to dismiss this one, guys. show less

I remember seeing Cinder and the other Lunar Chronicles books on store shelves as a child, but although the covers were pretty (the purple backgrounds and bright, red objects on each cover made for quite the attention grabber), I ended up never getting them because the books seemed like these huge tomes I'd never end up finishing. Low and behold, years later, I found my local library had an audiobook version of Cinder and Fairest available. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and the audiobook version made the book an easy listen. You can see the Sailor Moon inspiration, but even if you're not familiar or the slightest bit interested in Sailor Moon, you'd enjoy the futuristic sci-fi setting, the scientific explanations of show more magic, and the technological take on the fairy tale of Cinderella - making the orphaned and mistreated girl a cyborg mechanic who's literally treated as property instead of a person by her step-mother. Our Cinderella (the titular Cinder) ends up meeting her prince when he ends up at her booth with an android in need of repairs, and it's that one encounter that sets off the intergalactic political intrigue and mysteries that become the Lunar Chronicles series. And as a fairy tale retelling/reimagining, it's fun seeing the futuristic equivalents of the trademark Cinderella aesthetics. No talking mice or obvious fairy god mothers, but we do have old fashioned gasoline cars the color of rotting pumpkins, step-sisters (one kind, the other spouting off cyborg racism), the glass slipper that ends up taken away from our Cinderella by the plot is a cyborg limb, etc. As far as fairy tale retellings go, I like it. It's got creativity in this futuristic fantasy that I wish RWBY had (a franchise that certainly had *ideas* with it's fantasy/sci-fi setting and fairytale-based characters, but shoddy delivery and a plethora of behind-the-scenes issue at the company that developed the series).

I should also say that I started with Fairest (a story from the villain's perspective) first, and then ended up listening to Cinder. And reading/listening to Fairest first does end up spoiling a lot of the plot twists and bigger revelations that will happen throughout the series, but as someone who doesn't care about spoilers for most media, as much as how the story handles itself - I still very much enjoyed Cinder's story even though I knew what was coming, and I could appreciate that had I *not* started with Fairest and didn't generally know some of Cinder's major plot beats from word of mouth, I like how the story has so much going on with it's politics and plague plot, that one might not catch onto what's actually happening right off the bat. I appreciate that in a story, especially if I'm already aware of the spoilers, and/or how it's inspirations could play into major plot beats.

I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did. Not that I was expecting to hate it in the slightest! It's more like after years of seeing the Lunar Chronicles books line the shelves with those iconic purple and red covers, my worst fear was that the book would be all aesthetic and no action. I think it being written in 2013 saved it from such a fate, unlike similar works of fantasy, sci-fi, and fantasy sci-fi fiction that have been coming out in recent years - especially in the TikTok era - where more focus is put on aesthetics, "spiciness" that ends up making a book borderline or outright smut, or Mary Sue OC Donut Steel characters paraded around as paragons of female empowerment. I'm so glad that Cinder didn't end up being that. show less

Cinder had one of the most exciting, interesting and unique opening lines, chapter... everything that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. If the first chapter didn't suck you in and swallow you whole, maybe you were reading an imposter because I was utterly powerless to resist. And I actually did try to resist. I bought Cinder but planned on reading another book first. I only wanted to take a peek into Cinder... annndd instead I ended up reading the whole thing as soon as humanly possibly.

I loved all of the new twists and turns that aren't in the Cinderella I'm familiar with (Disney, anyone?) but also loved the hints at the original story. Iko as Cinder's 'helper mice' was my favorite. The plague was an especially interesting show more addition and gave the story an even grittier feel than it already had as a cyborg living in a post-war world. I also liked the cyborg draft that came with that and Cinder's conflicting emotions because of her sister. It definitely made the reader have to step back and consider that gray area between right and wrong. The draft was horrifying, especially the public's reasoning behind it, but at the same time we are left with the question 'does the end justify the means if it saves the lives of so many dying people'.

