I read this book a while ago and it still has stuck with me as one of my favorite reads. Marissa Meyer creates this world that is somewhere between Star Wars and a modern fairy tale with a twist. I absolutely love Sci-Fi and this mash up was certainly not a disappointment.
Cinderella + Sci-Fi = LOVE IT
Taking place in futuristic Beijing, Cinder has a very unique and different setting from anything I have read before. Many countries throughout the world have formed into new alliances and empires. And the moon also has inhabitants. There is something called the plague. It’s an infectious disease that kills thousands of people. It is sort of the equivalent to cancer except more….vicious in its rapid development. And of course, there is not cure.
The main character is Cinder Linh, or in the book it is properly Linh Cinder. Names are said backwards in Japanese and Chinese cultures; where the last name is said first, and then the first name. Cinder is a cyborg. Which means she is half human and half robot. She is a mechanic, who works for her stepmother and lives in the city fixing robots and other technology in the city. People fear her because she is different. A robot is not considered a being with emotions. Cyborgs are not really considered people because they are half machine. Well, they are, they are just sort of….frowned upon. Cinder is not happy with her life but she tries to make the best of it. She is a very strong character and I found I liked her right away. In most YA books the heroine is an idiot and unrelatable. But Cinder is a character most readers will be able to identify with. She is real and has real feelings. Her actions and decisions also make sense with the story. And with who she is as a person.
Cinder does follow the main themes of Cinderella. But it is not super predicable in how it is portrayed. Cinder does meet Prince Kai, and instead of hiding she is a commoner, like in the real Cinderella story, she hides her cyborg foot and hand from him so he does not know she is half machine. There is a ball but everything is so different from the original story that this retelling is so unique on its own. Although, all the elements of a Cinderella story are there.
Prince Kai has his own issues to deal with. His father is sick with the plague and a Queen wants to make an alliance with him. There is a good amount of politics and manipulation that goes on in his side of the story. Prince Kai is definitely charming. I think he needs to be a bit stronger of a character. He is learning how to run a country and I understand that. He is a bit young and naive like most young apprentice rulers are; I just hope he becomes more confident and strong as the books progress. And I’m sure he will be.
Not ganna lie, I am a “judge a book by the cover” person. Which can be a good and bad thing. This is one of those stories where the plot has great potential and you can see that before you read it. The cover art is also just lovely and really captures the eye. I was like “What is this?!?!?!?!” Combining the summery and the cover and you got a trap for a reader. Which can be scary because most of the time it does not meet up to the expectations of the reader at all. But this book surpassed my expectations. I had put off reading it because I was afraid it would suck. But it turns out to now be one of my absolute favorite stories I have ever read.
SO, WE HAVE A WINNER!
If you are a Sailor Moon fan this book is also for you! There are some loose similarities between Sailor Moon and Cinder and after googling, it I did in fact find Meyer was in love with the Sailor Moon series. Marissa Meyer even says she was inspired by her when writing Cinder! Cinder is also rumored to become a movie SO I am really excited and keeping my fingers crossed!
If you like the combination of drama, romance, secrets, and adventure, you have to read Cinder! It is one of my favorite retellings! Actually, it is because of this book I even LIKE retellings! It’s the first one I have read that I actually have been interested in! this book proves retellings can be good and fun to read! Go to the store and get this book!
Marissa Meyer Answering Questions on Her Books
Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men….
Which of your characters is most like you?
I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no--I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side--things that could be said about me too--although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it.
Where do you write?
I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch.
If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you?
Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued.
The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book?
Scarlet is awesome--she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.)
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“Miss Linh, from your blood samples I have deduced that you are, in fact, Lunar.”Highlighted by 2,439 Kindle readers- “I’m sure I’ll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.”Highlighted by 2,269 Kindle readers
- But if there was one thing she knew from years as a mechanic, it was that some stains never came out.Highlighted by 2,130 Kindle readers
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Cinder
Cinder by Marissa MeyerThe Lunar Chronicles series #1. Retelling. New adult science fiction. Cliffhanger.Cinder lives in the city of New Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinder is the breadwinner as a Licensed Mechanic. Cinder is also a cyborg, part human with elements of mechanical pieces added to her body. This makes her a second class citizen and owned by her stepmother. When the plague hits her home, Cinder finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic power struggle between Prince Kai and the overpowering Queen Levana.A Cinderella retelling that is completely unexpected but includes the original family conflicts, envy, a savior, class distinctions, and concepts.Cinder is ready to leave the family home but has a lot of legalities to resolve not to mention the lack of necessary funds. Prince Kai is a distraction she doesn’t need but maybe wants.I can’t wait to continue this series.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles series #1. Retelling. New adult science fiction. Cliffhanger.
Cinder lives in the city of New Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinder is the breadwinner as a Licensed Mechanic. Cinder is also a cyborg, part human with elements of mechanical pieces added to her body. This makes her a second class citizen and owned by her stepmother. When the plague hits her home, Cinder finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic power struggle between Prince Kai and the overpowering Queen Levana.
A Cinderella retelling that is completely unexpected but includes the original family conflicts, envy, a savior, class distinctions, and concepts.
Cinder is ready to leave the family home but has a lot of legalities to resolve not to mention the lack of necessary funds. Prince Kai is a distraction she doesn’t need but maybe wants.
I can’t wait to continue this series.
The Lunar Chronicles series #1. Retelling. New adult science fiction. Cliffhanger.
Cinder lives in the city of New Beijing with her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinder is the breadwinner as a Licensed Mechanic. Cinder is also a cyborg, part human with elements of mechanical pieces added to her body. This makes her a second class citizen and owned by her stepmother. When the plague hits her home, Cinder finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic power struggle between Prince Kai and the overpowering Queen Levana.
A Cinderella retelling that is completely unexpected but includes the original family conflicts, envy, a savior, class distinctions, and concepts.
Cinder is ready to leave the family home but has a lot of legalities to resolve not to mention the lack of necessary funds. Prince Kai is a distraction she doesn’t need but maybe wants.
I can’t wait to continue this series.
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Top reviews from other countries
Karla Corona
Esta muy bonito
Reviewed in Mexico on July 16, 2023
Karla Corona
Reviewed in Mexico on July 16, 2023
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Giorgia
Retelling fantascientifico che smonta e rielabora l'idea del razzismo e degli stereotipi uomo/donna
Reviewed in Italy on July 20, 2017