Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Pages:  387
Genre:  YA Science Fiction/Fairytale Dystopia
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends
Obtained:  Bought (at signing)
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.

What I Liked:  1) Cinder was quite the unique heroine that fell into the category of having to rescue herself rather than wait to be rescued. Readers cannot help feeling for her situation at home as well as the warring emotions after meeting and helping Prince Kaito. 2) New Beijing. When the setting seems to have a life of its own, you know you have a great story. 3) Peony and Iko were fascinating supporting characters, and I can understand Cinder's attachment to them by the end of the book. 4) The villains delivered a performance worthy of invoking my wrath. Both Adri and Queen Levana deserved to be backhanded many times over, and I applaud Meyer for creating such villains that make me want to punch something.

What I Didn't Like:  I can't really think of anything off-hand, though I admit it would have been nice to see more of New Beijing. I do look forward to seeing more of Meyer's futuristic Earth in the next titles.

Overall:  Readers who enjoy a retold and updated fairy tale will certainly find similarities in Cinder while also getting to know this new world and spin on the girl who lost her "shoe" following the ball.