Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) in Shut Up & Read

Jul 05, 2012 Carrie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1st-in-a-series, library, young-adult, teen, m-g, science-fiction, fairytale-like, aliens, hardcover, red-shoe

Rating 3.5/4

I love the cover of this book, I am after all a sucker for red shoes. It is a very look at me, pick me up and read me cover. Well atleast that's what it says to me.

So I picked it up and read it, well first I had to request it to be sent from another library as mine had "lost" it's copy. Meaning someone enjoyed the book and didn't want to share it.

On to the book itself.

I don't know if others agree with me or if I'm in the minority as I have yet to pay much attention to the other rev ...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Terri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, apocalyptic-dystopian-fiction, mythology-fairy-tales-legends

Cinder lives in New Beiijing and works as a mechanic. SHe is a cyborg and therefore property of her stepmother. Her life changes one day when Prince Kai walks into her shop for her to repair his android. A modern re-telling of the Cinderella story, its twists and imaginings in a post war society is fascinating.

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Jun 25, 2012 Marla rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, award-winner, challenged, fantasy, dystopia, romance, series, made-me-laugh, young-adult, retelling

3.5 stars. Buddy Read and Group Read. I enjoyed this retelling, but retellings are not really my thing and I found it too predictable. I am looking forward to the next books in the series, but due to the cliffhangers, I will wait until at least the third book is out.

Likes:
* Iko was an excellent sidekick! Iko arrived with Cinder.
* Peony was sweet
* Cinder is a spunky, talented mechanic with secrets she doesn't even know about herself
* Lunar Queen Levana and her ambassador, head thaumaturge, Mistre ...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, retellings, cyborgs

Retellings of tales usually attract my attention, even though I haven't read that many of them. Add to this the idea of a *cyborg* Cinderella, and of course I had to give it a shot.

The first thing to say is I had a hard time putting it down. On the one hand, because it is a retelling and makes uses of fairy tales codes, the story follows patterns that make it predictable (it is easy, for instance, to tell who Cinder really is, and I think the author clealry did that on purpose). On the other han Retellings of tales usually attract my attention, even though I haven't read that many of them. Add to this the idea of a *cyborg* Cinderella, and of course I had to give it a shot.

The first thing to say is I had a hard time putting it down. On the one hand, because it is a retelling and makes uses of fairy tales codes, the story follows patterns that make it predictable (it is easy, for instance, to tell who Cinder really is, and I think the author clealry did that on purpose). On the other hand, "Cinder" falls, for me, into this category of books whose events you can predict, yet at the same time are nevertheless thrilled to see happen. Moreover, the tale itself wasn't all there was to it, since it was intertwined with other plots (the plague, the threat of a war); in fact, I'm not sure that the Cinderella part was that essential to the story as a whole... but all in all, I still enjoyed the cross-references, and the overall plot also removed the problem of "already knowing where it's going".

The main character is a skilled cyborg mechanic, with still enough of her human body to long for a place in a society that rejects the likes of her, and not human enough anymore for that same society to fully accept her as more than a mere ward. Not considering the fact that "skilled cyborg mechanic" already sold me from the start, Cinder is also an interesting person to follow. She has spunk, a will of her own, she's intelligent and resourceful, she fights to lead her own life, and she doesn't hesitate to act, rather than just runaway—she's very far from the passive Cinderella from the tale. At times, she was maybe a little too focused on herself, but it didn't detract from her that much.

Prince Kai, too, is a fairly nice modern retelling of his original counterpart: more than just a handsome prince, he actively thinks about the future of his country, weighs the choices he has to make, and is ready to personal sacrifice if this can ensure the well-being of his people. The relationship that builds between him and Cinder throughout the story is also believable, not instant love, not instant recognition, but feelings and interests that develop through their encounters.

Finally, I was fascinated by the world developed by the author. The tense relations between the Earth and Luna, the devastating plague, a setting not so often used in YA literature (Asia, (New) Beijing), the suspected plans laid out by the Lunars... There was more to "Cinder" than what I suspected at first, and that world seems to stand its own (I hope the next installments will confirm this, since they'll take place in other settings on Earth and Luna). If one thing, though, I would really have appreciated getting more of a 'feeling' for the atmosphere of New Beijing. I couldn't really picture it, apart from the use of a few honorifics, characters' names, or the market place. It was too bad, because this setting was part of what thrilled me when I picked the book, and I regretted not seeing, not feeling more of it. ...more

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Feb 07, 2014 Angie Taylor rated it really liked it

