Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: 1/3/12
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Blurb (GR): 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.
Review:
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: 1/3/12
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Blurb (GR): 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.
Review:
*I know this sounds ridiculous. The whole point of the book is to create a futuristic cyborg Cinderella, right? Meyer is a wonderful writer. Her writing is engrossing and I was engaged throughout the entire book. But it really takes a certain amount of the fun out of a story when a reader already knows a lot of where the story is going. Cyborgs are relatively novel in the YA world. Books set in Asia are relatively novel in the YA world. I still really enjoyed the book the way it was but I think Meyer could do (arguably even more) wonderful things with her own imagination.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
I read the ebook version of Cinder but it is also available in audio format from Macmillan Audio. Here is a snippet of the narration:
The audio version of Cinder is narrated by Rebecca Soler, whose work includes narrating Judy Blume's Just As Long As We're Together (a childhood favorite of mine) and Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key. I listened to her read the latter book and she was wonderful. Her conversational tone definitely works well with young adult novels and she fluidly integrates multiple characters without it sounding forced. If the clip from the audiobook is indicative of the entire audiobook, I'm sad I didn't experience it in that format. I'll definitely consider listening to the rest of the series if I can get my hands on them around the book's release date. I have to see what those fairy tale characters are up to! If you've yet to read Cinder (and you definitely should), think about listening to the audiobook.
*Clip source: Macmillan Audio
*Clip source: Macmillan Audio
