A Review of 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer

"Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time...

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...

Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.  She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and is reviled by her stepmother.  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.  Because there is something unusual about cinder, something that others would kill for."

This is a book that I had to read for YA Lit class but I didn't finish it until recently.

Marissa Meyer takes an interesting spin on the original Cinderella story by setting it in the future-- it's the Sci-Fi Cinderella, almost.  What's cool is that there are elements of this story, but Meyer doesn't adhere to the original story, like a lot of authors who are trying to revamp the original fairy tales we all probably grew up with.

Cinder was a very enjoyable character.  She is a very strong female character.  She makes a name for herself and while there are some that she relies on, she finds that in the case of a number of people, she can't trust or rely on them.  She acknowledges that this is difficult sometimes, but instead of spending pages and pages complaining about it, she takes this knowledge in stride and lives with it to the best of her ability.  I found this to be refreshing.

I was not a fan of Kai though... I can't quite put my finger on it, but he just seemed a little young for someone who was supposed to be assuming power after the death of his father.  Once he did assume power, he was almost the opposite of what he was before.  Suddenly, he has a country that he feels responsible for in a way that he didn't before.

As far as the plot twist, I thought it seemed a little random as far as how it was presented in the story.  It's a good plot twist, but you can't tell me that the doctor just happens to know that Cinder is actually the lost Lunar princess.  And you didn't bother to tell her?  You didn't even try to explain?  No, I don't think so.

Despite these things, I know there is a sequel to this novel and I do look forward to reading it sometime!

I give 'Cinder':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude