Review: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1) by Marissa Meyer

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher'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.

Review:

Prior to reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I had heard countless good things about it. From the characters to the story to the world building, readers alike seemed to be loving it all. However, while I was excited to read it, I was also a bit hesitant. It looked amazing don't get me wrong, but I worried about whether or not I would like it as much as everyone else. As it turns out, I ended up loving Cinder, because not only was it as good as everyone had said, but it was such a great and diverse spin on Cinderella!

Cinder begins the story of Cinder, a mechanic who is also a cyborg. Cinder has never had the easiest of lives. She was adopted by a man with mysterious reasons why only to be left to live with his with his wretched wife and her two daughters (one who is sweet and one who is anything but) after his sudden death. Blaming her husband's death on Cinder, Cinder's stepmother has never felt anything but hate towards Cinder, especially when Cinder's one stepsister suddenly drops ill from their world's horrible and deadly disease. However, everything is about to change. Cinder is about to discover some exclusive info about her past, things she could have never imagined. Cinder is also about to catch the eye of the handsome Prince Kai who finds Cinder to be different from anyone he's ever meet before as well as the eye of the a mysterious doctor who has his own private reasons for needing Cinder's help. What will happen next? Only time and more pages can tell in this thrilling and intricate debut!

One of the best things about Cinder was the characters! For one, Cinder was a strong and smart heroine, one who I couldn't help but love from the start. I especially liked the way in which she treated people. She was nothing but kind and sweet, even to the people who gave her the hardest of times. I also really enjoyed the variety of friendships Cinder possessed that Marissa Meyer showcased throughout. From her budding romance with Prince Kai to her need to protect her nice stepsister as well as Iko to her surprising friendship with the doctor,  everything was fully developed to my liking, and it didn't help that I had nothing but love for all the main characters, especially Prince Kai.

Another high point to this novel was without a doubt the exquisite world and plot building. Throughout the book, I couldn't enough of Cinder's world. I wanted to know why everything was the way it was as well as more about the mysterious and deadly Lunar and their society. While everything wasn't reveled in Cinder, Marissa Meyer did a fabulous job of slowly doling out the necessary tidbits, ones that always came at the most perfect of times and always left me craving for more, more, and more! I also enjoyed that this book contained a slow burning romance instead of insta-love, because not only did it create for a more believable relationship, but it also allowed for other important plot parts to take center stage.

Lastly, as I alluded to throughout, Marissa Meyer's writing in this was fabulous! I couldn't get over how addicted I was to this novel, and that in most causes was do to the level of development and time Marissa put into making everything perfect. I especially loved the ending of this one! It provided a great little kick to the book, one that gave me the prefect little insight to tie me over until the next one!

Unique and well written, Cinder by Marissa Meyer is one book I can't suggest highly enough, especially to die hard dystopian fans! But quick question: I can have book #2 now? ;)

Grade: A+

Cinder (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Edit to Add: My review was mentioned on BlogHer on Friday, January 6, 2012!