Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg doest have its benefits though: Cinder's brain interface has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots,hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it a "matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, and "honor" that no one has survived.
But it doesn't take long for scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.
Loved
- Oh my goodness there's so much to say. I just absolutely ADORED this series and ate it up like candy.
- Cinder. Cinder is one of the best Cinderella characters out there, and definitely one of the most unique. She's a cyborg, which makes her even cooler and even more awkward as she tries to deal with the inconveniences of being part robot. For example, when Cinder is trying to fix her robot foot and Prince Kai comes along, and she gets all flustered trying to hide the foot and hobble around without him noticing. She is so real, pragmatic, sarcastic, and crazy smart. She is impossible not to like and I am here for any adventure that involves this girl.
- Kai. Oh, Kai. Now THIS is a prince. Smart, compassionate, a little shy and awkward, but strong and wise. I love that we get his perspective in this story so we really understand his character. I love his interactions with Cinder and he is the perfect complement to her.
- The Lunar world. From page one I fell instantly in love with this dystopian world, especially because it gave me major Star Wars vibes- I mean Cinder's best friend is a droid! The world building is thorough, but we don't get information-overloaded. I also loved the fairytale twist set in the sci-fi dystopian setting- it was such a unique, refreshing take on Cinderella that I forgot it was a retelling at times.
- Iko. As I said, Cinder's best friend is a droid- kind of like C3PO (but not obnoxious) where she acts, talks, and looks like a human. I loved Iko's sassy comments and flirty banter. She had me laughing in spite of all Cinder's troubles in this story.
- The END! Don't worry, I won't spoil anything. Now if I had read this series today, having read a ton of YA books, I would totally have called that ending. But since this is one of the first YA series I read, I didn't see the plot twist coming until a little before the end. It leaves us on a total cliffhanger with our jaws on the floor, which is the perfect way to start a book in a series- in my opinion.
Didn't Love
- I just loved this book and completely ate it up. My only complaint is some communication issues- but how could it be a YA novel without some communication problems? :) Also, I'm pretty positive every Cinderella retelling has some frustrating moments with Cinderella not telling the prince who she is- after all, that is part of the plot.
Content
- Language:
- Nothing except some expressions from the Lunar world ("oh my stars," etc.)
- Sexual content:
- A few mellow kisses.
- Violence:
- Quite a bit less violence in this first book than in the rest of the series.
- There is a lot of intensity as people are arrested and strictly quarantined when they get the plague.
- There is a lot of talk of "volunteers" having to be experimented on, and all of them have died in the past. These people are chosen and infected with the plague against their will.
- A secondary character dies of the plague, and the death scene is a little disturbing.
- People are manipulated by the Lunars, who can control with their minds: A character is forced to hold a gun to her head, another forced to almost tear out her own eye.
- Cinder is dragged by guards into prison.
- Other themes:
- Lots of descriptions of people with the plague and being very ill. Cinder goes into a quarantine house and sees disturbing scenes of people very sick, dying, or already dead.
- Nothing except some expressions from the Lunar world ("oh my stars," etc.)
- A few mellow kisses.
- Quite a bit less violence in this first book than in the rest of the series.
- There is a lot of intensity as people are arrested and strictly quarantined when they get the plague.
- There is a lot of talk of "volunteers" having to be experimented on, and all of them have died in the past. These people are chosen and infected with the plague against their will.
- A secondary character dies of the plague, and the death scene is a little disturbing.
- People are manipulated by the Lunars, who can control with their minds: A character is forced to hold a gun to her head, another forced to almost tear out her own eye.
- Cinder is dragged by guards into prison.
- Lots of descriptions of people with the plague and being very ill. Cinder goes into a quarantine house and sees disturbing scenes of people very sick, dying, or already dead.
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