{Review} Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release date: January 3, 2012
Date Read: February 6, 2013 - February 8, 2013
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

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.

This book is badass.


I mean, come on. Robots, Cinderella, China, Sailor Moon, creatures on the moon. How awesome does that sound? okay, a lot of things could go wrong, but still.

One of my best friends had apparently read this book (I say 'apparently' because I have yet to see her read, but she claims to have read almost every book I've ever mentioned) and told me that it was really 'weird', but not exactly horrible. She said I probably wouldn't like it and should just check it out at the library.

DON'T TRUST YOUR FRIENDS, BITCHES.

Okay, I'm going to admit that the only reason I purchased a paper copy of CINDER and read it in less than three days was because I was meeting Marissa Meyer, the author that week.

STUPID. I should have read it months before! Or actually, maybe it was good that I didn't, so I didn't have to wait forever for SCARLET to come out.

Anyway, CINDER was absolutely mind-blowing, and let me tell you, I have a huge author crush on Meyer.



CINDER is the story of sixteen year-old mechanic cyborg Cinder, living in New Beijing during a deadly plague. Thrown into a world of politics, royalty, romance, and lies, Cinder must do all she can to save her world from the psychotic Lunar Queen, Levana. 

Oh, also, she has to fend off the sexy Prince Kai. WHO THE HELL WOULD REJECT HIM, FOR REAL.

Meyer manages to spin this plot into an engrossing, interesting story, even though she's particularly weak when it comes to keeping the mystery... well, hidden. I found out the 'secret' by page seventy and when it was revealed, I wasn't surprised at all. But CINDER was so awesome anyway, I just didn't give a damn. 

The worldbuilding was amazing, but I wished there was more focus on Luna. However, CINDER wasn't meant to be centered around it, so I'm not knocking stars off. However, I believe one of the sequels will feature Luna! 



The writing is simply gorgeous. Oftentimes with third-person, I'm so bogged down by all the details that I don't pay attention to the story. But in first-person, the writing tends to be amateur and simple. Marissa can keep the focus on the story with an absorbing writing style that doesn't bore you to death or distract you the whole time.

There is absolutely no insta-love in CINDER, and surprisingly enough, when it's Kai's turn to tell the story, Cinder isn't mentioned often. It starts off as a tentative friendship, and doesn't really get that much farther than that in CINDER. Usually this would annoy me when the blurb claims there is romance, but there's definitely romantic undertones in CINDER.

The characters all had backstories and personalities and weren't just there for the show. They were all good characters, and you hated the ones you were supposed to hate with a passion. Cinder's stepmother and her stepsister were complete - GAHH, I HAVE NO WORDS. But Peony, the other stepsister, was simply too cute to describe.

Cinder has to be one of my favorite heroines ever, because she was realistic. She fucked up and did stupid things, but in the end she was kickass, funny, and loving. And loyal. Like a Doberman. I really felt for her as well.

Kai. Oh, Kai, my lovely, sensitive, sweet, sexy little Asian Prince. I love you so much. Kai needed some more characterization, but he was just so kind that I couldn't not adore him.



Levana is a fantastic villain and I really, really want to know more about her. She scared the crap out of me and she was far from a piece of dull plank wood. She's frightening and completely nuts. I mean, the whole time I wanted to ask her:


The cliffhanger was killer, and I was left clutching the book in anticipation at the Palace scene - if you've read CINDER, you know what I mean. If you haven't, then what the hell are you doing here? You should be reading this little bundle of fun.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.