Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1)

This book sat on my shelf for a few months because I wasn't entirely sure how I would react to it. The premise certainly made me curious. Cyborg Cinderella with aliens. Hmm. Either this was going to go south very quickly or it might just turn out to be worthwhile. Either way, I didn't want to get involved in a new series when I still had several unread books on my self. As it turns out, that fear was well-placed. I finished this book in three days and promptly ordered the second one. I'm even considering ordering the third one well in advance in order to avoid the two-day wait.The beginning piqued my interest, and I remember thinking that I was glad it wouldn't be a dull read. I hate picking up books with amazing covers and then finding out that the pages between said covers didn't live up to the expectations. The world-building for Cinder was solid, the writing grammatically sound and even the style and voice drew me in a little. The setting kind of unsettled me. I've never been a huge Asian-setting person, but this wasn't off-putting in any manner. It was unique and original. Somewhere along the way, this story won me over, hook, line, and sinker. I became heavily invested in the lives of the characters, and utterly obsessed with the newest plot twist. There were some things I found a tad predictable, but in a way, that didn't detract from the story either. I was more interested in the presentation of the few predictable moments and there were plenty of unpredictable events to make up for it. The story was age-appropriate, which is a huge bonus in my world. And as much as I adore fairy tale retellings, I can't get over how few references there actually are to Cinderella. I just loved that the story was its own and that it tipped its hat to Cinderella instead of mimicking it. That was something I found phenomenal. Don't get me wrong, the connections are pretty clear, but they're clever and the story doesn't hinge on them. The story isn't dependent on the connections, but it uses them to its advantage.I don't like to just dish out five-star reviews, but I think this book truly deserves it. A job very well-done. Part of me wishes I had been brave enough to read this sooner, and yet, the other part of me is selfishly glad because now I don't have to wait for the sequels to come out! I just have to order them!!! :-)

I don't even know how to rate this book. I loved it. I hated it.I was never one for fairy tales as a child, and so their retellings aren't something I gravitate to as an adult. But Cinderella is one of the few fairy tales I remember adoring. My favorite parts of Cinder were those that reminded me of the original story. I'm totally on board with a sci-fi Cinderella reboot, and I loved the idea of transforming her into a kick-ass mechanic. Cinder's stepmother, Adri, is perfection. She's cold blooded, but you can get why she resents Cinder even if you can't excuse it. I enjoyed Iko in her role as sarcastic sidekick (taking on that sort of "Gus" role from the Disney movie). The futuristic setting of New Beijing was interesting. Adding in the element of a deadly plague really intrigued me. Prince Kai? Meh. But, ok, he can be Prince Charming or whatever.What I didn't like is the introduction of moon people with mind-controlling magic. This is my own fault. I hate space. Me and Elon Musk will never hang out. I avoid stories about space travel, aliens and non-earth dwelling. But personal biases aside, I do think this book got weaker as the story progressed. Kai casually reveals things to Cinder that could be considered state secrets. Cinder has a conversation with a Lunar spy who opens up and tells her everything with very little prompting. The plot becomes increasingly predictable. When the big secret from Cinder's past is finally revealed, it isn't much of a surprise. I also would have liked to know why one of Cinder's stepsisters hated her while the other loved her. Those dynamics are never explained.The parts I liked, I loved and the parts I hated were not a dealbreaker. I didn't think I would continue with the series, but I have to admit I'm dying to know what happens with Cinder. Even if it means reading about dumb space queens.