Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) in Addicted to YA

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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Jan 08, 2012 alana rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, intercultural-china, dystopia, steampunk, series-in-progress

This re-imagining of Cinderella takes place on a post World War 4 Earth which is struggling with a global plague outbreak, rising tensions with the Lunar people, and on-going racism against cyborgs. Cinder is a cyborg teenager and mechanic in New Beijing which is the capital of the Eastern Commonwealth (therefore, this version of Beijing is an odd mash-up of east Asian cultures). The story unfolds as the nation prepares for a new emperor, and Cinder's personal turmoils begin to intertwine with i ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Jen Rothmeyer rated it it was amazing

Open that fantastic cover and slide your finger over the pages. You’re about to be taken on a fantastic journey to a futuristic world struck by Letumosis, the blue fever, a worldwide plague that strikes quickly and is absolutely fatal.

Cinder is a normal teenage girl. Well, as normal as one can be when one is a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing some unknown time in the future in a world that is completely different as World Wars three and four have come to pass. Oh, and there is also that pes Open that fantastic cover and slide your finger over the pages. You’re about to be taken on a fantastic journey to a futuristic world struck by Letumosis, the blue fever, a worldwide plague that strikes quickly and is absolutely fatal.

Cinder is a normal teenage girl. Well, as normal as one can be when one is a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing some unknown time in the future in a world that is completely different as World Wars three and four have come to pass. Oh, and there is also that pesky formerly-human colony on the moon that evolved into a new species called the Lunars who have the ability to control the bioelectricity of others. Outside of that, though, Cinder is completely normal.

Hard at work in the market, Cinder meets a hooded figure that she quickly recognizes as Prince Kai, the son of the emperor. Kai seems suspiciously eager to have his ancient android fixed by the young mechanic, but she’s distracted trying not to fret about the impossibility of dancing with him at the upcoming ball. She doesn’t really notice the peculiarity. Of course, Cinder can’t go to the ball, because her step-mother would never let her. Cyborgs are second-class, after all. Or maybe even lower than that. They aren’t human. Well. Not completely.

Despite her unfortunate circumstance of having some mechanical parts – and her step-mother’s subsequent hatred of her, Cinder gets along really well with her youngest step-sister, Peony. Then, something happens to Peony. What is Cinder to do? Can she use her new relationship with Prince Kai to get some answers?

REVIEW | First up, I’ve got to give props to whoever designed the cover. It drew me in immediately. But, back on point.

Meyer has done a fantastic job of rebooting the Cinderella fairy tale into something interesting to modern readers. Her world could stand on its own without the fairy tale prop, but is given multiple levels by its inclusion. It’s fun and quirky, keeping you guessing on where it’s going to line up and where it won’t. The novel is a fast read and addictive. Once I picked it up, I not only didn’t put it down, but I paused in the middle to request the second book, Scarlet. The writing style is very clear, fluid, and geared towards young adult readers.

One of my concerns in previewing the next book in the series is that it seems that the focus jumps from Cinder as the protagonist to another rebooted fairy tale character, with Cinder’s story still continuing. Often times I don’t enjoy series written in this manner. I’ll be sure to report back, but for now, I leave this note as a caution.

The novel doesn’t explore any really deep concepts, where it certainly could have with the injustices placed upon Cinder for being a cyborg, and as such I would classify it as a light read. It’s also not very mysterious – by page 44 I had predicted a key plot point with absolute certainty. I won’t reveal it because SHHH! SPOILERS! (Yes, that's a Doctor Who reference.)

My favorite character in the novel is one that others might not even notice: Iko. Iko is Cinder’s friend – an android that works in Adri’s (Cinder’s step-mother) home and every time the robot has a line of dialogue, I imagine it in Claptrap‘s voice (from Borderlands).

Do I recommend this book? Yes. Absolutely, yes. The sequel is waiting for me at the library.

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Jul 26, 2013 Collette rated it liked it

Shelves: juv-and-ya

I really, really, really wanted to like this more than I did because I love fairy-tale retellings. The premise is great -- Cinderella as a cyborg -- but I just didn't buy some of the world-building and the unnecessary and unexplained secrecy on the part of one of the characters in particular. It was predictable in some places but unpredictable in others, to the author's credit. However, and I think that this is one of the marks of a novice writer: physical descriptions of the characters were sho ...more

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Dec 24, 2013 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, 2013

I was very pleased with this book and glad to have read it! The twist was predictable, but I loved it anyway. I'm ready to continue on with the series. ...more

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