cinder {book review}

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Favorite Quote: "It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth."

Favorite Character: Iko and Cinder

Book Summary from Marissa Meyer's Website

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.

My Thoughts I first heard about The Lunar Chronicles series when I decided to go to the Austin Teen Book Festival back in September. I thought it sounded interesting because it was based off of the famed fairy tales, but I didn't think I would like it enough to buy it. When I heard Marissa Meyer talking about at the panels, I became fascinated with the series, and I wished I had more money so I could buy both Cinder and Scarlet. 
I became skeptical again when I first started reading the book. I was afraid that because it was a retelling of Cinderella, I would eventually get bored because the plot would be predictable. I also wasn't sure how much I would enjoy reading about a main character who was a cyborg mechanic. A couple chapters in, I couldn't put it down.
Cinder's life is, of course, similar to that of Cinderella's. Apart from the obvious cyborg mechanic situation, she does have a dead father, an evil step-mother, two step-sisters, and the interest of the prince that everyone else is pawning over. That's pretty much where the similarities stop. In the book, Cinder only has one evil step-sister and is actually quite attached to her other step-sister, Peony, who happens to be her only human friend. Cinder also has a companion named Iko who serves as the family's android, a servant of sorts.
Can I just say that Marissa Meyer is a genius? I mean, people have done so many retellings of Cinderella, but no one has branched out quite as much as Meyer has. She really pulls you into this world full of cyborgs and androids, and it's so easy to get lost in it. My mind was going crazy trying to picture the brilliance of the world that Meyer created in her mind.
I loved that this book wasn't just about Cinder escaping her horrible family and trying to fall in love with the prince. It's filled with several twists and turns - a plague that's been affecting Earth for over a decade, the evil Lunar queen who is determined to become the empress of Beijing, the mystery of Cinder's past, not to mention, unexpected people keeping unexpected secrets. 

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. I know the obvious audience for this book would be females due to its Cinderella roots, but I really think that males would enjoy this book too. I mean, cyborgs, evil people, deadly plagues? What guy wouldn't love that? I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in the Lunar Chronicles series, Scarlet, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
For more information about Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles, visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or like her on Facebook.