Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: January 8th 2013
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Source: Paperback
Pages: 390

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Summary: 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: This was such an exciting read! I loved how well the retelling of Cinderella interwove with Cinder, it did not feel restrictive at all. I was also pleasantly surprised by the romance parts of the book, it did not follow the typical YA formula. There was also less focus on it which is a breath of fresh air. I was so glad that Cinder, unlike many other YA female characters, knew what was important and her goals did not change just because of a boy. Girl power!!

I figured out a few plot twists in the beginning but it just made me want to get through the book more quickly! 'When will she find out? Will he ever know?' More surprises and details were provided when I reached the actual plot twists that it did not seem predictable at all! This is how amazing Cinder is! 

The only issue I had with the book was the lack of Chinese culture considering that this was set in New Beijing, which I am assuming is in Beijing, China? Other than the Chinese names, there really wasn't anything else. This story could have been set anywhere else in the world and it wouldn't have affected the story at all. This wasn't a huge problem for me but I could see how it could irk some people.

Other than that, I absolutely loved the world that Meyer built and the characters were downright amazing! The characters were all surprisingly well-developed, right down to the androids and the evil queen! Pacing was also really well done, nothing felt too rushed and at the same time I did not get bored with the fillers (there were great!).  I absolutely can't wait to start on Scarlet, book 2 in The Lunar Chronicles series.

My rating:
Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good retelling and loves robots!