Cinder, by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Picture Cinderella in your head. Now picture Cinderella the cyborg mechanic living in a dystopian future where the people are being plagued by a mysterious disease called letumosis and Earth's citizens are working to prevent war with the moon's citizens. After her beloved step-sister is diagnosed and taken away to die in quarantine, Cinder's step-mother volunteers her step-daughter outcast for research. Cinder is taken away to be a guinea pig and learns new things about herself that she never would have dreamed of (I'm not talking about self-discovery, but actual physical things about herself). Meanwhile, Cinder is also trying to fix a droid that may be an issue of national security for the handsome prince while attempting not to fall for him.

Overall thoughts:
There are some books which have plain and/or cliche plots but are written so well that they seem unique. Other books have such unique stories that even if the prose isn't incredible, it doesn't matter. Cinder is one of the latter. The prose wasn't exactly inspiring, but the plot was so different and far-fetched that i didn't care. I will say that this book is extremely predictable so I wasn't very surprised at any of the "OMG!!" moments.

Characters:
Because of the complexities in the plot I felt there wasn't much room for character development. Therefore, the villains seemed entirely one-sided. I understand that Levana is supposed to be evil incarnated, but Adri is supposed to have a tiny bit of good in her. The only time Adri showed that she was remotely human was when she showed grief at her daughter's sickness, but even then she turned that emotion evil when she sent Cinder away.

Supernatural elements:
This book is definitely more sci-fi than fantasy and the author makes sure to quell any bits of fantasy with scientific explanations by explaining that magic is actually bioelectricity.

Stand alone vs. series:
As much as I do enjoy a good series, I also enjoy when a book in a series can also stand alone just in case someone doesn't get around to the next book. This book didn't leave the reader with much choice, and the ending was one desperate for a sequel.

Romance:
The romance between Cinder and Kai was a sweet one that was based on crushes. It wasn't a squealy romance, rather one that was only there to make this a cinderella story.

5 stars. 


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.