Cinder Marissa Meyer

I really liked the setting even though it's a little ridiculous. But as a sci-fi take on a fairytale world it works really well. There's even an evil queen and a sort of enchanting "magic" which in this world isn't magic. Even though I saw the big reveal coming from very early on in the book it was still very captivating. It ends with a cliffhanger. There are some elements where I'm not sure if they'll be addressed well over the course of the series. I definetely want to read the next one, though.

I was pleasantly entertained by this YA novel that is a sci-fi retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. The protagonist is Cinder, a cyborg mechanic living in New Beijing. Has an evil stepmother, falls in love with a prince, attends a ball, etc. I enjoyed the plot around it, though the twist at the end was ridiculously predictable.

TL;DR I loved it.

The story kept the elements of the classic fairy tail, without seeming clichéd. I even found myself getting excited about how elements of the classic would be worked in. When they were worked in, I was pleased that they didn't compromise the new characters that had been created in this story (Cinder is awesome!).

Even though there were elements of a love story, it didn't seem idealistic or childish. Although I must admit there were situations where I came over all silly and just wanted the characters to kiss and it to all be lovely. However the Marissa manages to find that balance where you can get all mushy over the characters romantic intentions without being bored at how unrealistic the situation is.

The world was bright and colourful with lots of opportunities to explore side avenues. I hope to hear more in the later books about the lives of the Androids, and perhaps something about hackers, and the Luna society.

However it's clear that Meyer isn't an engineer, and I found myself flinching at some of the technological terms. However this didn't overshadow the story, and I it wasn't so far off the mark that it spoiled the story. Maybe I'm just a technology snob.

Overall I would say I loved this book. I've been waiting a little while to get my hands on a copy of this, and I can certainly say it was worth the wait. The world was bright and exciting, the characters and plot engaging, and there was plenty of scope for the next book in the series.