Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (Book 1)

by Marissa Meyer

Netgalley ARC copy

by Feiwel & Friends

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Details from Goodreads:

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:

While reading this book, I remembered a movie, the "Cyborg She" (also known as Cyborg Girl or My Girlfriend Is a Cyborg). A 2008 Japanese movie about a girl cyborg that came from the future and a guy from present.

I didn’t say that it’s similar to this book because it’s not, I’m just saying that I remembered it while reading this book. It just gives quite an imagination of how the future will be. Plus the cyborgs (Oh I recommend this movie. Almost made me cry!).

Back to the book, Cinder is our futuristic, sci fi-ish version of our Cinderella. While the essence are there- the wicked stepmother and her devil's spawn, the prince, the ball and of course the shoes, these elements are wrapped up in a china doll and make it as a whole new tale. It is really impressive Marissa Meyer. The main character as a cyborgs, Luna (other term for aliens), and plague? You create an amazing setting with lots of potential I say.

Though with so many elements that the author put in this book, it seems like it took me so long to bring the whole picture in my head. I mean the first part is really crucial for me. I almost give it up and reviewed it with a sentence like: this book is not my cup of tea or jumblefuck ideas is equal to ****land!
But thankfully I didn’t because it gets better after reading the 80% of the arc. Yup! The only part I really gets excited with the book is the 20% last part of it. I think it’s because of the not well description that slow things or maybe it’s just my problem (I have hard time picturing Cinder in the first part). But other than that I’m okay with it.

Took almost half of the book to explain the author's concepts. Though after that its gets better, just don’t expect too much after that because it end right in the middle of your breath intake. A cliffhanger!

Like I said the greatest element of this book is the construction of the world building. It has something for everybody – from Luna races and the secret of the deadly plague, to the emotionally involved dramatics and politics of relationships easily understood by any reader. A debut that I still want to see more of its world.