Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 387
Reading Level: Young Adult
"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."
If you're active in any way, shape or form in the book blogging community, I can be sure you've heard of The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. It's a series of three books, soon to be four, that combine fairy tale re-tellings with fantastical, sci-fi themes. If that doesn't intrigue you, I'm not quite sure what will. All I'll say is that just hearing that pitch sure sucked me in.
Being that I am a book blogger and continuously heard people raving their heads off about this book, I had high expectations going in. Allow me to point out that this is the first book I've ever read that even remotely touched on the sci-fi genre. Knowing that fact, let me tell you that I adored Cinder. That should really tell you something. As far as I'm concerned, this is a really great introduction to more sci-fi oriented books for someone like me who doesn't typically gravitate to them in the first place.
Cinder, as you may have guessed, re-tells the story of Cinderella. Being a fairy tale freak myself, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Meyer's take on the classic tale was creative, different, and yet incredibly enjoyable and unpredictable. I can't remember ever reading a re-telling in the past, so I was nervous that the book would be very predictable and boring but it was quite the opposite. I would go as far as to say that Cinder can at times be suspenseful and thrilling while still retaining it's light, fairy tale feel.
The characters. Oh, the characters. I cannot think of a single character in this novel for whom I didn't think "Wow, that's so perfect and creative," or "Oh my gosh. I love them." As I'm sure tons of bloggers in the past have mentioned Iko, Cinder's android best friend, and how she is basically the epitome of adorable. I laughed out loud during the pearls and lipstick scene. This book actually did crack me up a few times. Also throughout Cinder, I found myself sympathizing with many of the characters. It's the sort of book that really makes you feel what it would be like to be in their shoes during these very tough situations. In short, this novel took me on a roller coaster of emotions which I think is a sign that it was a keeper.
From what I've read on The Lunar Chronicles, the entire series is kind of going to work like a snowball effect. We start the first book only hearing from our main two perspectives, Cinder and Prince Kai. But, from what I understand, it seems as though they stay prominent characters as we add more and more protagonists as the story progresses. This idea is without a doubt new and original to me. I've never read books that focused on so many story lines and POVs (which I'm assuming will all converge eventually.) But, I'm definitely enjoying it.
In a nutshell, The Lunar Chronicles series is a hit with the blogger community, and I am no exception. I loved Cinder and immediately went out and bought the sequel, Scarlet, after completing the book. I can't wait to continue on with the story and follow what happens to Cinder and the prince. I gave Cinder 5/5 stars and two big thumbs up. If you're into YA, fairy tales, or sci-fi, definitely jump on the Lunar Chronicles bandwagon. You'll enjoy yourself for sure.
"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."
MY THOUGHTS:
If you're active in any way, shape or form in the book blogging community, I can be sure you've heard of The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. It's a series of three books, soon to be four, that combine fairy tale re-tellings with fantastical, sci-fi themes. If that doesn't intrigue you, I'm not quite sure what will. All I'll say is that just hearing that pitch sure sucked me in.
Being that I am a book blogger and continuously heard people raving their heads off about this book, I had high expectations going in. Allow me to point out that this is the first book I've ever read that even remotely touched on the sci-fi genre. Knowing that fact, let me tell you that I adored Cinder. That should really tell you something. As far as I'm concerned, this is a really great introduction to more sci-fi oriented books for someone like me who doesn't typically gravitate to them in the first place.
Cinder, as you may have guessed, re-tells the story of Cinderella. Being a fairy tale freak myself, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Meyer's take on the classic tale was creative, different, and yet incredibly enjoyable and unpredictable. I can't remember ever reading a re-telling in the past, so I was nervous that the book would be very predictable and boring but it was quite the opposite. I would go as far as to say that Cinder can at times be suspenseful and thrilling while still retaining it's light, fairy tale feel.
The characters. Oh, the characters. I cannot think of a single character in this novel for whom I didn't think "Wow, that's so perfect and creative," or "Oh my gosh. I love them." As I'm sure tons of bloggers in the past have mentioned Iko, Cinder's android best friend, and how she is basically the epitome of adorable. I laughed out loud during the pearls and lipstick scene. This book actually did crack me up a few times. Also throughout Cinder, I found myself sympathizing with many of the characters. It's the sort of book that really makes you feel what it would be like to be in their shoes during these very tough situations. In short, this novel took me on a roller coaster of emotions which I think is a sign that it was a keeper.
From what I've read on The Lunar Chronicles, the entire series is kind of going to work like a snowball effect. We start the first book only hearing from our main two perspectives, Cinder and Prince Kai. But, from what I understand, it seems as though they stay prominent characters as we add more and more protagonists as the story progresses. This idea is without a doubt new and original to me. I've never read books that focused on so many story lines and POVs (which I'm assuming will all converge eventually.) But, I'm definitely enjoying it.
In a nutshell, The Lunar Chronicles series is a hit with the blogger community, and I am no exception. I loved Cinder and immediately went out and bought the sequel, Scarlet, after completing the book. I can't wait to continue on with the story and follow what happens to Cinder and the prince. I gave Cinder 5/5 stars and two big thumbs up. If you're into YA, fairy tales, or sci-fi, definitely jump on the Lunar Chronicles bandwagon. You'll enjoy yourself for sure.
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