Cinder

TITLE: Cinder

AUTHOR: Marissa Meyer

SERIES: Lunar Chronicles #1

PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends

PAGES: 390 (Hardcover)

         MORE INFO 

Ever since I saw the enticing synopsis and gorgeous cover, this has been one of my most anticipated books of 2012, good thing it came out so early! I can honestly say that this lived up to every one of my expectations, the only negative is that I have to wait three years to find out the conclusion to this amazing new series L

The plot, I think, was one of the best parts. Meyer managed to create a totally different spin on Cinderella whilst still keeping in touch with this classic fairy tale. In all the ways that mattered it was the same; the ball, the evil queen, even the shoe (well, kind of) she leaves behind. But it was still a completely different story on the surface, one that I found highly enjoyable, and I admire the skill at which Meyer masterfully wove these two worlds together.

I must admit; I was a little sceptical of a cyborg heroine – at first I thought she was an actual automaton and was pleasantly surprised when I was told that she was still (mostly) human. However, after reading Cinder I understand why the author gave her that quality, and the story never would have worked if she hadn’t. I did guess Cinder’s true identity fairly quickly, which disappointed me, but to Meyer’s credit there was so much else going on that I managed to forget it most of the time.

For a debut author Marissa Meyer writes well, with clear imagery and no fluff that blurs things almost beyond incomprehension. Writing in the now slightly rare third person, it doesn’t have quite that level of intimacy I’ve come to appreciate, but it actually suited the story and its fairy tale origins. I did like how she occasionally switched to Kai’s perspective for a better understanding of the book’s events, and it was always nice to see what he thought for a change.

The romance wasn’t quite the fairy tale true love, but it was sweet and gentle and most importantly it felt real. It is very hard to think of a way for a mechanic and a prince to fall in love, but Meyer did a good job in setting up so the circumstances so it didn’t feel fake or wrong. I love love loved Kai, and surprisingly I found myself caring for his troubles as well, not just for Cinder’s. This helped me feel closer to the story, and to them as characters as well.

I sense with that cliff-hanger ending that Meyer has begun to veer from the traditional Cinderella, but she does it in such a way that I still want to read the next three books just as much. This was an amazing read for me, and though I may be getting ahead of myself (it’s only January!) I’m sure that this will stick as one of my favourite books of 2012.