Book Review - Cinder

​Title: Cinder, The Lunar Chronicles Book #1
Author: Marissa, Meyer
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi Fairy Tale Retelling
Length: 387 pages
 
 
Summary 
 
Cinder is a sixteen-year old cyborg growing up in New Beijing, one of a handful of Earth’s new empires created after WWIII. She is a skilled mechanic living with her stepmother and two stepsisters. She was adopted by her stepmother’s husband five years earlier although Cinder doesn’t remember anything of her first eleven years. Since Cinder is a cyborg, she is considered less than human and therefore is owned by her stepmother, similar to a slave.
 
Kai, the prince of New Beijing, is about to become emperor after his father dies from the deadly plague that is running rampant on Earth. Before his untimely death, the emperor was trying to form a partnership with Queen Levana, the ruler of the Lunars, a settlement on the moon. Kai agrees to marry Queen Levana in exchange for the vaccine developed by the Lunars that will stop the plague.
 
Meanwhile, Kai has fallen for Cinder yet doesn’t know she is a cyborg. With the help of the doctor who is researching cures for the plague, Cinder begins to discover more and more about her mysterious past and learns that someone went to great length to spare her life and hide her true identity.
 
Using her skills as a mechanic, Cinder discovers important information buried within the prince’s android, information about Queen Levana’s true intentions. Cinder needs to get to the ball in time to communicate this knowledge before the Queen uses her special powers to marry the prince.
 
My Review
My twelve-year old daughter recommended this book to me. I had never read a fairy tale retelling and didn’t expect to enjoy it. But I devoured it. The storyline was creative and unique and the characters were well developed and likable, aside from the Queen of course. In fact, I now plan to read more fairy tale retellings and am considering writing my own.
 
This book is first in series of three: Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress. Plus there are two companion books about the characters and the Lunar society.
 
I am a member of two book clubs, and we read a variety of genres. Plus, as a Young Adult author, I read a lot YA and MG books to improve my writing. And as a mother, I am always on the lookout for good books for my children.
 
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