Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Publish Date: January 3, 2012

Hardcover, 400 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Futuristic, Fantasy, Science Fiction
 ISBN: 978-0312641894
The Lunar Chronicles #1

My Review:
Cinder had a lot to live up to and I usually dread reading books that I have heard nothing but wonderful things about.  What if I don't like it, what if it doesn't work for me?  Does that make me strange.  Well there wasn't anything to worry about here because I am jumping on the I absolutely love Cinder and can't wait for the next Lunar Chronicle bandwagon!

Ms. Meyer has really impressed me with this book.  First she has constructed this future world that while not too different from our world is still different enough that needs explanation.  Yet she never mires us in the explanation.  She lets the description of the world unfold as you read the book.  I got to know more about New Beijing and the futuristic Earth as the book progressed and it flowed so nicely.  From learning about the cyborgs, to the hovers and life in New Beijing and the life on the moon as well.  Ms. Meyer has carefully crafted the world and it comes to life on the page and in the reader's imagination as you read.

Second the characters.  Cinder, I love Cinder.  A futuristic Cinderella.  A taken-in cyborg and pseudo-step sister to one sweet girl and one vapid girl.  In this story Cinder is a talented mechanic and she is the provider for the family.  I really liked her character.  She's hard-working, she's strong and she's nice.  She loves and likes genuinely and she tries to be a good person and succeeds at it.  She is self-conscious at being a cyborg and a bit frustrated with it, but the reader understands this.  And of course Prince Kai, he is amazing.  Not stuck-up, but down-to-earth.  I loved him as well and pulled for him and Cinder through the book.  I look forward to future books to see what happens.  I loved the secondary characters as well, Ms. Meyer does a great job at making them interesting, nice, helpful or evil, whatever the situation needs.

Finally there is the plot.  Wow, a lot is going on, but you are never confused.  You know me, I won't go into details because I don't want to spoil anything, but just let me say.  If you start this book, you will finish it because you will want to know what is going to happen.  I loved it and felt it moved at a perfect pace.  And the ending is great - it ties up nicely for this book, but it sets up for the next book as well.  Which I cannot wait for.  When is it coming out?  Soon I hope - get writing Ms. Meyer!

So for me, Cinder has lived up to the hype so far.  It is a well-constructed story that held me captive for hours and kept me up past my bedtime (and that's hard to do when you take sleeping pills).  Cinder is a story for the ages, a new and original way to retell the Cinderella story.  I love the setting, the characters, the plot, oh my, what is not to love about this book.  Read it, and read it soon!

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Parental guidance: From the standpoint of a parent, Cinder is a very clean book with no bad language or sexual situations (there are some references but they are vague enough to keep the book what I consider to be clean).  I would say this is definitely can be read as young as 12 and younger if your child is an advanced reader.  Ms. Meyer has cleverly crafted a book that is clean, yet I never thought about that fact until after it was over.  I love books, movies and tv shows like that.

About the Book:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my fiancé and our two cats. In addition to my slight obsession with books and writing, I'm big on road-tripping, wine-tasting, and hunting for antiques. I'm represented by Jill Grinberg.

CINDER, my debut novel, is a futuristic re-envisioning of Cinderella in which Cinder is a cyborg mechanic. Release date: 3 Jan 2012.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.