Anyways, today's post is a review on the book Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It is the first book of the Lunar Chronicles and it's kind of awesome. So without anymore chatting, let's get into my review.
Photo Credits: www.marissameyer.com
Don't want to read a review? You can watch a quick two minute review of Cinder on my YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE!
Here's a quick synopsis before I get into my review:
Cinder tells the futuristic story of Cinderella. In New Beijing lives a world of androids, humans, and cyborgs. Our heroine, 17 year old Cinder, is one of these cyborgs. As the plague Letumosis moves through across the world, cyborgs are being drafted in to find the cure. And when Cinder is drafted in, they find that there's something special about her, something that could change everything.
I loved that this was a futuristic fairy-tale. Cinderella as a cyborg? Heck yes! That sounds awesome! And it is pretty awesome. Cinder is also a mechanic which I found to be a very unique trait. How many fairy-tale princesses are mechanics? Not any I can think of. The setting is very cool, I personally haven't read any books I can think of that include androids, cyborgs, and people living on the moon... oh yeah, there are people living on the moon.
There's one particular scene between Prince Kai and Cinder in an elevator that I've honestly read three times now because, yeah, it's kind of hot and amazing. I love reading about budding relationships and page 225, it's a good page. It made me smile. But spoiler alert, they're teenagers, it's not going to be that hot. Get your mind out of the gutter.
I'd say my biggest problem with this book is that I never got fully invested in the characters. It could be a personal thing, but none of the characters really stood out to me and made me fall in love with them. There is also a disadvantage to writing a book based on a fairy-tale. I was just waiting for the announcement of a ball and was not moved in any way when it came.
I also thought it moved slowly. Marissa Meyer is a fantastic writer and was amazing at descriptions, but there's a point where I don't need play by plays of what hand gestures are being made, I need plot. It was a slow moving plot and I was a little disappointed by that. More importantly, when I finally got truly excited for the story and couldn't put the book down... it ended. There are more books in the series but I was very disappointed that I was only truly interested near the end and had to see it end abruptly.
Despite my grievances, I highly recommend this book. While it may be able a 17 year old girl, it's not just another young adult novel. This book is so well written. I've been obsessed with YA novels but let's be honest, they aren't all written that well. Marissa Meyer did her research throughout this book and let me see a futuristic world that she created. I think that all ages and all genders can really get interested in this book.
I recommend this book. It's definitely worth the read and I'm really anxious to read the rest of this series.
What did you think of Cinder? Let me know in the comment section below!
I agree with everything you said. I don't remember the elevator scene, though. I'll have to go back and check it out. Usually I feel like the characters in YA fiction move way too fast when it comes to romance, but I feel like these two seemed more realistic (but not in a boring way). I hope you read the other books. They bring in more great and interesting characters and develop the ones you met in Cinder. In book 2 and 3 the pacing is slow through most of the story, like in Cinder, and it gets gripping at the end. But book 4 is so great! I was like Aaaaaahhhh! the whole time.
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