Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Genre: dystopian, YA
My rating: 4 1/2 stars
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"
If you know me, then you know that I LOVE dystopian YA, and also that I like fairy tale retellings. Put those two together, and I'm a happy reader. I loved the concept of this book, the characters, the dialogue, the writing, the pacing, the ...well, you get the picture. It was a pretty fabulous book from a debut author. And I must say, I LOVE that this will be a series of four books, each using a different fairy tale in a different location. Genius idea Meyer! Just in case you're interested, here's the Lunar Chronicles line-up:
- Cinder. Based off of Cinderella. Set in New Beijing.
- Scarlet. Based off of Little Red Riding Hood. Set in France.
- Cress. Based off of Rapunzel. Set on the moon. (How cool is that?!)
- Winter. Based off of Snow White. Set in the Sahara Desert.
And apparently, the totally awesome Cinder is in all four books. Whoo hoo! Oh, and speaking of characters I totally adored Iko, the house robot and her fabulous personality. Where can I get one?!? She better be in the next books!
So, why couldn't I give this book 5 stars?
Honestly, it's because I found it too predictable. I seemed to always know what was going to happen next, and I don't think because it was based off of Cinderella. This book didn't follow the fairy tale that closely, and honestly I think the series is good enough to stand on its own without the fairy tale foundation. But anyway, I think it was just the twists and turns Meyer took us on were what needed to be done to move the story (and the series) forward, and if she hadn't done what she did, she would have been on the wrong track. Does that make sense?
I highly recommend this book. And I can't wait for the next one to come out!
Anyone else read it or planning on reading it? And what do you think about the idea of a story being predicable because it's what needs to be done to move the story forward?
Oooh I don't know how I'd react if I'm reading a story and I know what the outcome will be! Yikes! I know I've done this with my short stories now and again and I get slapped in the wrists for doing so!! But I'm guessing Cinders as a novel and series is strong and fab enough to allow for such a thing! Yay!! Take care
ReplyDeletex
I have this one on audio and can not wait. I've heard the predictability thing elsewhere too. Thanks for your honesty.
ReplyDeleteI was a ditz when it came to this book. I didn't see the ending coming, but when i read it i was like "duh!" I am still not happy with that huge cliffhanger and I thought Scarlet wouldn't have Cinder in it, but I am glad to hear that.
ReplyDeleteLiz
I read Cinder when it was first released and really enjoyed it. This is the first time I have come across the locations the next books will take place in. Thanks for the information. Marissa does a terrific job of revamping the Cinderella story, and I agree it could stand on its own, not based upon the fairy tale. Great review!
ReplyDeleteYou're right Jenn, Dystopian fairy tale is a fantastic idea! I'm intrigued. Predicability in a story can be a downer. I've recently learned that when plotting, it's best to come up with 6 different directions for the story to go in and choose the less predictable. But if Meyer is mimicking a fairy tale, I can see why she wouldn't want to stray too far from the original plot. :-)
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