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

Jan 02, 2014 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 301-to-400-pages, young-adult, wealthy-billionaire, fairytales, romance, favorite-couple, humor, royalty-and-nobility, be-still-my-beating-heart, retellings-reimagined-adaptations

08/04/2022: Reread on audiobook!

I can't believe that I never left a review the first time that I read this. This book was abso-freaking-lutely fantastic! It was mesmerizing from the very first page. I was totally engrossed in the story. I love Meyer's writing style and her storytelling is fantastic. I loved the plot twists and the interesting way that the author orchestrated this unique retelling of Cinderella. The parallels were really exciting to see unfold. I loved the science fiction adaptat ...more

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Dec 15, 2013 Martha rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, science-fiction, 2015

I really enjoyed this book. Finding a young adult book that is so entertaining is a wonderful treat. I give it 4.5 stars only because I saw the twist coming a mile off. Still it was a great story & imaginative retelling of one of the best fairy tales.

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Feb 11, 2013 Amy Hayes rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was so hesitant to start this series because it's sci-fi and that's not really a genre I enjoy, but I loved this book. I was fascinated by the story and some of the characters, Cinder, Iko, Peony, Kai and Dr. Erland. I loved to hate Adri and Queen Levana, which I'm sure was the intention. I can't wait to read Scarlet and I hope the characters from this book are in it. ...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Asmaa rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, series, crazy-about-the-cover, bring-out-the-tissues, you-make-me-smile, z-2012-reads, recs-from-bestie, sci-fi

Rating: 3.75/5

The book was really gripping and it started it off so well and I thought I'd be giving it +5 stars, but then by the end it left a slight taste of disappointment in my mouth and I felt like I have to notch down the rating...

Full review to come. ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Melissa Wehunt rated it really liked it

Shelves: quirky, ya, ya-love-stories, ya-romance, ya-fantasy, ya-sci-fi, ya-science-fiction, mother-daughter-issues, parental-issues, parent-child-relationships

Well, I think this is a good read. And I think it will appeal to many audiences…but I do think it’s a bit overhyped. When I read the synopsis before I ordered it for my library I thought, “holy cow, I just have to read this NOW!” But after I did, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I love dystopias, I love fairy tale retellings, I love strong, sassy female protagonists, and I love HEA’s with a lovely, handsome, brave and wonderful leading man. So, what’s up?
Well, I just had ...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Chris rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, asia, youth, scifi-fantasy-paranormal, series, middle-grades, young-adult

Cinder the cyborg lives in New Beijing. She remembers nothing before her 11th birthday when something happened that caused doctors to turn her into something part human and part machine. She was adopted by a man she didn't know and brought into a home where she was far less than welcome by the man's wife. When the man dies of letumosis, the blue plague sweeping the globe, Cinder is forced into a life servitude. She earns all the money for the family as a mechanic fixing androids and anything els Cinder the cyborg lives in New Beijing. She remembers nothing before her 11th birthday when something happened that caused doctors to turn her into something part human and part machine. She was adopted by a man she didn't know and brought into a home where she was far less than welcome by the man's wife. When the man dies of letumosis, the blue plague sweeping the globe, Cinder is forced into a life servitude. She earns all the money for the family as a mechanic fixing androids and anything else mechanical.

Meanwhile, there is trouble in the empire. For years it has been under threat from the "Lunars"--a group of people who have lived on the moon for so long they are considered a separate race. Now the emperor is dying of the plague and the queen of the Lunars is demanding to marry the heir to the throne, Prince Kai. Considering she's known to kill off all potential threats, including reportedly the young girl who was supposed to be her heir, it's not a match made in heaven. Kai is a major heart throb. The object of posters and dolls and every girl's dream. His adoring fans, including Cinders two stepsisters, are all hoping to catch his eye at the upcoming ball.

There are two ways you can approach this book. You can either poke many holes in some of the structure of the futureworld Meyer has built, or you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. First the hole poking:

It doesn't make a lot of sense that cyborgs are treated like slaves. Clearly their mechanical parts have saved them from certain death. These people must have had some value as human beings to make them worth saving. Why treat them so badly now?

And then there is the plague. It seems much more of a convenient plot device than any real threat. You don't need to be an immunologist to know some of the things Cinder does should be spreading this plague far and wide.

