Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: January 3rd 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
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 wasn't aware of this book until I saw Jenni's [Xpresso Reads] book haul in 2012 (I think) where she got an arc of Scarlet and she raved and raved and raved about it and then some. Sci-fi isn't really my thing, but at the time Jenni and I liked some of the same books so when I finally started noticing Cinder on the shelves of my local bookstore, I couldn't walk by anymore. I got it. Gave it a try and stopped half way through, because I wasn't enjoying myself. I was bored, the world and the characters weren't as awesome etc. Then last fall, 2013, I decided to try again. HOLY SMOKE, PEOPLE! What was I thinking before? O____O
“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”
The characters, starting with Cinder, Kai (aka Prince Charming if you weren't aware) and Iko—Cinder's best friend and confidante, who also happens to be an android, were all amazing. Yes, Cinder's POV is very scientific. That was the part which put me off, because I'm in no way technology savvy and I'm lucky I know how to click something on/off and idk.. Know what a HDMI is. I found it hard to follow all the technical stuff, but at the same time, Cinder as a mechanic would be pretty pointless if she didn't think or talk in terms of science and technology. So, I guess if I want her quick mind and snarky attitude, I must take the incredible technology savvy brain as well? Heh.
I found there to be some pacing issues, because I still wasn't as excited to pick it up every night or whenever I had time to spare, but I did thoroughly enjoy the plot. It follows the original story pretty closely, but as I said before, manages to be unique in every way that matters and takes the original Cinderella story to new heights. The book is divided into four separate books and I found the last part to be the best, because it just grabs your attention and you cannot put the book down anymore. I did guess the big shocking reveal way before since it was hinted at multiple times, but it didn't bother me, because I needed the confirmation. I guess the revelation makes sense since that's how the very first original story by Basile is as well.
Anyhow, it's another example in addition to Anna and the French Kiss where I previously thought I disliked the book, but after a year or even more, it turns out that it's the book for me. I enjoyed every single moment of Cinder and I will most definitely follow this series through to the very end. If you haven't started this series yet, do so, please.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Stars: ★★★★
Lovely review Siiri, I'm glad you've finally seen the light! I LOVED Cinder, I thought it was brilliant. Scarlet I gave 4 stars because of the dual point of view. But oh Cress. Cress is perfect. Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteJeann @ Happy Indulgence
Wow, am I glad that you picked up the book a second time because this series is freaking awesome! It really gets better as you continue on. Can't wait for Winter to come out :D
ReplyDeleteI do agree, there are a lot of random technology things that I didn't always understand, but I do feel it was necessary- added to the building of Cinder's character :)
Out of the series, this one was my least favorite. I liked it, but I didn't bother to pick up Scarlet until recently and I regretted it so much because Scarlet was absolutely brilliant. I think you're going to like Cress better than this as well because Cress is so different.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you gave it a 2nd chance. It happened to me with Losing It by Cora Carmack. I picked it up shortly after it was released and I was so bored by it. And then I picked it up again and it ended up blowing me away.
Lovely review, Siiri.
How funny, I'm usually the opposite. There are books I loved years ago and now think 'eh'. This is only a few books though, mostly before I started blogging and really reading a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have a signed and personalized hardcover, the ebook and the audiobook of this one. Still haven't read it. Oops. I'm definitely going with the audiobook route soon. I was going to hear this next but I'm gonna postpone it for a romance. I'm excited to get started on this series!
Just wait for the world-building when you continue into the series :)! It's only getting better - and that is definitely beneficial for the pacing. Just wait 'til you meet all the other characters <3
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you enjoyed the characters in this one and they were well written and easy to like
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that you enjoyed this one :) I loved this book and the sequel! I can't wait to see if you'll like the sequel whenever you read it. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteI really do need to read this series, seriously. Alike you I picked this one awhile back but never really got into it. Other books were more appealing to me at the time so I left this one in the dust. With all of the praise this series is getting, I really do want to try getting into it. I also do love myself a good fairy tale retelling. Wonderful review :)
ReplyDeleteOmg! YES YES YES! You need to continue on with the series. It only gets better. Scarlet is incredible. You'll meet Wolf...umm...major swoons. I still have to read Cress but I've heard fantastic things. Cinder was a little hard for me to get into too, but the series is worth reading as a whole. The world building = Ah-mazing! Great review, Siiri <3 <3
ReplyDeleteGreat review, so many reviews of this book lately I am very behind. I think I would absolutely love this series, if I had the time right now to sit down and read it. The world does sound amazing and every review I read of the upcoming books, it's great to see that it's being built on.
ReplyDeleteSoooo many people love this book but I just can't bring myself to pick it up. The synopsis doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, Siiri! Lovely review. :)
ReplyDeleteYaaaay! So happy that Jennilicious introduced you to this series it's an amazingly crafted story with some great character and world building! I didn't LOVE this one as much as she did - though I still very much enjoyed it and gave it a 4 star so I think the pacing issues you had might have happened to me as well (it's been a while now so I don't quite recall lol) but I'm excited for you to read the rest! Cress is my favorite so far! <3
ReplyDeleteThis is a series that sounds so cool, but like Rachel, I just don't have a lot of interest. I do hear it's gets better w/each book. I'm so glad you have Cinder another try!
ReplyDeleteYAAAYYY I'm so glad you loved this one! I absolutely love this series <3 Scarlet is really good as well, an I've heard great things about Cress, though I haven't started it yet. This series manages to be both fun/adorable and kickass, haha. So glad you decided to pick it up again!
ReplyDeleteYay, another person who love this series! I was kind of hesitant to touch this as well, but it's that kind of series where each book gets better than the previous one, and the first was already a blast! Can't wait to see what you think of the succeeding books!
ReplyDeleteFaye @ The Social Potato
It makes me so happy to see that you picked this book up again and ended up LOVING it. It's the best when that happens! This series keeps getting better and better, so wait until you get to Scarlet and Cress! But I really like this sentence of yours: "The world Marissa Meyer has created is mind-blowing because it's crafted with original ideas even to the tiniest details and still manages to remind you the original story of Cinderella and Prince Charming." THIS is exactly why I love this series so much. The way Meyer is able to weave original fairy tale details into her own unique world and plot, keeps these stories feeling fresh. It makes me so happy to see your review!
ReplyDeleteI picked up Cinder only recently too. I'm not a huge sci-fan fan so even after reading how amazing the series is, I wasn't interested until Cress came out. Felt like kicking myself after reading Cinder for waiting so long to start on the series. Glad to see you liked it too.
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