Book Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: 3rd January 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 387
Rating: 5/5

This book was read as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Amazon:

"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."

Review:

I had been dying to get my hands on this book ever since reviews first started appearing last year. I was a bit wary at first because I wasn't sure how well an appropriation of the classic fairytale Cinderella would fare, considering Cinderella was being updated to a cyborg mechanic. But I have to say that I absolutely loved everything about this book, and the appropriation of Cinderella was done really well. If you didn't know that this was a retelling of Cinderella, you may not have even been able to pick up on it.

Even though you knew basically where the plot was heading, this was still an enjoyable and unpredictable read. And this is mostly the case because this story is set in the new, dystopian world of New Beijing, with Cinderella as a cyborg. These two main plot twists add a whole new dimension to the story, and allow Cinder to stand out as a great story all on its own, and not merely a retelling of a classic fairytale.

My only issue was with the relationship between Cinder and Princess Selene. As soon as the princess was mentioned, I knew what the connection there was, it was so obvious. But nonetheless, this was an amazing debut novel, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.