Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) [Hardcover]

Marissa Meyer delivers a knockout with her story about Cinderella as you've never seen her before. 'Cinder' is a futuristic take on a traditional fairytale which is both inventive and truly original. I was incredibly excited about this book prior to publication even though I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I started it one evening planning to read just a couple of chapters but ended up becoming so immersed in the story that I stayed up half the night reading. This is only Meyer's debut novel but it's ingenious and imaginative and an astounding and fascinating book that I ended up loving.

It's the first book in the Lunar Chronicles quartet which will be followed by other fairytale inspired tales including 'Scarlet' (Red Riding Hood), 'Cress' (Rapunzel) and 'Winter' (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves). I think I would have cried if I hadn't known that there was more to come!

'Cinder' is set in New Beijing where cyborgs and androids live among the human citizens. I thought the mixing of an old and well known fairytale with a futuristic backdrop was brilliant and so clever. Cinder herself is not your normal heroine, she's half human and half cyborg and is 'owned' by her step-mother Adri. Cinder is also a gifted mechanic and it's this occupation which leads to her meeting the handsome Prince Kai who is ignorant of what she really is. I enjoyed seeing the friendship between Kai and Cinder blossom and although Cinder keeps the fact that she's a cyborg secret from him, they share a number of intimate moments which leads to a level of trust and mutual respect to grow between them. I also liked the fact that the Prince isn't a snob and wants to get to know Cinder even though she isn't of the same standing as him. One obstacle in their path is the sinister Queen Levana of Lunar who sent shivers down my spine and literally drips evil off the page.

Meyer has assembled an engrossing and imaginative cast of characters, my favourite whom was Cinder herself. She's incredibly gifted and immensely loyal to the people she loves and cares about, including her android friend Iko and her step-sister Peony. She can be unconventional at times, stubborn and headstrong but I adored her and was rooting for her throughout. She often doesn't care about her own well being, as long as she can protect her friends and family.

One of the plot lines in the book involves the search for an antidote to Letumosis, a plague like disease which is rampant in the city and deadly to anyone who contracts it. This was really interesting and brings Cinder into contact with Dr Erland who holds the key to a number of secrets about her past as well as to her future happiness.

Many of the hallmark features of the Cinderella fairytale were here but always with a slightly quirky spin on them. For example, instead of a glass slipper there's a cyborg foot and instead of a pumpkin there's a hover car. There's also an evil stepmother and a wicked stepsister, plus a handsome Prince and a huge ball.

Although I did guess the big reveal quite early on in the book, it was still shocking when it eventually came and has set the stage brilliantly for the second book in this amazing series. I'm eager to get my hands on the follow-up and I only hope we won't be kept in suspense for too long.

What a very clever idea it was for this author to take a story which is so instantly familiar and transport it into an entirely different realm. Cinder and the Prince? She certainly didn't go wrong with that. Add in some slight variations on the story with the characters (not all step sisters have to be horrible) and maybe change up your main character just the teeniest bit. Actually that's a bit of irony because Cinder is totally different from any variation of Cinderella I've ever read. I absolutely loved this book.

So Cinder is a cyborg. The cover of this book is absolute genius in letting the reader know instantly that this is not going to be the usual take on any body's fairy tale. The prosthetic foot and hand are dealt with immediately, but other differences in the re-made Cinder are revealed more slowly. Adding in the element of the inhabitants of the moon and making their queen be someone so thrillingly menacing simply adds to the excitement of the entire concept.

I appreciated the fact that this novel is aimed at young adult readers from age twelve and up, in grades seven and up and this author never talks down to her reader, never sounds condescending, her dialog doesn't sound fake. She has her characters speak in the modern language of the day, yet with moderation so the book will still be fresh and readable ten years from now. Those things are all quite an accomplishment for a writer who is older than her target audience. I was impressed and plan to recommend this book to two young ladies of my acquaintance who will enjoy it as much as I did. Now I'm looking forward to the next exciting adventure of Cinder the cyborg.

I received this book as a complimentary copy from the publisher.

I love fairy tale adaptations, whether they're just fleshing out the original story (Robin McKinley's "Beauty") or spinning the bare concept off in a totally different direction (the anime "Pretear").

And Marissa Meyer's "Cinder" is actually quite clever in its dystopian/futuristic-steampunk reimagining of the famed Cinderella story. While it cleaves to the basic storyline of the fairy tale, Meyer weaves in a conspiracy, a brewing war, a plague and a secret identity into the story. In short, she allows the story to stand on its own two feet... or rather, one foot of its own and one robot foot.

In the futuristic city of New Beijing, Cinder is a cyborg -- a second class citizen who toils away as a mechanic for her cruel stepmother Adri. Her only friends are her kind stepsister Peony and her quirky robot Iko.

Then one day, crown prince Kai secretly hires her to repair an old robot for him, even as New Beijing prepares for the arrival of the cruel, powerful Lunar queen Levana (who wants to conquer Earth, possibly by marrying Kai). But Cinder's whole life is thrown upside down when Peony contracts letumosis -- a deadly plague with no cure -- and an enraged Adri sells Cinder for medical testing.

The twist: Cinder is immune to the plague. The eccentric Dr. Erland takes an interest in her, even as Peony's condition worsens and Kai desperately searches for a way to avoid marrying Levana. But as Cinder struggles to stop the plague and save the man she's falling in love with, she begins to learn more about her own mysterious past -- and why she might be the only hope for Earth.

"Cinder" is a brilliant example of how an author can take a well-worn fairy tale and breathe new life into it. It's a pretty decent retelling in its own right -- complete with sci-fi versions of the fairy godmother, glass slipper and evil stepmother. But it also stands on its own as a solid science-fiction story with unique subplots, characters and backstory. THAT is a truly good retelling.

Meyer has a strong, smooth writing style, splattered with grease, disease and squalor as well as white silk, silver and gleaming laboratories. She neatly twines together several subplots (Levana's schemes, Kai's search for the lost Lunar princess, the damaged robot, Peony's deathly illness), although I was left wondering what was going on with the crying Lunar girl. Perhaps that will be answered in the next book.

What was the book's biggest problem? Probably the huge TO BE CONTINUED ending, and the fact that it's pretty easy to figure out Cinder's true identity. It could have used a teeny bit more mystery.

But the strongest part of the story is our Cinderella herself. Cinder is a strong, selfless heroine who has a genuinely horrible life -- everyone looks down on her because of her cyborg parts, and she struggles with telling Prince Kai about her true nature for fear that he will be repulsed by her. At the same time, she's also struggling with the discoveries about her own past.

Kai is also an excellent character, and quite different from your usual fairy tale prince -- he's trapped in a no-win scenario that may enslave the Earth no matter what he does. And the cast is nicely rounded out by the malevolent, vain Levana, the adorably quirky Iko, and the mysterious Dr. Erland (who is far more than he appears).

Marissa Meyer does not disappoint in "Cinder," the first of a series that seems to be made up of dystopian/sci-fi fairy tale adaptations. And even if the ending is a bit abrupt, it definitely leaves you craving more.