Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a dystopian twist on the beloved fairy tale of Cinderella, with action, romance, and mystery. I read this for the first time during quarantine in 2020, after it being recommended to me by a friend, and it quickly became a favorite of mine. Likely due to its intricate world building and the compelling characters, making it a very interesting read.
The story begins in the far future, where the technology is far more advanced, and a young cyborg mechanic girl named Cinder lives with her cruel step mother and step siblings. After being asked to fix an android by Prince Kai of her country, there is an outbreak of a deadly virus called Letumosis, which Cinder's stepsister Peony catches. Furious, her stepmother blames it on Cinder and sends her to get her experimented on for Letumosis. While Cinder is there, it turns out that she is actually immune to the virus, which bring up questions about her past, who she really is, and what the future will be like for her.
At the same time as the previous event, Prince Kai's father also died to Letumosis, and Kai inherits the title as king all the while peace negotiations with Queen Levana of the powerful Lunars (a race of humans who live on the moon) start to go south.
I really enjoyed reading Cinder, due to its unexpected plot twists, descriptive storytelling, and compelling characters. I would certainly recommend this to readers who enjoy dystopian and sci-fi novels.
This isn't the only book in the series, and is in fact followed by 3 other books, a few spinoffs and a graphic novel series. If you read Cinder and enjoy it, I would high recommend reading the other books in the series, which each highlight a different character, while still connecting to the other books and making a satisfying overall story.
I read this book for school in 7th grade and also really enjoyed it. Your summary does a nice job introducing the book, and the review praises the book in ways I would agree with.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGreat review! This was also one of my favorite books in middle school. I kept on reading the rest of the series, but I couldn't get past the first 5 chapters of Cress. Is it worth picking back up?
ReplyDeleteI would say yes, Winter(the book after it) and the spin-offs are really interesting and flesh out some of the side characters, so it can be a very interesting read!
DeleteThis book sounds so interesting! I love how the setting is in the far future, and the many unexpected plot twists. I should definitely read this book after hearing so many great reviews about it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's really good
DeleteThis sounds so interesting! I had heard of the book previously but wasn't sure exactly what it was about. The dystopian twist to the classical story of Cinderella sounds really unique, I will definitely put this on my TBR. Is this book a series, or a standalone?
ReplyDeleteIt's a series, with four books as well as 2 spin-offs and 2 graphic novels!
DeleteI read this book a few years ago and I also really liked it. You have a good summary that tells us about the book but doesn't spoil anything. I haven't read the rest of the books yet but I think I'll read them eventually!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it!
DeleteI've never heard of this book before, but your review made it sound really interesting. I really like books with unexpected twists, so I think I would enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, plot twists are really interesting!
DeleteReally good book review! I liked how you made the book sound interesting and how you incorporated all the good twists in the plot. Definitely putting this on my reading list!
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! I read this book for school a few years ago. I remember really enjoying it, and I wanted to read the rest of the series, but I never got around to doing it. After seeing your review, it feels like I revisited the book and hopefully this time, I will read the rest of the series. Great review!
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! This book sounds really cool. Although I have read a few cinderella spinoffs and I never really liked them, I think that I would enjoy this one, great review!
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! I have read Cinder a few times and it is one of my favorite books of all time, and this review did it justice! The description you gave of the technological advancements and the setting are very descriptive and gave me an engaging view of the setting. After this review, I should probably re-read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! I read this book when I was in 7th grade and I found it to be really interesting. Your summary gives a good idea of the plot, and the characters. Great book review!
ReplyDeleteChloee how do you always use the best books for you reading blog! Also I read your reply to Eve and I totally agree becasue the other books made the story more complete and multiplied my love for the series because all the characters' stories were so unique and complementary. The review made it sound like Cinder was your favorite, but I wonder which other books stood out to you.
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