Cinder
By: Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
ISBN-13: 9780312641894
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.
Review
Cinder is a teenage girl who only dreams of escape from the virtual enslavement of her stepmother. The only bright spots are the family android Iko, whose broken personality chip makes her one of a kind, and her stepsister Peony who is a sweet girl who loves her. Cinder is her stepmother's property because she is 36.8 percent not human (a.k.a. a cyborg). When she fixes an android for Prince Kai and becomes embroiled in Palace life, she learns that things are not always as they seem. She is immune to the plague that is besetting the city, but not for any reason she ever would have guessed. There is romance brewing between Prince Kai and herself, but it is complicated because she is a second-class citizen. The country is almost at war with the Lunars because of the cruelty and scheming of their ruler, Queen Levana. She wants to become empress of the country and destroy the rest of the planet. How can one cyborg girl be important enough to stand in her way? What revelation will shock even Cinder when it comes to light. This was such a science-fictionally based book that at first I was hesistant. But I love fairy tales and their retellings, so I gave it a shot. I loved Cinder because of her feistiness. And the royalty with their political problems and looming war were interesting as well. I was happy that Meyer didn't overshoot with the romance. The main object of the book was always Cinder and her quest to find out who she was, where she fit in. I can't say the 'shocking twist' was something I didn't see coming a mile away. But I didn't mind, which says something good about the quality of this book.
VERDICT: 4/5 Stars
*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*
