Review: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
_________________________________________________________________

I have to admit that I was uncertain about this book going in. Now, I absolutely *love* cyborgs and have wished to BE a cyborg for many years. So naturally, the cyborg part of this story intrigued me, but the idea of people living on the moon made me raise an eyebrow.

Folks… I should not have doubted this book for a second. The moment I met Cinder, I was hooked so hard. She’s a *cyborg* and she’s an awesome mechanic and she’s got such a great attitude! Despite the poor treatment from her foster family and general discrimination against cyborgs, Cinder perseveres and just does her own thing. Together with her sidekick, the android Iko (who is hilarious and adorable), she decides to create her own future and escape the oppression.

Each character in this book (Cinder, Iko, Prince Kai, the doctor) comes to life so vividly that I often felt like I was watching an anime while reading! Marissa Meyer’s writing style is so full of charm and wit that I’m pretty sure I was grinning through most of the pages. Remember those Lunar people I was unsure about? Dude. They came through in a very interesting, creepy, and great way. The Lunar Queen is so evil that I just can’t wait to see how she gets taken down. Every character is awesome to read about.

My favorite thing about this book is that the world came alive so incredibly well. I read in a recent interview with Meyer that she spent a lot of time re-watching Firefly to try to get the world of The Lunar Chronicles to have the same feel. I’m telling you – she nailed it. Basically, I want to live in Cinder’s world. And I want to be Cinder’s best friend.

_________

4stars