Until recently, Cinder has been one of those books which sits on my shelf and begs me to read her (and yes, my copy is a her). I debated it for a long time, until I finally decided that eventually I would have to read, so it might as well have been now. Immediately, with the title listed as Cinder, I knew that it was a retelling of the fairy tale that everyone knows: Cinderella.
The book is written in third person, but largely follows the story of a cyborg, mechanic named Linh Cinder. (As the story is set in a predominately Asian setting, the last name goes first.) The story has many different plots and subplots, but it the largest plot is that of Cinder finding out who she is, separate of a cyborg mechanic, and who she used to be before her operation.
The story’s inciting incident begins when Cinder’s younger step-sister, Peony, is diagnosed with the plague. Cinder’s step-mother blames her for Peony’s sickness, and sends Cinder off to become a test-subject for the disease. We later discover that Cinder is immune, and we find this out from the mysterious Dr. Erland. Cinder also has a quick romance with the dashing and handsome, Prince Kai.
My favorite character was Peony as she reminded me of my little sister. In fact, I really enjoyed Meyers’ decision to make only one bratty step-sister rather than the two. In my opinion, it made both the story and Cinder more realistic as she had Peony as a chink in her heroine armor.
My least favorite character was Dr. Erland. He just seemed to omniscient without giving anything away-exactly as a Dumbledore character (I really hate Dumbledore.). It really irked me throughout the whole novel that he almost didn’t seem to have a personality, which seemed to be replaced by all the answers that Cinder needed exactly when she needed them. The character, in my humble and often incorrect opinion, seemed like a lazy cop-out for a father figure that Cinder never quite has throughout the whole book.
I found that the character I could most relate to Cinder. Not because of the mysteries of her identity that kept shrouding her, but the fact that in the end of the novel she was a double minority. As a cyborg, she is a second-class citizens, and even though I am a white female, I understand the pain and repeated rejection of being shunned on a constant and daily basis.
One thing that strongly irritated me was how forced the romance between Kai and Cinder was. He showed up out of the blue, and almost didn’t seem to leave her alone. The kind of dedication that he shows Cinder didn’t at all seem realistic. Also, within 50 pages I had already guessed the ending twist, which was actually really disappointing.
However, one thing I really did like in the book was the theme of loss. With every piece of information, relationship, or thing that Cinder gained, she almost lost twice as much. Her two best friends, the relationship and trust she had with the prince, a home, her freedom, her business, her sense of emotional and mental direction, and even her shoe (though, in this case it was actually her foot.)
All in all, I thought the book was okay. It’s not one of my favorites, but I certainly enjoyed it enough to finish it in less than 24 hours, though I think that speaks more of my reading than it does of the book. I am hesitating to read the next book in the Lunar Chronicles as the protagonist shifts, but the world building is interesting enough that I might just do so.
I go to america, find a bunch of books I want to read (finally, I was worrying about how hard it was getting to find a book in the uk) and HOT DAMN these books are wonderful. The storyline carries you along to a point where you don't even realise you've turned 10 pages without breaking your stride. Cinder is beautifully written, im only 167 pages in, but I love the characters. Hidden undertones that you just catch glimpses of, but they're so human. Nothing is blatantly there on the page, it encourages you to read between the lines and see what you would if they were standing in front of you. The lack of "she had winding golden hair" is a breath if fresh air as you discover what characters that Cinder sees often bit by bit. Iko is very imaginative, much like a young child or teen in her personality, you forget often that she's a bot - which is how it should be. The professional droids act like what they are, and Iko's "faulty personality chip" makes her character in the book far more than just a helping hand, as should be. I believe I've guessed one or more outcomes already, however im sure one is supposed to feel like that. Besides there are multiple storylines running through this book, all entwined. If you were reading from Kai's point of view the story would have so many other focuses, but likely end up in the same place... I just love the realism in it. It's beautifully written, and I advise everyone to read this wonderful book. Thus far ***** 5 stars. I give this book 5 stars.
Finished Cinder last night. I don't think I've ever had to wait for a book series to come out as I read before. This is gonna be painful. I say that, but what I really mean is that the ending was not disappointing at all. It was definitely not the stereotypical ending and if there were no other books coming out I would only be slightly distraught. I love that Meyer leaves it up to the imagination. That the greatest climax is in the last couple pages. And that even though you can guess at the very beginning what bomb-shell is going to drop at the end (at least I did) you assume it'll all work itself out and it doesn't. Nope, it ends with the protagonist determining what needs to be done, not even with planning her next step but with knowing what the outcome must be and not knowing how to get there. I love that. It's so true to life. Marissa Meyer is a genius. Conclusions are the hardest part to write. That's why the last book in a series or chapter in a book is usually my least favorite. But Meyer nailed it so far. I hope she doesn't screw up the rest.
