Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, book #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Genre: YA, Fairytale, Science Fiction
Other books in the series:
Scarlet, book #2, TBR 2013
Cress, book #3, TBR 2014
Winter, book #4, TBR 2015
Cress, book #3, TBR 2014
Winter, book #4, TBR 2015
How I Got It: from NetGalley for review
Goodreads Summary:
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.
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.
I really, really, liked this one. A lot. I must point out that this is a science fiction book filled with the gizmos and jargon one would expect from a science fiction story, but the terminology never gets overwhelming. Meyer has done an excellent job of creating a fully realized futuristic culture and society that's still, in my opinion, accessible to readers who aren't accustomed to the genre.
Cinder is a fantastic retelling of the Cinderella story with a sci fi twist. Cinder is a cyborg with no memory of her life before she was 11 years old. She has no idea why she's a cyborg, all she knows is that it makes her a reviled "second-class citizen", when truthfully she's more of a slave. Despite the isolation and abuse being a cyborg brings, Cinder is still a loving person. While she can't show the depth of her affection, she loves her younger stepsister and the old robot that has become her friend. It's her reputations as an exceptional mechanic that brings the charming Prince Kai to her stall in the market. Cinder treasures her interactions with Kai; one of the few who treat her with kindness and respect. Their friendship grows with hints of deeper feelings, but she knows nothing can come of it. Kai is the crown prince, there's no way they could ever be together, and if he found out that she was a cyborg it would be horrible.
Kai, in turn, is not some pretty prince who's only trotted out for balls. His father is dying from the letumosis disease that's sweeping across Earth. He knows he will soon become an emperor who must deal with a large empire, a plague, and the saber rattling Lunar Queen, Levana. He must sacrifice everything, even his love, in order to protect his people and prevent a war.
Normally I'm excited when I find out a book will be part of a series. It gives me more time with a world and characters that I've come to enjoy. Not this time. This time I really wanted it to be a standalone so that Kai and Cinder would get the HEA that the original fairytale promises. But no, Meyer gives us a killer cliffhanger that has me on pins and needles for book #2. Rest assured, it's not one of those useless cliff hangers that irritate you and drag out the story. No, this is a cliffhanger that makes you yell at the book, despair for your characters, and start stalking the author's blog for any hints or reassuring snippets regarding the sequel. And then you look at the titles of the following books, and GASP, you might have to wait on that Kai/Cinder HEA, but oh boy what is she going to do with those other fairytales? And then I had no choice but to squee an embarrassingly big fangirl squee.
Cinder reminded me a lot of Firefly. Meyer created an intriguing mix of future technology mixed with Asian culture and an enjoyable dose of drama. There are hover cars, robots, cyborgs, illegal Lunar aliens, class warfare, a lost princess, a scarred princess, an evil moon queen, a mysterious illness, a draft to use cyborgs as medical test subjects, and war looming on the horizon. It's quite the space opera, but toned down by the injustice the Cinder and the other cyborgs live under as well as the "realness" of the hero and heroine. Cinder has survived so much and has become so strong as a person, she will be doing her own saving, thank you very much. (I think she might turn into quite the badass by the end of the series.) Kai is handsome, charming, and intelligent. He's very aware that following his heart could drag his country into a brutal war that they would lose. His choices are few and break his heart, but he will do what's best for his people. These two have a lot to work out, but you can't help but want them to get their Happily Ever After.
Cinder is a fantastic retelling of the Cinderella story with a sci fi twist. Cinder is a cyborg with no memory of her life before she was 11 years old. She has no idea why she's a cyborg, all she knows is that it makes her a reviled "second-class citizen", when truthfully she's more of a slave. Despite the isolation and abuse being a cyborg brings, Cinder is still a loving person. While she can't show the depth of her affection, she loves her younger stepsister and the old robot that has become her friend. It's her reputations as an exceptional mechanic that brings the charming Prince Kai to her stall in the market. Cinder treasures her interactions with Kai; one of the few who treat her with kindness and respect. Their friendship grows with hints of deeper feelings, but she knows nothing can come of it. Kai is the crown prince, there's no way they could ever be together, and if he found out that she was a cyborg it would be horrible.
Kai, in turn, is not some pretty prince who's only trotted out for balls. His father is dying from the letumosis disease that's sweeping across Earth. He knows he will soon become an emperor who must deal with a large empire, a plague, and the saber rattling Lunar Queen, Levana. He must sacrifice everything, even his love, in order to protect his people and prevent a war.
