Ratings:
Star Rating: ★★★★★
If This Book Was a Movie Rating: PG-13
Review:
a Cinderella retelling, but make it dystopian sci-fi and make Cinderella a sarcastic cyborg mechanic.
HECK YEAH AM I DOWN FOR THAT.
*smacks big red button of approval*
about 300 years into the future, cyborg Linh Cinder lives in New Beijing (of the Eastern Commonwealth) with her stepmother, Adri, and her two stepsisters, Pearl and Peony. Adri and Pearl both despise Cinder for her many metal limbs and technological implants. Cyborgs like Cinder, you see, are considered less than human and afforded restricted rights. Cinder works as a mechanic in the town market, fixing androids and portscreens better than anyone else in New Beijing. But not one would go to Cinder’s famed booth if they found out she was only 64% human now, would they?
The only reason Cinder puts up with such obvious hate and discrimination is her little sister Peony. Cinder loves Peony more than anyone in the world. Peony's the only person who loves her unconditionally, the one who sees her too-small metal foot and the switches embedded in her skin and her shiny hands with deep scratches and says i love you anyway.
Cinder thinks she could've loved her father too, but a year after he adopted her as an eleven-year-old, he fell sick and died. She can’t really remember him.
However, there’s a rather more imminent and deadly threat to Cinder than her vicious stepfamily: letumosis. A plague rapidly spreading worldwide that has killed millions of Earthens. There’s no way to prevent it and no way to cure it.
Once someone's had that first black sore, it’s only a matter of time.
If that wasn’t enough, a disguised Prince Kai visits her market booth, asking for a stealth repair job on his android.
But then several things go terribly, horribly wrong.
The Lunars’ infamous queen is now visiting the Earthens’ Eastern Commonwealth.
The Linh family is being ripped apart.
Letumosis is spreading faster and killing quicker.
And Cinder’s got a new set of eyes watching her.
Unfriendly, powerful eyes.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
the characters.
the worldbuilding.
the plot.
BASICALLY EVERYTHING.
so to start with, Cinder was just a *chef’s kiss* quality character. Cinder knows when she needs help and when she doesn’t. She doesn’t need a prince or a fairy godmother to figure her life out, because, as we all know, life doesn’t just sit there waiting for us to figure it out. People don't hand out ballgowns and glass slippers for free. Stuff goes wrong, and Cinder makes the best decisions she can when everything’s crashing down around her.
*claps vehemently while declaring Cinder is her bestie*
hats off to my sweet cinnamon bun Kai as well, he was a THOUSAND times smarter (and less cHaRMinG) than probably any prince I’ve met in any Cinderella retelling. Just like Cinder, he has to make hard choices, but he has the added pressure of the millions of Eastern Commonwealth citizens relying on him. but MOST IMPORTANTLY he was cutely awkward around Cinder AHHHH it was SO adorable. He was adorable. They were adorable. Their romance was adorable.
i think i need to go hug this book again brb.
*squeezes paperback with all the love in her cold dead heart*
i’d also like to mention my appreciation for how no character in this entire series (yes i’ve read them all by this point loll) really had any real plot armor. Even our heroine and hero had to deal with death. They weren’t immune to any of it, much less our stellar supporting cast of characters (Isabelle, you’re so punny *rolls eyes*). All the characters were rich and well-developed, and actually had a purpose outside of their association with the MCs. I actually really liked all of them.
except for Adri and Pearl.
they can go crawl through the burning fire of the desert and cry about injustice for all i care.
as i’ve now read this whole Lunar Chronicles series, this is my wonderfully-omniscient-narrator perspective: some people say that the pacing is slow/inconsistent. while that’s a yes, they have a point, but a) it wasn't too terrible and b) i’ve seen even the people who disliked it saying the pacing gets a whole heck of a lot better the deeper they got into the series.
so my recommendation is to keep reading, even if you didn’t love this book.
it gets a heck of a lot better ;)
anyways now that i have properly shared my love for this book i am off to eat something and reread the entire series bye y’all <3
Friend me on Goodreads (yes, you, I wanna be your friend): https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/136268749-isabelle
Buy this book: Amazon.com: Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles (The Lunar Chronicles, 1) (9781250768889): Meyer, Marissa: Books
Recommendations If You Liked This Book:
The rest of the Lunar Chronicles series (duh)
Any of Marissa Meyer’s other books
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