Links: GoodReads, Amazon
Pages: 400 Pages
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fairy Tales
Stars: 3
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
My overall opinion:
Meh. I get it’s a YA novel and it was entertaining but the hype i heard around this book i think built me up a bit too much. Didn’t make me hate it but it didn’t exactly enamor me either. I liked it don’t get me wrong and it was a very different take on Cinderella which i loved but i just couldn’t get on board with the way the world was set up. I wish there was more information on the territories but the story jumped right into cinder and the market. What about her maker?! why don’t i get more on him? do we get more in the next book? I felt like i had a lot more questions than answers after the story was done. I don’t like that incomplete feeling because i feel like it practically forces me to buy the next book just to get my curiosities fulfilled. I mean really tell me why this prince feels so compelled and willing to overlook cinder’s awkwardness! tell me because i feel like after a few times of someone being that weird around me i’d be like well shit this person don’t even really like me they have to put up with me since I’m a friggin prince.
Cinder
Can we say self esteem issues? i mean i get it. Her issues are warranted because of the obvious cyborg hate and the fact that she Isn’t completely human and then we she finds out more about her past it just fucks her up some more in the head. I think i like her, self issues aside, because she isn’t a typical cinderella fit. She is almost half robot AND she is a greasy mechanic. what? A LADY MECHANIC! YES!!! I think the author won my vote with that. She’s a bit of a limp noodle sometimes but given her circumstances i get it. Things aren’t easy when you are considered property and easily trackable by some weird microchip system. Alas the rags to riches story has some twists with her right in the middle of it.
Adri
sighs…i guess every cinderella story needs a horrible mother figure and this one was no exception except she went a step above and literally sold the girl. I wasn’t thrilled with that or her attitude after the situation smh. I mean yea i get it she is burdened by this weird creation of her late husbands but she doesn’t have to be bitter about it and she doesn’t have to take it out on the poor girl but as usual she does and well….i don’t particularly find her love for her daughters genuine either. She is an empty and mean person.
Pearl
What a tiny twat. I mean she is old enough to know better and i suppose i can’t really blame her for being so discriminatory towards cinder but i think of Peony and i’m like YES you can choose to be different but YOU choose to be a bitch -_- no reason for that. No need for that either. Honestly! What is wrong with people?! sighs she was easily my least favorite character. i feel like she was spiteful just because that’s how her mother has always been.
Peony
Sweet girl. Easily my 2nd favorite character (my favorite was Iko) she couldn’t do much but she was as nice to cinder as she knew how to be. Yes she was naive and a bit of a ditz but she was nice to cinder and quite clearly the only human friend that cinder had. I mean the Dr and the prince don’t count. She treated Cinder like family and in my eyes won my vote as greatest person in this book! I was deeply moved by the lengths that cinder went through to assure, comfort and protect her.
Queen Levana
eh what a creepy ass person. She is ridiculously manipulative and just overall creepy – like skin crawling with a million spiders creepy. I believe in freedom of decision and well this harlot doesn’t. mind control. regicide. manipulation. genocide. sister-cide(i can’t remember the word for it). I mean honestly name something horrible and ghastly and she probably has done it. she has a pretty weird relationship with her thaumaturge (I KNOW i’m not saying that right in my head btw) and her temper reminds me of a small spoiled child…OH!! She’s like Lilith from supernatural!! that’s it!! like in the scene where Lilith possesses a little innocent girl and does awful things! Innocent and beautiful looking but demonic!
Dr Erland
[insert doting creepy old guy here] I mean Dr Erland is cool but it took me until the last 4 pages to REALLY REALLY like him. I feel like if i talk about him too much i would give away the story so i am not going to talk about it. All you need to know is that this guy is dusty and weird up until the very end and then he becomes pretty cool in my opinion
Iko
I never would have thought of robots having personalities. I mean anytime i think of a robot “thinkin” i think of I.Robot where they all try to take over the world and kill people or hold them prisoner. This is NOT the case with Iko. She is HILARIOUS. She really gives me a good tickle and i am glad that Cinder has someone on her side (even if it is a robot). Iko made me sad in the middle of the book and i guess that’s ok. It was to be expected but i have a feeling that the author has some serious plans for Iko and I can’t wait to see them!
Torin
Think Strong Silent type here. Seriously I don’t even recall the description given for torrin all i know is that the man is wicked silent and super strong. It’s like he doesn’t even feel anything the lunars throw at him. I mean i am sure he does but he is just so steady. I have a hope that he guides the prince instead of using the prince for his own agenda. I don’t think this will be the case but we see instances where the two already disagree and it’s almost funny. Kind of like watching your moms vein almost pop as she eyeballs you across the room for doing something dumb! Anyways i feel like there is some secret AMAZING story with Torrin and if there isn’t then i will be a little disappointed.
Prince Kai
The Beautiful and Benevolent Prince Kai. He is presented as a one direction singer; mobs of girls love him and his gorgeous visage. I think as the son of an emperor he makes questionable decisions. We of course don’t see his mother. Which i mean let’s be honest do we ever? *shrugs* ok i mean i found him to be a little useless and honestly just a bit stupid. how do you not know she is hiding something under gloves it’s just weird you NEVER see her out of her gloves. Even an emperor has standards i mean i get it you like this girl but when she shows up the way she does at the ball you don’t question? What do you actually do? do you have hobbies or interest in your people other than the obvious disease ravaging your country? I don’t know much about prince Kai other than his tragic parental history, his very quick rise to the thrown, his abhorrence of anything lunar and his crush on Cinder. I mean yea he does a nice thing by deciding to do what is best in the interest of his people no matter the cost to him but it’s a pretty dumb and short sighted decision to me! *sighs* he disappointed and annoyed me. Please move aside pretty boy. Thanks.
Baby Got Stacks 