“CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future.”
My Thoughts:
Plot: Cinderella is a cyborg! What?! The thought of a cyborg in one of the most loved fairy tales intrigued me to say the least. I knew it would either suck or be awesome, depending on the skill of the author. Well friends, Marissa is skilled cause it was awesome. My only significant beef with this story is I saw the twist at the end coming from a mile away. But I also thought there was enough other stuff going on between Cinder and Kai, and all the commotion with Queen Levana, etc that I didn’t much care. There was enough going on at all times to keep me entertained.
Characters: I thought Marissa did an excellent job of establishing who each character was as a person. Cinder’s self-doubt and self-esteem problems rang true as feelings each young woman has felt, but amplified by the fact that she’s part machine. Prince Kai was very much so a Prince Charming, but not in a pukey roll-my-eyes kind of way. But I think Queen Levana was one of my favorite characters. To see her go from one end of the mood spectrum to another in seconds, then try to hide it behind her glamour thrilled me.
Pace: In general, pace was good. Could have been a little faster in parts of the beginning, but I don’t ever remember thinking “Gosh dang it this is so slow!”
Setting/World: This book takes place in the future, which becomes obviously fairly quickly with the talk of hovercrafts and port screens everywhere, used for everything. But other than that I didn’t think the book possessed a particularly enticing description of this futuristic world. And I definitely didn’t see a lot of Asian culture remnants, but then again, maybe that’s what makes it New Beijing. All this being said, it honestly didn’t bother me that much and any lack of world building in my opinion did not deter from my enjoyment of the story.
The Jist:
What I liked: Extremely unique take on the Cinderella fairy tale that is handled with expert care; Her writing style is delicious and enticing; Cinder and her internal struggles; the charmingness of Prince Kai and his interactions with Cinder; Engaging plot with very few slow spots.
What I didn’t like: Fairly predictable plot twist; I wish I’d seen more interactions with her stepsisters.
Do I recommend it? Yes. Especially if you like dystopian and/or fantasy novels. I genuinely enjoyed this book and think the vast majority of readers will as well. The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because of the predictable plot twist.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Lunas
