Monday, January 2, 2012

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan
Pages: 387
Received: Won from Chapters/Indigo Contest

Release Date: January 3, 2012
Buy from Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, a modern retelling of Cinderella (which I loved the story as a kid). This story had so much more to it then the Disney Cinderella and is more appealing to YA readers than the other stories of Cinderella. This book is nothing like other books I've read, just read the synopsis and you can guess why. I also enjoy that though it is a modern re-telling (or I guess more futuristic) that it was nothing like Cinderella at the same time, don't expect to see any fairy godmother in this one! The Cinderella part of this story is a small background to the story as a whole.

This book has that strong-willed female character that I've been interested in reading a lot lately. But she also has a strong heart. I loved everything about Cinder, how her family drives her to wanting to get out of there but yet she has a great cast of characters that keeps her strong and keeps her feet planted where they are. The secondary characters are as enjoyable as the main characters (Cinder's friend Iko is adorable and so loveable, I want her in my home). The villain in the story is also amazingly well written. I can't go into detail without giving away the story, but Queen Levana is truly one menacing character and how she acts is interesting. I found the doctor to be an interesting character as well, I was a little disappointed I didn't get to read more about him. I kind of felt that in a way he was sort of the fairy godmother of the story without actually being that.

The setting of New Beijing was a lot like other dystopian worlds I have seen in other books but still interesting. I really enjoyed that the premise of the story was the plague that is taking out the population, I found it made for a more enjoyable story.

The story itself was also amazing. Though some parts were predictable there were a good many twists to this story that I did not see coming. The ending definitely leaves so much more to be desired. Marissa leaves readers with a great cliffhanger, definitely bringing everyone back for more of Cinder. I can not wait for the next one in the series (I'll just say I want it NOW!). This is a book to be read by all!

Rating: 5 of 5 comfy couches!!

3 comments:

  1. I love it when the secondary characters are just as awesome (or sometimes more) than the main characters. :) Awesome review! I can't wait to read this!

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  2. I am now even more excited to read Cinder. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so looking forward to this book! I love retellings like Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. But I mostly read YA and hello, YA Dystopian Fairy Tale Retelling? Yes, please!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm going to have to snatch it up really quickly! Great review!

    Andrea
    The Overstuffed Bookcase

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