REVIEW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Name: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Number of Pages: 390
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Date Published: January 1st 2012
Source: Bought
Rate: 3.5/5

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.
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I have always been one for retelling of fairy tales. As I grew up with princesses, princes, the evil witch, and so forth. Lately I have seen so many new retelling s of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and many others that I just cannot keep up with all the books and movies. Many of my fellow booktube friends and blogging friends have hounded to me to start this series. As they first three books were sitting on my shelves, left untouched, I decided there was nothing to lose and got lost once again in the realm of books. 

Well since I like to get the bad out before the good lets get to it!! While many have raved over this series; I found it good. I did not fall in love with it for quite a few reasons. The first was because I often felt like I could not connect to the characters. I know weird right, I am the number one character freak! Between Cinder and Prince Kai I just felt like there was not much to them. Another reason was something with the plot. I don't know why it felt like I was slightly pushing through this book, but I was. Maybe this book was not cut out for me? I do not know. I did like it a lot though.

So let's move on to the goodies! The characters, the plot, and the background story my lovely doves!

This story takes place in what was once Beijing, now known as New Beijing. After two World Wars (3&4) the earth has been devastated with many blows. The biggest, a pandemic that has swept the nation killing off humans one by one. Any in contact with this deadly disease is sure to parish, as there is no cure. 

There new means of living consist of cyborgs. Built machines that help with daily tasks but that are considered below humans, in a way they are almost like slaves. In which case Cinder is a slave. Cinder being the one of the few that is part human and part cyborg. Then you have the Lunars that show up through this chaos led by the evil Queen Levana, her one wish to be an empress.

While I felt off about Cinder I really did like her as a character. In the sense of a cyborg and human she was quite pretty...if you consider wires attractive (as Cinder would like to say). Cinder was definitely a character to always put others before herself, a majority of the time this was forced as she was under the rule of her step-mother - a step-mother that wants to sell her off for parts. Is this starting to sound like Cinderella to you? 

The only exception to this rule is that there is one evil step-sister and one nice step-sister! I never found Cinder naive like most beginning characters. She was head-strong but knew when to keep her head down as not cause attention to herself. Unfortunately that does not happen when the Prince Kai (New Beijings Prince and Celebrity) stops by her autonomic shop. This is when things start to become a little scattered.

I think the big plus to this book was being able to see into Prince Kai's POV. He has had many struggles and becoming the next Emperor is not one he would like to have on his list along with a visit from the Lunar Council. Prince Kai is definitely your hero material. He is sexy, gorgeous and downright good looking...those are all the same thing haha that just shows how good looking the guy is! His one downfall in the eyes of New Beijing's council is that he has too much anger built in him, it will get him in trouble. Oh boy, does it ever!

I liked where the plot was going. With Cinder being sent away for something awful happening she comes across a power she never knew existed. A gift and an identity that she wish never had found out in the first place. The blooming relationship with Kai has also thrown them both through a loop hole. Both wanting to take a step toward each other but always taking two steps back. Deep secrets are revealed and the Lunar Queen is lurking in the shadows waiting for her opportunity.

My recommendation: BUY or BORROW. I know I usually never  say buy when it comes to 3.5. But this book is an exception!