Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A variation of this review can also be found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/945566871?book_show_action=false



Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Book #1 in The Lunar Chronicles
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fairytale Retelling
Pages: 390
Summary: "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." (as found on Goodreads )


First off, this review if spoiler-free, so if you haven't read this book yet, then you can read this review. Also, if you haven't read the book yet I would highly reccomend it. Normally, I'm not the biggest science fiction fan. It's okay, but not something I regularly read. This sci-fi fairytale retelling taught me to give science fiction another chance.

Characters:I loved the characters in this book. They were probably my favorite part of the entire novel. I don't know how Marissa Meyer does it, but I had sympathy for even the smallest of characters, that we only got to see once or twice. And Cinder, the lead, was perfect for this book. I loved her sarcastic, slightly snarky, sense of humor, and how brave she was. Iko, her android, was very cute, and I laughed several times when Iko was in the scene.


Setting:
New Beijing; what an interesting place. The author did her research before doing this novel. While reading, I could see a lot of the customs that are used in current times, as well as ancient times; with just a hint of what could happen in the future. And then there's the overall world; New Earth. It was a very interesting place, and I loved exploring it with Meyer.

Plot:
Of course we knew what would happen; it is a retelling, after all. But the way that Marissa Meyer let it fold out, made it so that we never knew when this event would happen or how it would happen. The novel moved fairly quickly, spending just enough time on each scene, which I personally appreciated.

Writing Style:
The author showed us the world, instead of telling us about it, which was something I found particularly notable in this book. Another thing I loved was how simplistic, yet complex, a single sentence could be. There seemed to be a bit of a deeper meaning to everything. Overall, I loved Meyer's writing style, and hope to read more of her work even after The Lunar Chronicles is concluded.

Final Notes and Thoughts:
This novel made me cry, it made me laugh. It made me cringe whenever something bad or embarassing happened, and it made me gasp when something I didn't expect popped up out of nowhere. This book is a great book for pretty much anyone. Even if you aren't a big fan of sci-fi or fairytale retellings, I'd still say to give this book a chance. I did, and I ended up loving it.


(5/5 Stars)