Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer ♥

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 387 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Source: Borrowed from Monica!

Description from Goodreads:
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've been wanting to read Cinder for a while now. Pretty much ever since I met Marissa Meyer at ATBF this year. I'd been glancing at the book before that, but then meeting her and hearing her talk about her book--which was about a CYBORG CINDERELLA--I couldn't resist. So now here I am. I read it. And...it was pretty good.

The concept of this book was amazing. It was a great, fresh retelling of one of the most well-known fairytales. Cinder wandered from the beaten path a bit, but still stayed true to the main storyline well enough to be recognizable and lovable like the story we all know and love. I was so interested to see and learn about Cinder's world in New Bejiing, and in turn see how her life fit into what was the original story of Cinderella.

Character Rundown:
Cinder: Cinder's one of those strong, stubborn characters. She can take care of herself and you're going to let her do it whether you like it or not. Normally, I'm all for a female protaganist like this. Strength, when used positively, is always a good thing, right? But, honestly, Cinder's attempts to protect herself with lies bothered me. Call me naive, but I think she should have been straightforward about the fact that she was a cyborg from the beginning. I understand why she lied, but I don't agree with it. If he couldn't like her for who she truly was, he didn't deserve her, anyway. Being the strong character that she is, I kind of hoped Cinder would realize that sooner. Then again, every character DOES have their flaws.

Kai: GUYS. He's a prince. A totally swoon-worthy prince. He's caring and kind and cares so much about the people he rules over. For the most part, I flipping love this boy. But as I said, every character does have their flaws, and Kai...well, Kai made me want to slap him. Doesn't mean I don't love him, though. Can't wait to see more of him in Scarlet!

Plot. This was a wonderful story. Well written and unique. BUT. Yes, but. But I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away. I was not very surprised at all in the reading of this book. That does not by any means indicate that I did not enjoy reading this book. I did, very much. But I was somewhat let down by the predictability of the plotline.

Boy + Girl. Kai & Cinder! I just want these two to be TOGETHER already. Like, for real. They obviously care for each other, and the reasons they've been holding back are silly. When two people are so obviously dancing around each other throughout the whole book, only to have an ending like these two had, I want to slap things. At this moment, it'd probably be Kai's face. I love him and all, but he should get a nice slap. And...I can go around in circles forever on this. The main point I'm trying to make here is that I want them to be together. They are adorable.

The ending. [insert sigh here] Can Scarlet just, you know, COME OUT ALREADY? I'd be very much obliged if it did. Thanks.

Overall, Cinder was a very enjoyable story that was different from other books I've been reading lately. Though this book was not perfect, it was certainly worth my while and I cannot wait to dive into the next book in this series. When I happen to get my hands on it, that is. It's based off of Little Red Riding Hood! Is that cool or what? I love the idea that all the books in this series are going to be based off of different fairytales each time! Personally, I'm excited for the Rapunzel one. But first, I repeat: I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON SCARLET.

Oh, and yes. You should totally give Cinder a shot. That's what I've been trying to tell you this whole time. :)

♥Jessica(: