Cinder by Marissa Meyer

by:  Marissa Meyer
published by:  Feiwal + Friends
publish date:  Jan 9, 2012

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.

I was a little bit skeptical about this book.  I can't say Cyborgs are really my thing.  However, I do really like retellings of classic fairy tales and dystopian is my current favorite genre.  Cinder far surpassed all expectations I had.  It was full of twists and turns and surprising revelations. 

Cinder is YA, dystopian, so I'm sure this goes without saying, but it's the start of a series/trilogy.  This is one that I'll be happy to keep track of and follow along.  Marissa Meyer has done an excellent job with her debut.

I was looking forward to this book.  I had read some hype about it and it looked like a great unique take on the Cinderella story. Cinderalla has always been my favorite fairy tale! Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as Autumn.  I felt like I was waiting for something to happen but it never really did. For me, the book didn't really get going until the last 1/3 of the book and then it ended on a cliffhanger.  So frustrating!

I would have liked to see more background on the world in which the story takes place.  I would also love more information on the Lunars.  Despite all this, I thought Cinder was a great character and I do look forward to seeing what is in store for her in the next book.  I just hope it doesn't take 3 or 4 books for her to get her prince charming!