Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

The book that I’m reviewing this week is one that I think is pretty cool.  Cinder is actually a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella with a sci-fi twist.  When Meyer wrote it, she was inspired by a variety of fantasy/sci-fi franchises, including Sailor Moon and the TV show Firefly.  When Cinder was released, it was a bestselling book and received positive reviews, most especially for its strong female characters.  Meyer wrote three more books in this series, which is called The Lunar Chronicles.  I really enjoyed reading this book, most especially since it reminded me of the fantasy/sci-fi shows I like to watch (like the Mandalorian); and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, most especially since Cinder left me on a cliffhanger!

Cinder is about a 17-year-old cyborg mechanic who lives with her adoptive mother and her two adoptive sisters and is treated very badly by her “family.”  Cinder’s biological family died when she was very young and she doesn’t remember anything from before she was 11-years old.  Cinder lives in the futuristic world of New Beijing where a deadly letumosis plague has been going on for over a decade.  When Cinder’s stepsister, Peony (the only family member who treats her well), comes down with the virus, Cinder is blamed by her stepmother.  But when Cinder’s life intertwines with attractive Prince Kai, Cinder starts to figure out her identity, who she really and truly is.  This futuristic sci-fi retelling of Cinderella has a lot of great parts.  The portrayal of female characters is really good.  Cinder is a very talented mechanic and, in addition to that, she is very smart and has a strong mind; and despite the discrimination against cyborgs, Cinder fights for her rights (Cinder technically has a disability).  I also enjoyed Prince Kai’s character.  However, this book definitely has some disturbing parts.  Several characters die and there are a couple of gruesome parts (most have to do with the plague in the book); there was also a bit of language too.  So, I would caution parents due to the book’s violence and would recommend it for teens only.  It’s kind of funny that I read this book right now since it’s about a pandemic and we’ve been in the middle of one.  While some people might not want to read it right now, it actually helped me a little bit to read it in an odd sort of way.  I feel like this book gives us hope that things will get better and better with time.

“ Imagine there was a cure, but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would you do?” Levana (even though she’s a villain and I didn’t like her at all the quote is thought-provoking)