CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Let's appreciate that beautiful cover.  Goodness.  I can't imagine a prettier, more eye-catching stiletto/cyborg leg if I tried LOL.  The curling-silver font is perfection as well.  Good job designers!  This one's a winner :-).

Cinder is Marissa Meyer's take on Cinderella.  Now, I'm not much for retellings.  Lots of bloggers are all about them, but whenever one comes out, I'm like, "Meh.  I already know the basic story.  How good can it be?"

The answer in this case, folks, is pretty darn good.

I was pleasantly surprised by my first foray into retellings.  This is Cinderella with an edge, a spark if you will (pun intended since Cinder herself is both a mechanic and part-cyborg).  The kick a** heroine and her steampunk-y goodness made this a must-read for me.  But I had no idea I'd like it as much as I did.

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing.  But she's also cyborg, 36.28% not human to be exact, which makes her life not as valuable as that of the other citizens.  When Prince Kai shows up at her market stall, asking her to fix an important android, Cinder does her best to shield her metal parts and her heart.  But Kai's charismatic and charming personality don't make it easy.

Here's a little excerpt that I loved from their first meeting:

"Instead of answering, the prince bent down, craning his neck so that she had no choice but to meet his eyes, and dashed a grin at her.  Her heart winced."--page 8

Wow.  Cinder's heart "winced"?  I could imagine exactly how that felt.  Kudos to Meyer because I've never heard it described quite like that.  Loved the word choice and all the subsequent meetings with Kai.  The chemistry was undeniable.  Cinder was fierce, smart, brave, and loyal to her loved ones (both human and not).

And if I wasn't already sold, Cinder's backstory--which she knew nothing about--sealed the deal.

 

There were several mysteries in this book, and I think I figured most of them out before the big reveal.  BUT that didn't really matter because, back in the day, I was a huge Sailor Moon fan J

 

If someone would've told me this was a retelling of Serena and her lunarly ways, I would've been down even sooner.  Awesome!

 

Two main evil forces threaten the lives of everyone in New Beijing: Letumosis (the plague) and the Lunars. Once one contracts Letumosis, they'll be dead in days. This plague has killed thousands--and yet there's still no cure. The Lunars are another race that hails from the moon and can manipulate anyone into seeing, feeling, or doing whatever they want. Someone who can take away your free will? If that's not scary, I don't know what is. *Shivers* And the Queen of the Lunars has her eye on Prince Kai.

Cinder was a great read.   The only thing that could've made it better imo was if it was a standalone.  Things I loved: Cinder, the gutsy heroine/cyborg, Iko, Cinder's android best friend who had a thing for fashion, Prince Kai, the guy who won our heroine's heart and mine, Peony, Cinder's younger step-sister and only human friend.  A great steampunk story made even better by the Sailor Moon slant.  Looking forward to Book 2!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl