Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer — Feiwel and Friends

This isn't your ordinary fairy tale. In Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles, a futuristic Cinderella retelling by Marissa Meyer, you won't come across a magic pumpkin or a fairy god mother. The book follows a teenager named Cinder, a mechanic in New Beijing who is part cyborg-part human. With the threat of an intergalactic war looming and a plague spreading across the planet, Cinder finds herself at the centre of the chaos—with a dash of romance, a quirky robot sidekick and an evil queen.

I'm not usually this blunt when it comes to writing reviews, but I need to put this plainly: I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I haven't had an enjoyable reading experience like this in a long time. One where I dreaded having to put the book down, one where I was extremely ecstatic each time I was able to get back to reading the story. From the very first paragraph of the book (which describes Cinder screwing her new robotic foot into place...how's that for an opening?) I was completely absorbed and obsessed with the world of New Beijing.

Although Cinder is a fairy tale retelling (and there's nothing wrong with that), for the most part I completely forgot I was reading a story that wasn't 100 per cent original. Even with its ties to Cinderella—and even with a handful of predictable "twists" and reveals—the story felt utterly original and new.

I'm so excited this is part of a larger series, The Lunar Chronicles, which melds the worlds of other fairy tale characters (including Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel) into a larger narrative of good versus evil.

Follow me on Instagram (@myliterarylenses) for more photos and reviews!