March 26, 2012

Cinder - Marissa Meyer






Young Adult
Pages: 400
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: January 3, 2012

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

Uh, dystopian half-metallic Cinderella. Rock on! What a creative story. Marissa Meyer really took this retelling to a different level. This world-building has so many awesomely original aspects that I don't know where to start. Cinder is a part-metal orphan owned by the widow of the man who adopted her, who, of course treats her like a slave. She's a mechanic, lives in New Beijing (old one has fallen) living under an Emperor ruling, who is fighting off war threats from Luna (yes, the moon!) while he struggles to find a cure for the plague that's been killing off the population.There's more! Luna-born people have magical abilities like glamors and mind-controlling!

So much to take in, right? Yet Meyer does it in such a smooth way that everything just clicks and, weirdly, even makes sense. She even stays very glued to her Cinderella concept, which I was so immersed in the story that I sometimes forgot. Characters were well developed and very likeable. I loved Cinder's ability to be quite normal under such awful circumstances and still manage to be somewhat of a strong heroine.

I also loved how modern social issues such as immigrants, difference, acceptance, politics and so on, where neatly woven into the story as well. It marvels me how much stuff Meyer was able to put into this tale without making it sound awkward or too much. This is a fully-enjoyable, wildly creative, feel-good retelling of the fairytale we all love. Part dystopia, part fantasy, part sci-fi, part romance, this is a book for everyone.


5 comments:

  1. I loved this book so much! I really liked how all these different social issues were handled, making them sound interesting for once! I also love how elements of the original tale were woven into the story so effortlessly. Thanks for the great review! If you have some time, check out my review of Cinder!

    ~Debz @ Debz Bookshelf

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  2. It's nice to see a good review of this! I've been waiting to see one of the bloggers I love write one for this book, and you're the first! I might just have to pick this one up in my spare time {between the 30 or so other books that are high up on my to-read list! ;-)}. Thanks for taking the time to review this one :-)

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  3. I'm just over half way through this one right now and I'm really enjoying it. I love the twist that she did on Cinderella and I can't wait to see where she ends up at the end of the story. Plus who can escape the dashing prince!

    Thanks for the great review!

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  4. I've heard tons about this, but I've been iffy because well we both know I still haven't fallen head over heels with this kind of genre. BUT it has your stamp of approval and I love me some Cinderella so I think I should get this soon.

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  5. I loved the way Meyer so skillfully included so many subgenres in this book too-definitely helps this book stand out amid a crowded YA field and explains all of its rave reviews!

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