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Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, Book 1)
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I am a sucker for fairytales, and despite being at that age where I can look back on all of those Disney classics and see how ridiculous they are, there is still a big part of me that still loves a good fairytale/bed time story. So if you are feeling a bit nostalgic and want to run up to the attic to dig through all your old childhood things in order to find your VHS/DVD of Cinderella, then Cinder might be just the book you are looking for. Think of it as a futuristic Cinderella story, with cyborgs, robots, and people living on the moon. If that didn't intrigue you, then I think you need to re-read that last point: people living on the moon! I really enjoyed Marissa Meyer's twist on the classic tale, and it was easy to see that despite using the original work as a foundation for her story, the author really did create a story that felt original and could stand on its own. I really appreciate how political based this story is, and it was interesting to know that despite its technological advances, the government officials and the citizens of New Beijing are still dealing with problems that we deal with today.
Okay that's all I have to say for the non-spoiler section. Bottom line: Even if Cinderella is your least favorite tale and you don't find the idea of cyborgs and a futuristic world interesting, pick this book and at least give it two or three chapters. I think you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised.
I've read the book; let's discuss:
I don't like to be too long winded about my discussion, as I find that chunky paragraphs filled with details bursting to the rim are only appreciated by teachers/college professors, I will make my points quick and to the point as best as I can.
- There are some books that just pull you in and keep you there until your eyes droop and you have to put it down, for me, Cinder wasn't that book. It started off pretty slow, and there wasn't a character I was crazy for except Iko.
- This first book is a lot of world building, and although the history of New Beijing and the Lunars were interesting, it did make the pacing of the story a bit slow. For me, although I did like the characters, I wasn't attached to any of them. For books with slower moving plots, having great characters makes up for it because an interesting character is an interesting character, and reading a chapter about them going to the market would be alluring but none of the characters in this book had that flame in them.
- Cinder as the protagonist was a bit too tame and meek for my taste. Her banters with Prince Kai were great, but I feel as if strong characters could stand on their own, and they do not need other characters on the side to make them more appealing.
- Iko is really funny, and her fan girling over Prince Kai, cosmetics, and pretty dresses made me laugh because it was so cute. Also, I thought all the robots in this book would be lifeless but time and time again Iko showed that despite being nonhuman, she showed more affection than most human beings did. Without Iko, I know Cinder would have been very closed off and lost because robot or not, a friend is a friend.
- Adri is such a complex character, and some of you may think: what are you talking about? She's the step-mom she's evil. I don't disagree with that, her actions and words are both hurtful and cruel but in a way I can't help but see where she is coming from. She despises Cinder because she was the daughter she never wanted, she was the burden her husband dumped on her and died before she could say anything. She tolerates Cinder at best, but it is shown over and over again that her hatred towards Cinder is stem from the belief that Cinder somehow played a part in her husband's death and also Peony's death. She has to blame someone, yell at someone, be angry at someone, so she could feel better about herself which is not only wrong but also very sad. I can't wait to see her show up again in the story, especially now that we know that Cinder is both powerful and royalty.
- The "I like you because we hate the same person" vibe that is present throughout these political meetings was very tangible, and it is obvious to see that despite trying to keep the peace, the political leaders aren't very fond of one another. They will do whatever it takes to protect the people, but it's always their people that they put first. Also, just because they have a common enemy doesn't mean that they are friends, so I wonder what will happen if Queen Levana does decide to declare war. Which countries would she bargain and manipulate to be on her side, and will those countries accept her offer? If so, what will that do to the peace alliance?
- It was a really refreshing to also get to know the crown prince more because in most fairytales, the prince is just a handsome side character who just smiles and acts charming. Prince Kai is definitely handsome and charming-he makes women and robots alike swoon without trying-but he also a young man forced to grow up too soon, and given the weight of his county on his shoulders. Imagine running an entire country at 19?! Although he is royalty, he is a very caring and kind ruler, like his father, and he knows that he must put his people first. He is also sarcastic and funny, which made him really likable.
- The whole plague outbreak definitely added a heavy layer to the story, and the descriptions of the four stages and the chaos amongst the citizens were done very well. I found it strange that a place that is so advance in technology, would not be well equipped enough to find the cure for a disease so it made sense that scientists from Earth couldn't find the cure because the disease was originally from the moon.
- I don't think anyone was surprised that Cinder was really Princess Selene, and in a way I wonder if Marissa Meyer did that on purpose so the readers would focus on the storyline instead of wondering about Selene. Despite being a Lunar, Cinder is not even close to being as strong as Queen Levana, so I am wondering how her going to Africa in the next story will help her become stronger.
- Lastly, I just wanted to gush about all the scenes in the story that me grin like an idiot.
- Peony's gushing over the Prince, and how despite being on her deathbed (literally) she wanted Cinder to ask the Prince to dance with her. Well, it was sad that she was dying but it was just a moment where I felt made Cinder laugh for the first time in a while, and that little moment of peacefulness and jokes between the two sisters was very touching.
- Iko putting on lipstick and that pearl necklace, and pretending she was going to the ball was super cute!
- Prince Kai showing up at Cinder's booth and asking her why she is ignoring him, as if the evil queen isn't just chilling at his castle plotting war. It just shows that despite being a ruler of a country, he is still a teenager that gets his feelings hurt when the girl he likes is ignoring him.
Overall/Rating:
Despite this being a fun and quick read, I didn't absolutely love the story nor the characters. I did like them, don't get me wrong but it wasn't gripping enough for me both plot wise and character wise. The different twists that the author put into her story did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by me, and I did find myself wanting to come back to this book after I had put it down. It was a fun read, but nothing stuck with me as super amazing. I will be continuing on with the series because I do want to know what will happen next, but I am not in a huge rush.
★ ★ ★ /5
