Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) in Addicted to YA

Apr 17, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing

I loved this book and can't wait to start the rest of the series. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 15, 2015 Bernadette rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-dystopian-post-apocalyptic, ya-fiction, genre-romance, completed-series, cultural-asia, scifi-space, scifi-robots

Ugh. I really really want to like this book. I think I've given it more stars than I actually believe it deserves...

After some debating, I've lowered my rating from three stars to two. I feel badly about this since there's no way I would read a book that was rated two stars, even if goodreads technically says that this rating means that "it was okay." But I just can't get behind a three star rating for this. I doubt that my low rating will have any effect on the overall rating though, since mos Ugh. I really really want to like this book. I think I've given it more stars than I actually believe it deserves...

After some debating, I've lowered my rating from three stars to two. I feel badly about this since there's no way I would read a book that was rated two stars, even if goodreads technically says that this rating means that "it was okay." But I just can't get behind a three star rating for this. I doubt that my low rating will have any effect on the overall rating though, since most readers have rated this with four or five stars.

Lets start with the world building. This is Earth in the distant (?) dystopian future, after World War III. It's an interesting concept, though it has been done before, so has the whole "space colony on the moon" trope. But that's alright, that's just what's currently in trend. What's not alright was how boring the rest of the story was.

Cinder was so bland. Yes, she's a cyborg, yes, she can't express sadness because her tear ducts have been removed, but she's not interesting to me. She's been operated on to be an enhanced sort of human! That should be interesting, that should be cool! But I honestly didn't care about her that much. I just couldn't connect with her. It might have been because I was having such a difficult time imagining some of the scifi aspects that I was too distracted to give all of my attention.

Iko. Oh, Iko. I understand that most people who have reviewed this book believe she's one of the most entertaining characters in the series, with her cheeky sense of humor and "adorableness," but for me she is just an annoyance. She figures into the story as Cinder's irritating sidekick, and nothing more.

The scenes with the scientist (I can't even be bothered to remember or look up his name tbh) were such a drag. There's nothing I hate more than scientific info dumps, which is one of the reasons that I stray away from scifi. I understand that these scenes were needed for the "Big Reveal" but did they have to be so dull? They take place in an almost featureless and windowless room, and I felt suffocated (and bored) whenever scenes took place here.

Kai and Cinder's relationship puzzled me. I didn't really feel any chemistry between them. Yes, she's an apparently beautiful, intelligent, mechanical genius, and he's obviously the alluring Prince, but how is it that they've already fallen in love with each other when they've spent almost no time together? They don't know each other at all. Sure, they know basic facts about each other, but that's really it. I understand that instantaneous love is a bit of a trope in YA fiction, but usually I can see the appeal... that's definitely not the case here. How is it that Kai is ready and willing to risk the safety of his people for a girl he just met yet is already in love with? HOW??

I want to continue the series in the hope that Cress and Scarlet are more engaging, but I can't seem to force myself to pick the sequel up. Hopefully my lack of enthusiasm for the first book will abate and I'll be able to continue with Scarlet soon. ...more

Like · see review

Oct 09, 2014 Kristie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-lit-sci-fi-fant, ya-lit-dystopia

This book had some slow parts and took a few chapters to get going. I really enjoyed the tables turned on the classic Cinderella, so that she was no longer a helpless maid, but a cyborg mechanic with a strong will. The plot is honestly too complicated to explain; you'll just have to read it yourself. Also be warned: there are some genuinely sad parts in the book.

I'm not in a hurry to read the rest of the series but I think I will finish it eventually. Enjoyable twist on classic fairy tales are a ...more

Like · see review