A cyborg Cinderella....really?!



So that was my initial reaction a few years back when Cinder by Marissa Meyer hit the shelves. In fact, if I'm being honest, that was my reaction to ALL fairy tale retellings. My thoughts were why mess up a good story. Well, I'm here to confess something to you...



Cinder is just...I was just so...OMG!!! It was amazing :D Who knew a cyborg Cinderella could be so awesome?! Cinder is a renowned mechanic (how convenient) in the town of New Beijing, part of the Commonwealth empire. When Prince Kaito arrives with his android for her to fix, Cinder discovers more than just a broken android, but a plot to overthrow the kingdom.

The author seamlessly interweaved her own sci-fi story with the classic! Cinder is the loathed step-sister/daughter who was adopted by the now deceased husband of Adri. Adri doesn't want Cinder, but keeps her because since she is a cyborg, she is property. All the money Cinder makes as a mechanic, goes to Adri. Basically she is like free labor. Pearl and Peony are the angel daughters, except one of them is truly kind to Cinder and I [icon name="fa-heart"] her! Then there's Prince Kai who only has eyes for Cinder just like in the classic. There's even a ball where the Prince dances with her....but this is where the similarities end.
Cinder is an intriguing lead lady. She's kind-hearted, if a bit naive and wants only her freedom. She has no memories of her life before she was adopted at 10, and I found this strange. Luckily the author explains it later on in the story. Cinder's competent but she is also extremely insecure with her cyborg nature. Cyborgs are less than human and as such are not looked at as human in the Commonwealth. They are treated as mere machines, with no feelings and no rights. So when the prince approaches her stall with his android she hides her mechanical parts so as not to reveal them.

Prince Kaito....oh my prince! He is thoroughly distraught in this book, except for when he is with Cinder. She takes his mind off the problems surrounding his kingdom, like the fact that his father has just died of Letumosis (the plague that is killing the populace) and now at 19 he is the emperor. Oh and you can't forget the pressure to marry queen of Luna (the first colony established on the moon hundreds of years ago) in an attempt to bridge peace. Prince Kai is naive, hard-working, and wants to marry someone of his own choosing, not for peace, and not a tyrant. So he has a plan, he's searching for the long-lost princess of Luna, the rightful heir who is rumored to have escaped to earth and is in hiding. His plan is to find her, but he hasn't really thought the whole thing through.

Meyer does a fantastic job of building this dystopian world. The plague, the colony on the moon, and the advanced technology along with the decaying lifestyles is intriguing and even believable. I can't wait to read more :D And the cliffhanger....



It's one of the worst I've read in a long time. I'm not sure I can wait for book two to be available in the library!!! If you enjoy young adult dystopians or are looking for a different kind of fairy tale with some hi-tech science fiction involved, go read it now!