I fell madly in love with all of the characters especially Cinder, Iko and Kai. I liked how strong and distinctive they were. They were actually real; they had fears and doubts and wishes. I really enjoyed how were we never told 'who' these characters were explicitly, but by the end of the book 'knew' them completely. Cinder is one of the best female heroines I have ever read about. Her 'making' her own magic was especially important to me, as was the fact that she relied on herself rather than sit and cry like the Disney version.

I loved the ending. Normally I hate cliffhangers but I found Cinder to be tied up just enough to satisfy me yet make me long desperately for Scarlet. Don't pick up the book and expect and quick, fun read. I loved the book to pieces but certain parts destroyed me. I cried several times, I got so angry and was ready to bite off the heads of anyone who dared interrupt my reading etc. Cinder was a very powerful book. I enjoyed it immensely but I don't think I could ever call it a 'just for fun' read.

Review originally posted on my blog, Bitten Books: http://www.bittenbooks.com/2012/02/review-cinder-lunar-chronicles-1-by.html show less

At first glance this seems like a cyborg Cinderella, but it is so much more than that. Some of the classic parts of Cinderella are present in the tale like Prince Charming and the ball. All these pieces are cleverly woven in to a much more complex story. Cinder was injured as a child and has cyborg replacement parts and is thus a second class citizen. She was adopted by a kind man who dies leaving her with a cruel stepmother and two stepsisters.

However, she is not a helpless girl in need of her fairy godmother to completely save her, she is a successful mechanic. When the Prince comes to her shop with an old droid he needs fixed, she gets swept up in all kinds of intrigue. The major changes to the story include some additional bad guys show more and a plague. Yes the evil stepmother is still involved, but the real problem is the Lunar colony. They are led by a ruthless queen with magical abilities. Glamour is involved so they kind of reminded me of evil faeries.

Also Prince Charming is not just a pretty face. More and more of his subjects are falling fatally ill, including his father, and none of the doctors are having any success curing it. He is facing the loss of his father, assuming more and more royal duties, and the machinations of the Lunar queen, who probably has designs on his throne.

The characters are all complex. Cinder is spunky, clever, and very likeable. Even the step- family gets some depth. There are moments when you like them or almost feel sorry for them. There is a surprising revelation right before the cliff hanger ending and a fairy godmother type figure makes an appearance too. Definitely a series worth following. show less

Meyer, M. (2012). Cinder. New York, NY: Square Fish.

Cinder is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Cinder who is cyborg and lives with her horrid step-mother and two step-sisters in a futuristic city called New Beijing. Cinder is a talented mechanic and is sought out by Prince Kai to fix his android, but when something terrible happens to her step-sister, Peony, her step-mother betrays her and volunteers her for plague research which leads to startling truths that puts Cinder's life in danger.

I loved this book. It had everything I enjoy in YA fiction, a fun spin on a classic fairy tale, a strong, interesting, complex female protagonist, an equally interesting love interest, and a twist-filled plot that kept me reading late into the show more night.

All of the characters are well-done, especially Cinder, Iko, and Kai. Cinder's stepmother and second step-sister are more two-dimensional than I would like, but the other characters make up for this. Cinder is by far the strongest character, dealing with her cyborg-self, which is discriminated by most of society, while trying to carve out a place for herself as New Beijing's best mechanic. Her attraction and relationship with Prince Kai is endearing and gradual, and I liked that the story was told in both Cinder's point of view and Kai's . Levana is a great antagonist and downright terrifying. We don't know too much about her yet, but since this is the first book in a four (technically five) book series there is more to be revealed later.

The plot is simple and at times a little predictable, but Meyer does an excellent job of keeping you interested by her pacing, descriptions, and dialogue. I enjoyed the relationships between Cinder and Peony, and Cinder and her android Iko, who is hilarious.

The science fiction/fantasy elements are not overdone and do a good job of introducing the setting and the world.

The resolution accomplishes what it needs to for a first book while leaving the reader on a cliff-hanger in anticipation of the second book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the rest of the series. This is my favorite retelling of "Cinderella" so far. show less