An extremely solid entry in the sci-fi YA category. Cinder's a cyborg, a second-class citizen who works as a mechanic fixing androids and portscreens in the crowded bazaars of New Beijing. The world is under threat from a deadly plague and the evil empress of the Lunars, a moon-dwelling race with the ability to manipulate human emotion. This is a smart and fun fairytale reboot. My only qualm is that the story ends abruptly, which I assume is to set up the sequel, but I enjoyed it far more than I expected. I am a big fan of sci-fi set somewhere else besides the USA. Cinder is an intelligent, funny, and resourceful protagonist, and she has real chemistry with the love interest (there's only one! Hallelujah!). I probably bumped this up a star just because it's so far superior to most of what else is in this class, and because it reads as real sci-fi rather than romance with sci-fi details (I'm looking at you, the Selection).