Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Feiwal & Friends
Rating: YA 12+
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Fairytale, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 387

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the 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.

Wow. Right now I'm just staring at my Computer screen trying to figure out how on earth I am going to put how much I loved Cinder into words. Guys, if you haven't read this fabulous debut, go out and read it. Now. 


I kind of knew that I would love it before I started it, mostly because of all the rave reviews about it in the blogging community. Mimi, one of my blogging BFFs and reviewer extraordinary, loved Cinder, which made me even more excited to read it than I was before!!


"A mixture of both fairytale and dystopian elements with a supernatural twist, Cinder is a mesmerizing debut that you don't want to miss! This is one of those books that I'd recommend to everybody because I honestly believe that it can be enjoyed by anyone who can read!" - Mimi Valentine


Mimi has such a way with words, no?? <3


And not only because of all the raving reviews, but because the premise sounded so fascinating, and Cinderella is probably my favorite fairytale ever. Something about her story just resonates with me, I guess. I mean, hard work, dedication, a prince, a fairy god mother, and a carriage made out of a pumpkin?? What's not to love about it? ;) What really surprised me, after reading Cinder, was that it made me love Cinderella's story even more than I did before, which I didn't even think was possible.


For me, fairytale re-tellings can go two ways. I either love them, or hate them. Cinder was perfect. Marissa created such an intricate and fascinating world full of Cyborgs, lovable characters, a charming Prince, and twisted moon people. I fell in love with Cinder's world right from the very start. Now, I don't know if it's because of all the books I read or something, but it normally takes me quite some time to get properly sucked into the novel, but Cinder did it right away. I was hooked after reading the very first four pages! Meyer definitely has a gift with words, and I will read anything by her, any day!


I have to admit, I was a little worried that Cinder was going to completely rip-off my beloved fairytale by adding in Cyborgs, and moon-people, and androids and what-not, but it  did not at all. If anything, all the twists Meyer put into the book made it so unique and different from any other re-tellings I have ever read! 


All of the characters are so unique, especially Cinder. She's lovable, quirky, and has a wicked sense of humor, all the while still remaining an under dog, which drew me to her from the very start. Whereas in the original fairytale, Cinderella was hard-working, resilient, polite, and caring, in this retelling, Meyer incorporates all of those traits into her heroine, but also gives her some major spunk and spirit, that I personally believe was missing in the original Cinderella. Cinder was a totally kick-ass heroine!! 


The romance was a little cliche, and expected, but I have no complaints at all! Prince Kai was such a great Prince! And sometimes, it actually pays off to stick to the cliches, because some of them are too beautiful and magical to change. 


An amazing, mind-blowing re-telling of the beloved fairytale of Cinderella, with spunk, wit, humor, and epic-ness that you won't want to miss out on! Meyer is a friggin genius!

5 Muffins - Positively Enticing!

If you like this, try:


Beastly by Alex Flinn


Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles #2) by Alex Flinn


Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon


The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern #1) by Shannon Hale