Release Date: January 3, 2012
Age Group: Young Adult
Received From: NetGalley
IBSN: 9780312641894
Blurb:
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.

 To be honest when I first read the summary of this book I thought ‘Cyborgs? Androids? Moon people? Cinderella?! Wha…?’ I think I read lots of genres, but science-fiction isn’t one that I have too much experience with. I probably would have passed on this book–which would have been a real shame–if not for the trickle of glowing early reviews. Plus, I am a sucker for that cover. I love it. So, I read it. I wasn’t even finished with the first chapter before was I thinking ‘Cyborgs! Androids! Moon people!!’ and many other things that ended with exclamation points. This book is one of the most creative things I have read in a long time. 

It didn’t take much time to get into the futuristic world that Meyer created. Sometimes the first half of a book with a fantasy world is slow because there is so much info and back story involved. I didn’t think Cinder was slow at all. The pacing was perfect. I did read it at a slower pace, but that was because I wanted to savor it. 

Cinder may have some metal limbs and internal wiring, but she was just a normal girl. She didn’t fit in. She wasn’t loved like she should have been, but she was strong and confident. She was very easy to relate to. I found all the characters to be enjoyable and very well written.

There is lots of mystery in the story. Cinder doesn’t know exactly who she is or where she came. I guessed the outcome to that pretty early on, but that didn’t take anything away from the story for me. There were still a few surprises along the way. 

My most favorite part of course was the world in which Cinder lives. It was a scary place to be, what with imminent war and plagues, but I found it utterly fascinating. I can’t wait to find out even more history.

Overall, I really, really loved this book. I think that it is a must read. I don’t want to hear any of that ‘I don’t like sci-fi.’ stuff, because I think this one is for everyone. You don’t want to miss it!