Book Review : "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer
Hello bookworms! I finished reading "Cinder" about two weeks ago and due to an immense work load, I couldn't get around to writing this review sooner. But, now that I have, let's get started. Sadly enough, I do not own a physical copy of this book. Hence, the picture of my e-book below.
This review has potential spoilers. And though, I'm not giving away anything major, if you haven't read the book, please click away to another page.
Brief Background:
"They took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes" - Cinder
Cinder is the first book in the "The Lunar Chronicles" written by Marissa Meyer. The entire series is a take on retelling some of our most loved fairy tales. This first part of the series is loosely based on the story of "Cinderella".
The protagonist is a girl called "Linh Cinder" who is half-human, half-cyborg. She lives with her step-mother - Linh Adri - and two step-sisters - Pearl and Peony - in a town called "New Beijing". She is the city's best mechanic and works at a shop she has set up in the city's weekly market. Her personal robot assistant/friend is called Iko.
Cinder's life changes when Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth - Prince Kaito - shows up at her shop, with Nainsi, an android that needs repairing. In a world where cyborgs are looked upon with disdain and a mysterious Plague has broken out upon the land, Cinder gets pulled into a vortex of emotional turmoil when Peony is struck sick with the same disease. In a journey to save her sister, Cinder must also grapple with the true knowledge of who she is.
My Thoughts:
This story is so unexpected that it almost doesn't make sense in the beginning. Cinder has a robotic foot? They somehow live in a Japanese city? It can be a tad confusing in the beginning for some people. But, I promise you, about ten pages in, you'll settle into the story and it'll start getting good. As far as retellings go, this one is quite the work. Meyer has spun an entirely different dimension and it only makes everything better.
The major point of interest for me was the background of he story itself. For some reason, I really loved the Japanese touch to the story. I immediately started painting Japanese-looking houses and streets in my mind. The plot is very unique and unlike anything I have read before. There are no Fae involved or other mythical beings. I mean, the world portrayed in this book involves cyborgs and there are people living on the moon. Doesn't get more diverse than that!
The writing is well-paced and the story is very interesting. I finished it in a day (typical for me, I'm a fast reader!). I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in the series once I get past my October TBR!
My Rating:
I give this book 4/5 stars. Pick this up if you're looking for a different kind of fantasy, that also is extremely interesting!
