Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 14, 2014 Rosaline (Rosaline's Rolls & Scrolls) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, authors-i-need-to-read-more-from, hot-guys-around, that-s-my-heart-you-moron, fucking-cliffhanger, like-the-heroine, totally-saw-that-coming, dual-pov, kickass-heroines, like-the-hero

To all those who are hesitant to start this book because of the Cinderella retelling aspect: What is wrong with you?
Do not, I repeat, do NOT deny yourself of this great read.

I was reluctant to start this because of the said Cinderella retelling part. I don’t much like retellings, and I specially hate Cinderella. The helpless-girl-crying-and-whining-while-others-fix-her-problems-for-her-(with God knows what motives because she clearly has no appeal) plot has never been appealing to me. And the id ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Jenn G rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 4-stars, read-in-2016

Finally I've read it! I wanted to read this book since 2013 when I first been more active on goodreads!
I loved it! I wasn't sure I would love it that much because of the sci-fi thing... I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi but this book made me reconsidering this fact...

Cinder was very funny, and I love a character with a great sense of humor! I'm very excited to read the rest of the series! I will start Glitches soon. ...more

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Aug 05, 2014 Srividya Vijapure rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015_reading_challenge, series_2015, world-lit, romance_2015

Even as a child, I wasn't overly fond of Cinderella as a tale. I always felt it was just too over the board, a little too contrived. Wicked witches, I could understand; wicked queen step mother, I could understand; the wicked step mother in Hansel & Gretel, I could understand; but Cinderella and her story, I never could. You ask why? Well let me tell you, in all the other books there was motive - it was either money or sharing of love or ego or pride or something but in the case of Cinderella - Even as a child, I wasn't overly fond of Cinderella as a tale. I always felt it was just too over the board, a little too contrived. Wicked witches, I could understand; wicked queen step mother, I could understand; the wicked step mother in Hansel & Gretel, I could understand; but Cinderella and her story, I never could. You ask why? Well let me tell you, in all the other books there was motive - it was either money or sharing of love or ego or pride or something but in the case of Cinderella - I found the motive to be the weakest. Here's a step mother with her own daughters and she has to take care of Cinderella. Other than being named good in society, which she wasn't because she (the stepmother) was not a good person, there was no motive to keep Cinderella with her or abuse her in that manner. Yeah, she got a free slave and one could say that this was her motive to keep her in the house but Cinderella doesn't have any obligation to stay there. Anyway, I won't go rambling any more about this childhood classic, which is a favourite with a lot of people and which doesn't strike a chord with me and invite a lot of angst and anger! :) However, I will just stick to saying that the original tale, which was the root for many a Bollywood movie interpretation, was really weak in it's reasoning and foundation, despite being a good tale! :)

So, here we have Marissa Meyer's Cinder, which has the same story, with maybe a slight twist. Cinder is a cyborg, living with her step mother who is her legal guardian and two step sisters. The difference is that one of these step sisters actually likes Cinder *gasp*! And then you have the Prince, Prince Kai, who comes to Cinder to get his android repaired and ends up liking her! You have the usual set of villains, with the step mother, the other step sister and an evil queen who wants to start war with Earth and maybe just destroy it. Amidst all this drama, we get to see what happens to Cinder and Kai.

This was the first instalment of the series, so it mainly introduces the characters, makes them fall in love *double gasp* and then reveals a certain interesting truth about Cinder, which *gasps again* makes the Prince lose faith in her (or so it seems). The beauty of this book was (and for those who don't know me, I mean this very sarcastically), it started off really slow but picked pace and really got interesting in the middle, which made me think that it would be at least a 3 star read. However, the whole thing was just too melodramatic for me and a bit too clichéd! This is sad because it had all the right elements and these elements were beautiful and different but it was not handled well. At the risk of getting staked by those who loved this book, I sincerely feel that it could have been handled with a little more suspense and intrigue and with a little less melodrama!

In short, this is a book that you will enjoy if you are not a stupid analytical person like me. If you just go with the flow of the book, it must be nice but if you were to turn each statement and description into a analytical flow chart, well like me you wouldn't like it! :)

I would like to end this review by saying that this whole thing's on me and not really reflective of the book, which might be nice (given that it has got many four and five star reviews). I chose and read it because I needed it for a challenge, which is the reason why I finished it. Who knows, you might be different and may lap up all the melodrama.. Doesn't mean you are wrong, it just means that we are different! :)

Happy reading, in case you choose to read it! :) ...more

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Apr 25, 2014 Tina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, home

I'm in awe of authors that are able to come up with stories like this! Especially when they create twists like this, on already existing stories.
I was thrilled during the entire book and I can't wait to read the next:) I'm so glad I waited until I had them all in my shelf. ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 Ashley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi

I'm late to this series, mostly because fairy tale retellings are not usually my thing, but this ended up being a pretty good one, and it was so much more than that too. This worldbuilding was fun, I liked the cyborgs, androids, and the Lunars. Iko was so cute! And of course Kai was awesome, he is probably one of the few characters I've read lately that seemed to be a genuinely good person. I actually thought this was a series of stand alones, so I was expecting everything to be wrapped up in a ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: old-favorites, read-in-2015, read-in-2014, read-in-2022

I definitely understand why it was one of my fav YA fantasy novels!

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Jan 05, 2019 Maggie Shanley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: suggested-for-me

If you like Cinderella retellings than this book is for you. It is a young adult science fiction story of a young mechanic, a royal prince, a stepmother, two stepsisters and an old orange car. The Cinderella aspects will smack you in the face, but the world and its inhabitants are interesting and I will most likely continue with the series.

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Sep 10, 2014 Cheryl La Pa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-romance

Light, entertaining, funny and very different. I loved the blending of the fairytale with cyborgs. Although if you want a book with deep characters and an unpredictable plot, then this probably isn't the book for you. ...more

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