Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by: Marissa Meyer

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 so very hesitant to read this book, and for the life of me, I could not tell you why. I was not sure of the whole premise of the book, and clearly, I was super super wrong for not reading it sooner!

Cinder is a mechanic and a cyborg living in New Beijing. She has no idea of her past, and she only remembers up to a couple years ago. When she meets Prince Kai, she is thrust into a world that is much too unknown to her, and she realizes everything she has been told about herself is a lie. She finds out that there is an evil queen, the queen of the Lunars, threatening everyones very existence. With everything on the line, she needs to decide what side she is on and what she is willing to do for her side to prevail.

Cinder was a completely great heroine. Despite being a second-class citizen, she is content where she is, even though her stepmom is a social climber. She just wishes for some love, and I wished for that for her. This girl just needed some hugs. She doesn’t care about material things and only looks on the inside to judge a person. Although she may be many different things, she knows who she is on the inside, and that’s really what’s most important. Plus, she has a great sense of humor.

Kai was just too freakin’ adorable for words. He’s super sweet and very swoon-worthy. Perhaps my favorite thing about him was treatment to Cinder. He was always courteous to her and more importantly, he was just himself to her. He didn’t have the façade of being a prince around her; he was just Kai. His determination to run a country, especially at his age, was admirable. He was thrust into the position, but he really did excellently. He did have his flaws, particularly at the end, but I still love the man.

Iko, Cinder’s android, was possibly my favorite character. She was quite lovely and a great friend to Cinder. Of course, I absolutely hated the stepmom. Ugh ugh ugh. I mean, this is a retelling of Cinderella after all. Peony, one of the stepsisters is not really all that bad, and I grew to really like her. Dr. Erland was someone I was prepared to loathe, but I’m not sure why. Surprisingly, he was rather awesome, particularly at the end.

The plot was perfect. Despite the fact that this is a retelling of a very well known fairy tale, I was pleasantly surprised by how original it is. Meyer certainly threw me for a loop many a time, and I enjoyed every second of it. The writing was beautiful and enchanting. It was what sucked me in right from the first page. Now for the romance. I loved how they met. “Hey mechanic, can you fix my android?” *too stunned for words* “Sssss-sure Prince Kai.” Not a super typical way to meet. Kai’s persistence to ask Cinder out was hilarious and charming, and I am sure surprised she didn’t give in sooner than she did. Basically, I want more of Cinder and Kai in Scarlet.

The way Cinder ended….gahhhhhh. So mean! I am super excited to read Scarlet, as I know I’ll love Scarlet just as I do Cinder.

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: Without hesitating, Cinder wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Kai froze, his body as tense as an android’s against her, but his lips were soft and warm. Though Cinder had intended for it to be a short kiss, she found herself lingering. Hot tingles coursed through her body, surprising and scary but not unpleasant, surging like electricity through her wires.

Rating: 4/5 Tar Heels!