Normally I'm excited when I find out a book will be part of a series. It gives me more time with a world and characters that I've come to enjoy. Not this time. This time I really wanted it to be a standalone so that Kai and Cinder would get the HEA that the original fairytale promises. But no, Meyer gives us a killer cliffhanger that has me on pins and needles for book #2. Rest assured, it's not one of those useless cliff hangers that irritate you and drag out the story. No, this is a cliffhanger that makes you yell at the book, despair for your characters, and start stalking the author's blog for any hints or reassuring snippets regarding the sequel. And then you look at the titles of the following books, and GASP, you might have to wait on that Kai/Cinder HEA, but oh boy what is she going to do with those other fairytales? And then I had no choice but to squee an embarrassingly big fangirl squee.
Cinder reminded me a lot of Firefly. Meyer created an intriguing mix of future technology mixed with Asian culture and an enjoyable dose of drama. There are hover cars, robots, cyborgs, illegal Lunar aliens, class warfare, a lost princess, a scarred princess, an evil moon queen, a mysterious illness, a draft to use cyborgs as medical test subjects, and war looming on the horizon. It's quite the space opera, but toned down by the injustice the Cinder and the other cyborgs live under as well as the "realness" of the hero and heroine. Cinder has survived so much and has become so strong as a person, she will be doing her own saving, thank you very much. (I think she might turn into quite the badass by the end of the series.) Kai is handsome, charming, and intelligent. He's very aware that following his heart could drag his country into a brutal war that they would lose. His choices are few and break his heart, but he will do what's best for his people. These two have a lot to work out, but you can't help but want them to get their Happily Ever After.
Verdict:
Cinder is an excellent story and I CAN'T WAIT for the sequel! I realize that science fiction might not be for everyone, and this is not a light and fluffy sci-fi book. However, I think that the familiarity of the Cinderella story will help those new to the genre navigate Meyer's excellent futuristic world. Cinder pulls you in and forges an emotional connection with the reader making it a difficult book to put down. (But sometimes you must because you're angry, or your heart hurts, or your family misses you and would like to see you again.) I'm kind of waffling between a 5 or 6 star rating. I think I'll go with 5 stars for now, but I can easily see my love for this growing as the series continues.
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11 comments:
Seriously the more reviews I read about this one, the more I want to read it. I mean the idea is pretty unique, take a Fairy Tale, add SciFi and maybe a bit Dystopian? Awesome combination!
January 4, 2012 4:50 AM@Danny - You're right, it's a very cool concept, definitely not one I've ever considered when thinking of fairytale re-writes. The unique premise and quality storytelling make this a very good read.
January 4, 2012 5:06 AMI really hate myself right now. I waited to long to download this one from Netgalley and now it's archived. *Facepalm* I will definitely stalk the library shelves to get to this one. I've heard nothing but good reviews.
January 4, 2012 10:21 AM@ Rummanah Aasi - I've learned that painful lesson, I downloaded it as soon as possible. This is definitely worth stalking, I hope you guys get it in soon.
January 4, 2012 10:43 AMI totally agree that Cinder definitely has some badass potential, she's going to be fun to watch through the whole series! And I loved the Sci Fi elements to this one, they added a whole new dimension to the Cinderella story, but like you said, the familiar elements are still there and they help guide you through the unfamiliar parts. Fantastic review Jennifer!
January 4, 2012 11:40 AM@ Jenny - I was actually surprised how science fiction-y the story was, you think the fact that she was a cyborg would have been a big clue. :)
January 4, 2012 12:40 PMThere's a big vlog tour going on at the moment and one of the articles was about how Firefly was a huge influence.
January 4, 2012 2:45 PMI too wanted it to be a standalone book, it didn't feel like a complete story to me and the series is scheduled to end in 2015! I might pick the series back up then if I remember, but I wouldn't personally read the others by themselves.
I saw this reviewed in SFX and liked the sound of it. I used to love fairy tale re-writes. The fact that it's a series has put me off a little though. I might wait for the last one before I read them all too. Great review.
January 4, 2012 7:37 PM@ Ellie Warren - Would you be able to tell me what blogs are participating in the tour? The 2015 date is a bit intimidating, I kinda want answers now. :)
January 5, 2012 12:59 AM@ Karen - I totally understand waiting until the entire series is out. Sometimes is nice to discover a series "late" so you don't have to be tortured by the wait.
I was intrigued when I first heard about this book on another blog; reading the review, now I'm excited. My daughter sighed about another princess retelling, but this sounds much different than that. I think I'll add it to my list...
January 12, 2012 10:58 PMSometimes I wonder how much I actually like sci-fi. On the surface I don't, but a book like this that is just a bit futuristic is so cool. Maybe I'm a mild sci-fi liker LOL I'm gonna keep my eye out for this book :)
January 14, 2012 4:03 AMPost a Comment