Cinder

I think I’m obsessed with any form of fairy tales that have been reworked into a new setting or changed, fractured, or updated.  As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it.

This version of Cinderella has a new and exciting setting – it’s the future and since World War IV, the world has broken up into continents run by kings, queens, and elected officials.  Sixteen-year-old Cinder lives in New Beijing where being a cyborg gives her the great opportunity to be an amazing mechanic, but most people won’t associate with cyborgs; her stepmother barely tolerates her.  But when the Prince brings in his android for Cinder to fix, she suspects it’s more than just a simple tutor android.

Tragedy strikes when Cinder’s youngest stepsister is stricken by the fatal plague that has been terrorizing the world for a decade.  Cinder is forced, by her stepmother, to become a “volunteer” for plague research when she learns that she may be even more unusual than she originally thought.

I really enjoyed this book – it’s a perfect mix of a classic fairy tale with a modern, futuristic spin.  Cinder is a well- thought out character with her own flaws, but she’s also an extremely strong female protagonist.  I would have been happy with the book’s ending, but it appears to be becoming a series – hopefully the next book in the series is as interesting as Meyer begins to weave other fairy tale characters into Cinder’s story!

This is a great start for a new author, for more information about the series, check out Marissa Meyer’s website.  You can also see a book trailer for Cinder on YouTube.

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: 2013
Page Number: 448 pgs.