Title:  Cinder [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Marissa Meyer [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Format: eBook (ARC)
Source: Publisher (via Net Galley)
Reviewer: Michelle
Parental Advisory: war, violence, criminal activity
Teachable Moments: bigotry

“She covered her steel hand first, and though her right palm began to sweat immediately inside the thick material, she felt more comfortable with the gloves on, hiding the plating of her left hand.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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.

Opinion:
Cinder is the story of a cyborg who’s father has died and left her with her resentful stepmother and two stepsisters.  As the person in the household that earns the most income she is essentially a slave.  The expectations of her performance are unreasonable and the treatment she endures by most everyone in her family is unbearable. Sounds familiar (sorta) doesn’t it?  That’s because this is the science-fiction version of Cinderella.

As a fan of such stories I always enjoy seeing how the author interprets the original.   In the case of Cinder,  Meyer has chosen to create a very loose adaptation.   An interesting take on the tale Cinder certainly deals with the wretched stepmother, she has the two step-sisters and has a fairy godmother. Thing is one of the two step-sisters adores her and the fairy godmother is actually a robot.  Then there’s the prince, he’s a charmer to be sure, but he’s also a man determined to save his country at any cost.

The plot is fairly straight-forward. In a time where plague kills a good portion of the population the royal family is working diligently to find a cure.  But there is more, this plague is coupled with the country’s efforts to stave off an inter-planetary war.  There is plenty of espionage and intrigue as Prince Kai avails himself of   every opportunity to find a way to save his people from terrifying outcomes on both fronts.  Cinder, of course, is part of that plot as she is a master mechanic who is sorely needed to assist him in retrieving much needed valuable information related to the war.  Not only that but she’s a bit of a medical miracle of her own and assists in trying to find the foundation of (and cure for) the plague that curses Earth.

Thus starts the romance.  For me, this was the weakest part of the story.  I just didn’t feel any spark between the two.  Kai was very dignified, charming and certainly loyal to his country and duties.  Cinder was tentative and unsure but strong-willed and equally loyal.  Together (though through much of the story they are working apart) they seem to be trying to achieve some of the same goals.  But there is the problem, for much of the book they are focused on individually.  The limited interaction between them didn’t promote the grand romantic tale that Cinderella really is.  It set up book two, and the potential for a stronger romantic arc well but here, in book one, it felt lacking.

Where the book did excel was in world-building.  It had a very Asian vibe to it which I quite enjoyed.  Meyer created very visual experience without going overboard with the description.  From the dingy plague-infested markets and tenements to the more opulent palace the world in which Cinder and Kai lived was befitting of a culture that is crafted on a particular class structure.  Meyer also did well in crafting a very mechanical feel with the cyborgs and other advanced machinery prevalent in this world.

Though heavier on the science fiction there was strong characterization for Cinder and the plot (while slow at times) was definitely interesting.  Though it took until about halfway through for things to really get going but once it did the story was fast paced.  No shortage of action either.  As is the case with most books that are first in a series there was a fair share of set-up but I found that even so it wasn’t so slow that it seemed like it was being stretched out to allow for more books in the series.

A unique look at an age-old classic, Cinder is one that fans of dystopian, science fiction and fairy tales should give a go.  It’s certainly a fun take!