Monday, February 3, 2014

Review - Cinder by Marissa Meyer



Title:                          Cinder (Lunar Chronicles 1)
Author:                     Marissa Meyer
Release Date:         January 3, 2012
Publisher:               Feiwel & Friends
Genre:                       YA, Fantasy
Pages:                       387



"Vanity is a factor, but it is more a question of control. It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth." (pg. 170)

My Thoughts

A futuristic Cinderella retelling like no other -- Cinderella isn’t quite what she seems and in this retelling she is called upon to do the saving. It is the perfect choice for fans of sci-fi, dystopian novels, and fairy-tale retellings with strong female leads.

Personally, I love fairy tale retellings; they are among my favorite reads to come across. However, I wasn’t sold on Cinder – I wasn’t really feeling the description at first, the cover art didn’t reel me in, and even when I saw favorable reviews I still wasn’t sure. Luckily, my friend insisted that it was an amazing read.

Ultimately, I loved this reimagining of Cinderella. Cinder pulled me in quickly, with its fast-paced plot line revolving around a cyborg, mechanic with a mysterious past, a handsome prince, a plague, and a looming threat of war. I loved that Cinder was not your typical fairy-tale lead: she was strong, independent, and smart. Even with the odds stacked against her, Cinder didn’t wail for help; she didn’t need saving, she rose to the challenge herself. I enjoyed the unique element of a futuristic setting with touches of sci-fi and an elaborate back-story to our heroine Cinder. The book held many memorable characters and left me wanting more. I ran out to buy the next installment immediately to find out what would happen next.

My wishes for this novel would have to be a bit more of an ease in period for the romance; I did get a bit of a feel of insta-love. However, with a speedy plotline and knowing it was a fairy-tale reimagining of Cinderella, it wasn’t completely unexpected or inappropriate. Otherwise, I can’t complain other than to say I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Scarlet and find out what happens next! Overall, I loved it and thought it was a fantastic read and a really fun, unique take on the classic Cinderella story. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series and highly recommend it to others.

Recommendations:  

If you enjoyed this book and are looking for more fairy-tale-esque retellings try:
Princess of the Midnight Ball – Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass – Jessica Day George
A Kiss In Time – Alex Flinn
Beastly – Alex Flinn
Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine
Shadow Spinner – Susan Fletcher
Amaranth Enchantment – Julie Berry


Rating:

4 out of 5 DoxiesLiked it a lot, definitely worth a read

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