Jan/Feb Book: Cinder, Chapters 29-34

[Hana]

comment on chapters 29-34, no spoilers please!

[Rowena]

Does it bother anyone else that Cinder is so spunky and no nonsense and interesting until the ball, where she forgets her whole purpose for being there and instead turns into this little lovesick teeny bopper? It's like all of a sudden saving the world takes a back seat to, "omg does he like me?" I guess this is my problem with some YA lit. It can get a bit hormonal.

[Lisa]

Rowena,
I agree. She seems to lose her agency completely in places. Toward the end, I was more engaged with the Prince and his storyline than with hers.

[Holley]

Yes, but that was up until {um thing that apparently happens in the next reading block and I completely thought it happened in Chapter 34. Sorry}.

I loved that she looked like a complete disaster at the ball. The dress was a mess, the gloves stained her hair was in shambles. Perfect. I thought the kiss was a bit much and wasn't really keen on the romance stuff.

The d-comm girl programmer is clearly Rapunzel, so we're already set up for another book or two down the line.

I was unexpectedly crushed when Cinder found Iko's remains.I had found the android alternating between amusing and annoying, with a bit more of a tilt toward annoying. I think it was the sheer vicious nature of the destruction and then the step-mother just dumping the melted bits in Cinder's room that really bothered me.

[Charlie]

I was constantly wondering what makes this 'Commonwealth' and Prince Kai so amazing since their world sounds like a disaster.
Plagues, overcrowding, conscripts, racism etc.
I was like maybe this dude ain't such great choice either.
As for Cinder I thought it was funny that she seemed not to be able to be pulled into the 'We love Prince Kai' fanclub no matter how hard she tried. What girl hasn't been dismayed at her own ridiculous, improbable crushes.

[Ell]

When Cinder is trying to hide her lack of foot, Kai says that it is so unlike her not to rise and courtesy or whatever which is ... what??? She comments on the fact that she didn't really do any of that during their first meeting, so why would he think she's usually so respectful? Weird.

Also why would Adri make a scene att the ball??? Cinder was just announced as a personal guest of the Emperor, and she's like "yeah, gonna slap this bitch in front of everyone". That ... just doesn't make any sense at all to me??? I suppose she might've been upset seeing Cinder in Peony's dress, but I don't buy it.

Still happy she got to go to the ball! I mean, she kinda had to, but still. Good for her. ˆˆ

[Holley]

Ell wrote: "When Cinder is trying to hide her lack of foot, Kai says that it is so unlike her not to rise and courtesy or whatever which is ... what??? She comments on the fact that she didn't really do any of..."

I took that as sarcasm, but I could have been wrong.

[Ell]

Holley wrote: "Ell wrote: "When Cinder is trying to hide her lack of foot, Kai says that it is so unlike her not to rise and courtesy or whatever which is ... what??? She comments on the fact that she didn't real..."

I wondered if it was supposed to be that, but it was used as a way for him to be a bit suspicious of her not standing up, so I'm not sure?

(Also your previous post has a spoiler in the first paragraph, that hasn't happened as of chapter 34!)

[Sara]

It read as teasing sarcasm to me.

I feel like anyone who's been in a car accident her first time driving, was just thrust into unwelcome spotlight, was nearly assaulted by her guardian, and is terribly late to a ball may be excused for becoming rather flustered by the situation. ;-)

OMG Iko. I hope she comes back in another droid.

[Terpsgrl32]

I would probably want to just go hide in some dark corner (or in Cinder's case the column) until Kai happens to walk by & I can get his attention.

Through the entire book she's not the best when it comes to being in the spotlight. She's rather shy & just wants to be left alone & fix stuff.

I was really sad for Iko. Her personality is rather endearing to me. She's like the teenage girl that Cinder wishes she could have been if she wasn't treated so badly or a cyborg.

There's a lot of foreshadowing for Scarlett in this book that made me go "oh, that's why so & so said/did that" as well as for Cress.

(Possible spoiler) the cyborg laws get explained later in another book & will then make sense.

[Effing]

The main thing I took away from this section was that we finally got into the fairy tale-heavy part of the action... and then Cinder crashes her pumpkin and shows up at the ball looking a hot mess. There's only so much a fairy god-doctor can do for you, after all.