Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) in 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge

Feb 08, 2014 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, romance, young-adult

I liked this much better than I had expected to based on its generic (albeit beautiful) YA cover. I've been seeing this everywhere and decide to give it a shot--I was pleasantly surprised to read the description and find out that this wasn't just an ordinary Cinderella retelling.

Cinder is a cyborg living in a world where cyborgs are distrusted, treated like second class citizens. The world is built piece by piece, naturally and without a lot of exposition. You're slowly acclimated to it, and I ...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Kristi rated it really liked it

Shelves: reading-challenge-2014

I liked this book way more than I thought I would. Broadly, it is a reimagining of the Cinderella tale, but the backdrop of the story is pretty different. Cinder is a teenage girl, but she's also a cyborg and the best mechanic in New Beijing. She struggles to make a living under the stern and unforgiving watch of her legal guardian, the wife of the man that brought her back from Europe years earlier and then suddenly died from the plague that has been sweeping Earth. When the plague strikes Cind I liked this book way more than I thought I would. Broadly, it is a reimagining of the Cinderella tale, but the backdrop of the story is pretty different. Cinder is a teenage girl, but she's also a cyborg and the best mechanic in New Beijing. She struggles to make a living under the stern and unforgiving watch of her legal guardian, the wife of the man that brought her back from Europe years earlier and then suddenly died from the plague that has been sweeping Earth. When the plague strikes Cinder's kind step-sister, Cinder's guardian volunteers her cyborg ward for medical testing--and Cinder discovers that being a cyborg is not the only thing that makes her different. All the while, the handsome Prince Kai flits in and out of the scene; he wants Cinder to fix his childhood robot servant, who appears to have information that could affect the future of the planet and possibly prevent Prince Kai from having to marry the evil Lunar Queen.

It wasn't until I read the acknowledgements section at the very end that I realized that Meyer had written Sailor Moon fan-fiction in the past, but as soon as I learned that, I could totally see the influence. Much of what makes this an intriguing reimagining is the way that Meyer sets Cinder in a world that blends sci-fi and fantasy; there is a real sense of danger and intrigue, far beyond what the more traditional Cinderella generally encounters in her wish to go to the ball. Meyer has added technology, magic, Earth-Moon relations, and a deadly plague to the traditional fairy tale and managed to weave all of these elements together in a way that is actually coherent and doesn't feel gimmicky. Cinder herself is a believable and reasonable protagonist, which is quite refreshing.

I'm pretty excited to see where Meyer takes the story next. Recommended to fans of reimagined fairy tales, as well as fans of sci-fi/fantasy blends. I imagine that this novel will appeal more to women and to men, but it's not overly girly or romantic in nature, so men may like it as well if they give it a chance. ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 Erin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yeah, I am a huge sucker for books just like this. Fated princess. Twisted fairy tale. Dystopian elements. Evil queen. Looming danger. I am in, I am unabashed, and I am very much looking forward to #2.

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