Publication Date: 01/03/2012
My Rating: 4.5/5--Really good! Worth your time.
Plot in One Word: Cinderella
Good if...you want a totally unique retelling!
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
My Thoughts... The Cinderella of the future!
I'm in awe! This novel incorporated all the classic elements of the Cinderella fairy-tale into a sci-fi, futurist retelling. And it was flawless, each character represented perfectly! I'm amazed by the genius behind Marissa Meyer's work. But not only did the story fit in all the elements of a Cinderella tale, it also was unique, suspenseful, and fun all on it's own.
So, since it's a futurist retelling, instead of it being 'Cinderelly, Cinderelly, washing the dishes, do the mopping' it was 'Cinder, fix the android robot, fix the hover craft'. Cinder is a cyborg (a human with mechanical parts), a 2nd-class citizen in her world, and there's no way she'll ever go to the ball. Not that she even wants to. She's too busy working as a mechanic and earning a living for the family. Her robot sidekick Iko--who I liked to think of as the fairy-godmother of the story--is practically her only friend until she meets the prince. Wearing a hoodie as disguise, the story kicks off the moment Prince Kai visits Cinder's booth in the crowded New Beijing market place and asks her to fix his android.
I read this one at hyper-speed, as I couldn't get enough, and loved every moment of the story until the very end. It ends on a cliff-hanger. Picture the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore: she goes to the ball... the prince is so excited to see her until it's revealed that she's not royalty as he thought but a lowly peasant... the step-mom rips off her wings... Drew runs away in tears leaving her shoe behind... the prince is angry thinking he was betrayed until he realizes that it doesn't matter if Drew is royalty or not because he loves her just the same... the end. Now picture the movie ending before the prince's realization. What if he never brought Drew Barrymore the shoe, expressed his love, called her by her real name? The movie would have felt unfinished. Well, that's how--more or less--this book ended.
But, book #2 is already out so hopefully I'll have my ending soon enough :)
Bottom line: Buy it! Read it! I really liked it!
2 comments:
Glad you liked it. This one was a favorite last year. I can't wait for the next book.
I saw your review Jenny and that's why I decided to give it a try :) Glad I did :)
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