Fairytale Renditions Part 1

This year I’ve decided to share my love of fairytales with everyone right here on chasingsheherazade.wordpress.com The first fairy tale rendition that I read this year was Cinder by Marissa Meyer. As the title shows, this one was a super fantastic take on Cinderella. As a culture, we love Cinderella since it is the true underdog story or we hate her for not being what we think an independant woman should be. Hence, over the years the theme has been that Cinderella saves herself and doesn’t get help from a fairy godmother. I’ve read and seen several Cinderella stories and this one is a hit. Cinder is no different. Told in a third person point of view in order to keep a traditional story teller feel, but extremely close that it has the immediacy of first person, the reader is thrown straight into Cinder’s world.The futuristic world that Marissa creates is so interesting and real that the references to the original Cinderella story is actually not needed, but I see why they are there. It gives the story that is so far in the future, a feeling of an old tradition. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing. She works a booth in the market with her android, Iko, who has an endearing personality. Of course there are the regular cast of characters that one would expect: Stepmother-Adri and two step sisters- Pearl and Peony. New Beijing is run by an Emperor, hence enters the handsome prince, Kai. But there is more mystery surrounding Cinder than she originally thinks. Then with a deadly pandemic raking earth, and Cinder’s acceptance to fix the prince’s broken android are the start to a chain of events that will change her life forever.

 Reading Cinder while daughter watches Mickey Mouse

I love Cinder as a character mainly for how deeply her emotions run, which is her proof of her humanity and her determination to make her life better. She reminds me off Tally in Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series and the setting of this futuristic New Beijing reminds me of Extras the companion book of the Uglies series. Also if you like Legend by Marie Lu then you will definitely love this story. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Scarlett, Cress, and Winter, which will be renditions of other well known fairy tales.

Lastly, Marissa Meyer as an author seems like a really cool person. Apart from coming up with the idea that Cinderella as a Cyborg would be awesome, she also read a lot of anime in high school (Wonder if she’s heard of the anime Fairytail) and wishes she could draw her characters.

Learn more about Marissa Meyer in her Goodreads interview here or her website here.