4.5 stars
Disclaimer: I am a sucker for Cinderella re-imaginings. Ever After? Love it to pieces. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve watched said movie. I lost track after 20. Remember when Danielle de Barbarac rescued Prince Henry and carried him on her back? Now that was a real Buffy/heroine in action. But back on point, er somewhat, I’ve also viewed every Cinderella re-imagining ever made. Even the Selena Gomez one. *shudders at the very thought* But hey, I’m keeping it real and it is what it is. Point blank, I’m a sucker for romance in the form of this timeless classic. So, basically my point with sharing this slice of my life is to let y’all know that I was bound to like Cinder from page one. Add in my fondness for sci-fi and it was bound to be love. With that said . . .

Love it was, which is evidenced by me devouring every delicious word of Cinder in a day's time. However - and it makes me sad to have to mention this, and this is the only reason I didn’t grant Cinder 5 stars - I wish there had been more world building. *sighs* I'm fascinated with Asian culture, so the locale, New Beijing, was an added bonus, right up my alley. But I’m afraid that the descriptions were scant, at least for my liking. And what's up with the Lunar race? How exactly do they travel from the moon to the Earth and back? What are these so-called vessels like? How do they even live on the moon? And what is this magic that they wield mentioned?

Us readers learn that Lunars are able to cloak their true selves. I must say, it was very reminiscent of Jasmine from Angel season 4. Remember how Jasmine was able to glamour millions? When people viewed her they saw a beautiful creature, but it was merely an illusion? Well, the Lunar people in Cinder employ some kind of Jasmine trick. A trick I wanted to know more about. Perhaps we'll learn more about them in book 2. I’m sure we will.

And as far as the overall mystery. Well, I was 100% certain I puzzled out said mystery around page 100. It’s definitely not The Sixth Sense worthy, but that’s okay. It’s all good. Truth be told, the story didn’t peter out for me as a result of my amazing Sherlocking skills. I was still engrossed, invested, loving every delicious word.

All in all, I am a fan of Cinder. Love the cyborg idea. Very unique. Love all the characters within. And I do hope (fingers crossed) that more descriptions and explanations of this world will pop up in future books in this fabulous new series.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a different read, if you’re a Cinderella junkie like moi, if you're a fan of the movie A.I., if you want to be swept away and escape the cares of the world, then this is the book for you. And Cinder herself would’ve made Danielle de Barbarac proud, for she is no damsel in distress.