.
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian,
Romace, Science Fiction
.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future.
.
The Lunar Chronicles
The Lunar Chronicles are a series of books which re-imagine various fairytales, that puts the female protagonists into a more assertive role. Based in a futuristic world, slightly in-line with our own, but filled with cyborgs, androids, moon colonists and more, which have caused empires and countries to re-align.
The first of the series, Cinder, tells a new version of Cinderella.
.
Linh Cinder
Linh Cinder, known as Cinder, lives in New Beijing with her stepmother ( Linh Adri) and two stepsisters, Linh Pearl and Linh Peony. Being 36.28% cyborg she is treated as a second class citizen by all, especially her stepmother, except her stepsister Peony who she fiercely loves.
Besides her mechanical hand and foot, you would not be able to tell her head was full of wires. The wires that kept her breathing, walking, talking. She manages to mostly pass as human to all that do not know what, or who she is.
One positive from her cyborg status is her skills with anything mechanical. It is during her work as a repair mechanic that she meets Prince Kai, heir to the throne of the Eastern Commonwealth, and her entire world takes a different path.
Most of her customers couldn’t fathom how a teenage girl could be the best mechanic in the city, and she never broadcast the reason for her talent. The fewer people who knew she was cyborg, the better. She was sure she’d go mad if all the market shopkeepers looked at her with the same disdain as Chang Sacha did.
Meyer, M. 2012, P.12 (E-Book)
During this time a bout of Letumosis hits the Commonwealth, a fatal disease which has caused the death of many residents. Not only is it killing people all around her, but it comes to Cinder’s family. She must find a way to find a cure, and soon, before her life changes forever.
.
The World
The world has re-formed, Earth is made from six countries – the United Kingdom, the European Federation, the African Union, the American republic, Australian and of course, the Eastern Commonwealth. They must unite to keep the peace between the Earthen’s and the Lunars, a race of colonists from the moon. The Lunars have powers beyond the Earth, they can glamour creating a vision of what they wont you to see, they are viscous and they want the Earth to bow to them.
Emperor Rikan has managed to keep the peace so far, making decisions that no should have to, but how will Prince Kai cope when the reigns are passed over?
.
The Book
Marissa Meyer is fantastic at her re-imagines of the fairytales we know and love With Cinder she creates a compelling retelling of Cinderella, building a rich world in which Cinderella, Repunzel, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood all fight to change their stories.
Well written and enjoyable, Meyer weaves such a wonderful story you can’t help but keep picking it up. The characters are believable, making choices you root for and with great reasons behind them.
.
Behind the Scenes
As Marissa Meyers debut novel, Cinder is the first of many alternate reality fairytales, all of which have put the series firmly in the feminist literature genre.
.
Final Thoughts
I struggle to read books through to the end at the moment due to motherhood, so when I picked this up I saw how big it was and wasn’t sure I would finish it. However, the story really grabbed my attention, it flows so well and I honestly cared for the characters. It is such a fun adventure, and I cannot wait to continue with the rest of the saga.
talislibrary.com 
Leave a comment