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Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)

Marissa Meyer

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

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What Members Thought

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

Shelves: own-ebook-read, 301-to-400-pages, dual-or-multi-pov, brave-heroine, disability-illness-injury-disorder, side-characters-giving-me-life, young-adult, mindfuck, political-or-court-intrigue, all-the-stars-five-are-not-enough

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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Oct 14, 2012 Ami rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, book-club-reads, young-adult, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I came across this book quite by accident. One of my favorite local bookstores recommended what they thought were some of the best new YA books on the scene and this was one of them. Cyborgs? Androids? A new twist on Cinderalla? Of course I was going to request it from my library right away! :D

I did enjoy this book. I admit I would have liked to have gotten a bit more background on the Lunars and the plague but the tale itself wasn't too bad. I'm hoping that since this is part of a series that I came across this book quite by accident. One of my favorite local bookstores recommended what they thought were some of the best new YA books on the scene and this was one of them. Cyborgs? Androids? A new twist on Cinderalla? Of course I was going to request it from my library right away! :D

I did enjoy this book. I admit I would have liked to have gotten a bit more background on the Lunars and the plague but the tale itself wasn't too bad. I'm hoping that since this is part of a series that the questions I have will be dealt with in subsequent volumes. I thought it was a refreshing twist on the classic Cinderella tale and set in a SF world, how could one resist? I did notice that there didn't seem to be much of an Asian culture backdrop for all that it was set in New Beijing except for perhaps the way the names were set up and some of the building architecture. Then again, this is a dystopian world set who knows how far into our future? How could we expect specific cultures to still be separate? Especially the way the world in this story is described?

I felt so sad for Cinder the way she was reviled for something that wasn't even her choice. Broken down, cast aside, ignored, abused and completely under the thumb of her step-mother as an object owned. It was sickening to see even in such a futuristic world where one would think people would have gotten away from treating other people in that fashion. And the thought of owning another person, even if they were partially mechanical, was so commonplace that it was part of the culture and no one batted an eye at the way Cinder was treated, even by the people that were supposed to be caring for her. The step-mother not providing her with even the basic necessities out of spite is just evil. The step-mother calling the authorities on Cinder simply because she wouldn't answer the phone after the death of her sister and then not even being cognizant that Cinder was caught in the same area where her beloved daughter had just died? She didn't even know where the quarantine was! The sister destroying Kai's gift to Cinder out of jealousy & spite. The step-mother and the sister embarrassing themselves at the ball but blaming Cinder for their behavior. Peony was the only redeeming quality of that family and I did so wish that she didn't have to die; I wonder how different things would have turned out if she hadn't? And even the doctor was treating cyborgs as subhuman in his quest to find the princess. He wasn't even apologetic or sad about the ordeal. It was simply a necessity and it was done. So here's this girl with no friends or really any family to speak of, not sure of her own history, denounced by the very society that insisted she have the honor of dying for them, and then to be told she's a princess and that she was now expected to join the fight for freedom? I'd run screaming for the hills too! It's just too bad she didn't make it. That does always seem to be a recurring theme in Cinderella stories. All of the abuse that is heaped upon her never makes her bitter or twisted. She just seems to be even more caring and gentle (if angry). Her and that hilarious android of her, Iko, really made a good team. I'm looking forward to Iko reappearing in a future volume. :) ...more

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Mar 31, 2016 JLynn rated it it was amazing

I went into this book with no expectations and not knowing what to expect. It had been raved about in a book chat group and I was gifted a copy. My goal this year is to read a wider variety of books, so I took a big step out of my comfort zone. I'm so glad I did. The ending just about killed me. I can't wait to read book 2. ...more

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Jun 05, 2017 Annette Olsen rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, sci-fi, better-than-expected, part-of-a-series, dystopian

I had so much fun reading this book. Some plot points were obvious but they didn't play out quite like I thought they would and I enjoyed that. I'm excited to read the next book. ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Rose Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book . i started reading it unsure but then found it a good read. I enjoyed the authors style and have reserved the digital copy of the next one in the series.

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Apr 26, 2016 Jael rated it it was amazing

I had picked up this book about 3 times and never started it. Some friends were absolutely thrilled with it so I decided to give it another try. It was a really good story. I usually like series, so can't wait to see where the series goes. ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Shawna Turco rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Interesting take on classic fairy tales. Kept my attention. It doesn't have any real surprises in it if familiar with Cinderella, but still enjoyable. ...more

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