Finally, Prince Kai, our Prince Charming, does act anywhere near what a "real" prince might act like.

But forget all of that and just sit back and enjoy the ride, because I still really enjoyed this book and will be eagerly waiting for the sequel. Cinder is a lot closer to Katniss Everdeen than Cinderella. Both she and Kai are totally likable. In fact, Kai pretty much had me at hello. I also loved Cinder's sidekick, Iko, even if it is almost impossible not to picture her as R2D2. And I liked the fact that Meyer chose to make one of the stepsisters nice and kind.

It was fun to see the way Meyer wove in the "prince is having a ball" storyline while adding a whole different dimension with the threat from the Lunars. There's lots of stuff here that will make for a pretty good movie, too. ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 April rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-audio-book-challenge, reviewed, ya-books, sci-fi, audiobook, amazon-review-posted, blogged, 2014, 2014-young-adult-audiobook-challeng

Check out my other listens at Eargasms Audiobook Reviews

I was skeptical about this book at first. I am always wary of trying a book that has so much hype. And it has two elements I am not always big on, robots and Sci-Fi. Happily, I found I had nothing to worry about!

Most of the book is from the POV of the main character, Cinder. She is a cyborg orphan just trying to get by. I really liked her and was revealed to find she isn't an angsty teen. She has a surprising amount of spunk and sass. Her Check out my other listens at Eargasms Audiobook Reviews

I was skeptical about this book at first. I am always wary of trying a book that has so much hype. And it has two elements I am not always big on, robots and Sci-Fi. Happily, I found I had nothing to worry about!

Most of the book is from the POV of the main character, Cinder. She is a cyborg orphan just trying to get by. I really liked her and was revealed to find she isn't an angsty teen. She has a surprising amount of spunk and sass. Her family situation is a very much like the original Cinderella, except Ms. Meyer manages to make the step-mother and sisters less offensive. Sure she is treated like a slave, but the characters are not evil, just lacking compassion and warmth for her. I do like the twist of having a nice sister to balance the spoiled one.

There is a touch of a romance with the Prince, but it is not the major motivation of the story. Thank goodness, it is tiring reading teen books that only seem to be about finding true love at sixteen. There is so much more to the world than romance, and this book explores many other themes.

This is the first book in the series and does a great job of setting up where the adventure is headed. I can not say I was surprised by the bigger plot twist, but it was very intriguing.

The world was so wonderfully crafted that I was easily swept into this Sci-Fi. It has an almost Urban fantasy meets Dystopian society kind of feel. While the main genre is Sci-Fi it was not overly heavy in techie details.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler, who does a wonderful job. She keeps the narrative moving at a steady pace, infusing it with energy and emotion. I like a quicker read, so I listened at triple speed. Her voices are consistent and distinct. She has a slight rasp to her voice that adds to the world weary feel of the main character's narration.

Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. Often I find series that are so lauded are a disappointment. I love all the nods to original fairytales that are peppered throughout the story. It is always a delight to find stories that are fresh new looks at stories you grew up with, taking them to new heights. I can not wait to see what will happen in the other books. ...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Suzanne rated it it was ok

Shelves: bookworm-bitches-catch-up-challenge, library-overdrive-audiobook, rrrc-2012-books-read-challenge, september-2012-rrrc-pick-it-for-me, read-in-2012, goodreads-choice-award-2012, top-10-ya-sci-fi-books-2017, bookriot-100-must-read-ya-scifi-bo, may-2018-rrrc-pick-it-for-me

I'm not sure where this book fell short with me. The story was an interesting idea, the world was neat, but the execution of it all just fell really flat and I couldn't get into it. I may try to read the next one and give this author another chance. It's her first book so maybe 2nd time's the charm? ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: z-favourite-ya, z-read-in-2015, x-read-apoc-dyst, x-read-ya

Really enjoyable far-future earth retelling of Cinderella, with a cyborg mechanic and a Prince. Looking forward to the next in the series! Can't believe I waited so long to read it. My only wish is that the ending of this one was a little more complete-as-is. ...more

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Dec 30, 2017 TheReadingKnitter/ Kasey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, library, 2017

Overall this book was pretty good. I remember adding it to my tbr list many years ago because I thought it was supposed to be like a modernized Cinderella story (she’s my favorite princess) but it has lots more in it then that. Onto the next book!

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