This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. It's by far my favorite, most original retelling of Cinderella I've ever read. I really enjoyed it. It was fairly predictable, and I knew who Cinder was from the very beginning, but who cares? When it's a good story, sometimes the predictability doesn't matter! ...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Sasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really love retellings—especially fairy tales and myths. So right off the bat, I knew that Cinder was right up my alley. Plus, it was a dystopian, sci-fi retelling of Cinderella, which sounded amazing. And, for the most part, my instincts about this book were right. Cinder was a fun, quick, and original retelling of the classic fairy tale. On this reimagined, futuristic Earth, increasingly strained political ties and disease wrack the population of New Beijing. The emperor is dying of the incu I really love retellings—especially fairy tales and myths. So right off the bat, I knew that Cinder was right up my alley. Plus, it was a dystopian, sci-fi retelling of Cinderella, which sounded amazing. And, for the most part, my instincts about this book were right. Cinder was a fun, quick, and original retelling of the classic fairy tale. On this reimagined, futuristic Earth, increasingly strained political ties and disease wrack the population of New Beijing. The emperor is dying of the incurable plague that has run rampant across the world. A population grows restless, and a threat emerges from the Lunars, a race of evolved humans with unnatural abilities and a desire to dominate Earth and its peoples. Led by the evil Queen Levana, they search for the lost moon princess in order to kill her, while with the other hand attempt to supplant the young and green emperor’s son, Kaito.

The main character, Cinder, is an android: part human, part robot. As a result of this, she is treated as a second-class citizen by all who know of her condition, particularly her stepmother Adri, who uses her both as a breadwinner and housemaid. Right away, Cinder proves herself to be a strong, capable protagonist. Her rapport with the Prince, who comes into her mechanic shop looking to repair a robot, is witty and shows that even though she’s attracted to him she knows what the real important things are, such as protecting her youngest stepsister. She is curious about the world around her and doesn’t wait for other people to step in and fight for her. Cinder is impulsive and quite easy to identify with, despite having wires, a hybrid brain and neural network, and a prosthetic robot foot.

The love interest, Prince Kaito, has swoon-worthy potential, but impressively the author Ms. Meyer deftly manages to let the romance take a backburner to the main plot, which is the threat of war between the Earth and the Moon. The setting has lots of interesting facets as well; the world Meyer introduces the reader to is fascinating, especially New Beijing. However, as always, I would have loved to have more details about this new Earth. We learn only peripherally about the culture and the current state of politics on Earth. I hope that in future book installments, a more rich description of Earth (and maybe the Moon as well!) will be present.

I really felt like what the book lacked most was background, particularly background on the Lunars. Why are they on the moon? How did they get there in the first place? How did they develop their powers? Are they all evil? Why are they so hostile? Questions upon questions are left unanswered in Cinder, which left me feeling like a large part of the story was missing. It didn’t help that the book ended on a cliffhanger!

Ultimately, I think that this book could have been more interesting if it weren’t saddled with trying to resemble the Cinderella tale so much (even though I love retellings, as I’ve stated before). In trying to keep true to the fairy tale, I think, Ms. Meyer sacrificed potential plot turns that would have given the reader more insight into the world and peoples she has created. Overall, Cinder was a fun, quick read and an original retelling of a classic tale. It leaves details out that would have made it a more fully-developed story. Despite this, I’m really looking forward to the next book, where hopefully all my questions will be answered.

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For more book reviews, visit my blog The Bookshelf! ...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Kat rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, fantasy, china, dystopian, young-adult, adventure, teens, fairy-tale-retelling, cyborgs, your-royal-highness

Cinder (book one of the Lunar Chronicles) takes place in a dystopian world 126 years post World War IV. Linh Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing, capital of the Eastern Commonwealth. This is where she meets Crown Prince Kai, when he comes in her shop to have his android fixed. There is a mysterious deadly plague called Letumosis that’s sweeping the world, with no known cure. The emperor has been recently infected, leaving the Prince desperate to find an antidote while also preparing to ta ...more

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Jan 26, 2014 Tani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: female-author, scifi, favorites, youngadult, five-stars, 2014

I have a serious weakness for Cinderella retellings, so factor that in when considering my rating. On the other hand, this struck the perfect balance between simplicity and enjoyment for me. I definitely wish I hadn't taken so long to get around to reading this. So much fun! ...more

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Nov 20, 2014 Ms. Kay renee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: interesting-female-character, urban-fantasy

Interesting, fresh take. Rich world created. Well-developed female characters. Cultural diversity.

This is the most fun I've had reading in a while! ...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Monica Millard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, own-paper, 2013-reads

I'm kind of glad that I waited so long to read this book! It was so awesome. Cinder was one of the coolest heroines I've read in a while. Cyborgs! Ahh... And I loved that it wasn't set in America or the UK. I love reading books that are set in other places(Countries or world), even if they are made up future places.

I'll need to think on this one to come up with a legit review. I will return. :D ...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Wrighty rated it really liked it

Shelves: contest-win, used, audio, series

Very interesting and unique take on the fairy tale. I wasn't sure I would enjoy this futuristic, sci-fi interpretation but it was well done. And I enjoyed the audio version as well. Great cliffhanger ending. I look forward to the next book in the series. ...more

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