She’s a Mechanic, a Cyborg—and Cinderella?!
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Of course I’d seen the book. Everyone who had walked into Barnes & Noble had seen the prominent display of the Lunar Chronicles series.
Did that mean I wanted to open up a creepy-looking sci-fi Cinderella retelling?
Hmmm. . . How about NO.
My to-read list literally had me booked until retirement age.
I didn’t have the time or desire to plunge head first into the strange new world of Lunar Chronicles.
But one of my closest friends had not only read it, but loved the entire series, and owned the books. The more she talked about the series, the more interested I was in giving it half a chance (because of the whole ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ rule).
So finally two summers ago I cracked open Cinder by Marissa Meyer. From that first page until the last sentence of the series finale Winter, I don’t remember much of anything. I know I went to work at 7 a.m. all week and that I ate lunch with my friends, but mostly I remember my thoughts caught up in the fast-paced world of cyborgs and princes and magic.
When it comes to the original fairy tales, Cinderella was never my favorite princess. She didn’t really do much. Neither did the prince (and sure, you can argue with me on that, but my heart is set on Beauty and the Beast. No other fairy tale comes close, aside from Peter Pan).
But the Lunar Chronicles Cinder on the other hand…she was brave and smart and a mechanic cyborg! How cool is that? Cool in the weirdest, most unexpected way.
The author Marissa Meyer is amazing. I admire her as a writer. She knows how to create strong enough characters that she can literally throw anything at them, then sit back and wait for them to figure it out. Her plot is fast-paced, complex, and interesting.
The Lunar Chronicles series is about a deadly plague destroying Earth where humans, cyborgs, and androids live. I’ll give Marissa Meyer the pleasure of describing Cinder in her own words:
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.
The first book Cinder retells Cinderella, the second book Scarlet retells Little Red Riding Hood, the third book Cress retells Rapunzel, and the last book Winter retells Snow White. (Looove Winter! Did I mention Winter is my favorite?)
All four fairy tales and their characters overlap and continue the plot until the series reaches the grand climax in Winter.
You may not be into fairy tale retellings or sci-fi or cyborgs, but give Meyer a chance. Somehow she creates a captivating world and exciting adventure from the age-old stories we all love (or at least know).
Have you read Cinder? Are you going to know that you’ve read my stunning endorsement of Marissa Meyer’s book? (And no she didn’t pay me. At least, not much.)
Bypass the cover and at least read the book sample online.
Let’s judge a book by it’s words instead and give the lovely cyborg-mechanic-Cinderella a fighting chance.
Disclaimer: beware of sarcastic comments throughout my blog posts. I’ve tried my best to stifle my sarcastic tendencies, but often I type faster than I think. Although the written text can sometimes camouflage my sarcastic tone, I know your highly trained eye will sense the truth.
Hopefully.
