Review: Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles #1
Publisher: Feiwei & Friends
Released: January 3rd, 2012

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.

Taken from Goodreads

Start: 4/6/2014 | End: 4/8/2014 | Pages: 387 | Rating: 5 Stars  

My Thoughts:

I just finished Cinder five minutes ago, and I am speechless. I'm at a loss of words. Really, anything said in this review cannot express how amazing and wonderful this book is. My review does no justice.

I'm literally going to be walking around like a limp noodle for the next few days, in a daze over THIS BOOK.

This gif totally fits bwahaha

But honestly, where do I begin. Obviously with forcing everyone who hasn't read Cinder to go read it now. Cinder is the story of a cyborg mechanic in a far off future where the letumosis plague is eating everyone away. Stuck with her "evil" stepmother and her two daughters Pearl and Peony, she manages to survive by supporting them with her genius mechanical skills.

Everything changes when Peony catches the illness, and Cinder is sent away for the "voluntary" cyborg draft, where she will be tested on to find a cure. And everyone knows no cyborg comes back from those tests. No one except for Cinder, because she's the only hope for Earth when it comes to the Lunar race, and more importantly the Lunar Queen.

The moment I met Cinder, I instantly loved her, and her sarcasm. After reading so many YA books with mediocre heroines, Cinder blew me away. I really can't describe it right at the moment, nor am I emotionally capable of writing this review at the moment, but Cinder is a smart, kickass MC, who makes smart, and reasonable, decisions that aren't questioned by the reader. Plus she's a cyborg, which I know is looked down upon in the book, but I personally think that's awesome.

All of the minor characters were mostly or fully developed. The reason I know this? Because I fell in love with every one of them, even Adri and the Lunar Queen (I don't actually "love" them, just the characters themselves.....blagh it's hard to explain, hopefully you know what I mean? What I'm trying to say is that they were done well).

Iko and Peony were definitely my favorites.

And PRINCE KAI! Oh I have mixed feelings about you! Especially at the end there. But I leave further judgements to the next book.

This is one of the best world-building I have ever read about in a YA novel. It's absolutely stunning. 

Everything about New Beijing is well put together. There's no info dump, everything is gradually put on you. The context of the story gives you accurate descriptions of the environment and the new tech, like androids, hovers, IDs, etc. If an author had to learn one thing from Meyer, it's that you don't just tell us what this or that is, you show show show SHOW. 

I am in love with this fantasy, science fiction, dystopian mix of a genre. ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE, and I really cannot contain my inner fangirlness!

I'm dying to read the next book. I want more! I read half of the book in one sitting and the rest just now, and I seriously need the rest of the series. Someone send me Scarlet now please!  

✰✰✰✰✰