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Cinder

2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy | Young Adult (YA)

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interference 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, an “honor” that no one has survived.

But it doesn’t take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.



Published by Feiwel and Friends

Edition Unknown
ISBN 9780141340135
Language English
Edition Hardcover
ISBN 9780312641894
Language English
Edition Paperback
ISBN 9781250007209
Language English

Images And Data Courtesy Of: Feiwel and Friends.
This content (including text, images, videos and other media) is published and used in accordance with Fair Use.

Added By

Cami

Added this item on May 12, 2017

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Cinder Reviews & Ratings (96)
9-10
53.1% (51)
7-8
36.5% (35)
5-6
9.4% (9)
3-4
0.0% (0)
1-2
1.0% (1)

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Cinder reviews from people you don't follow
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated

Apr 21, 2020  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, this was kinda fun, it really pushed to get the Cinderella tribute feel that didn't quite jibe for me but I have all the love for the robot Iko in this.

We have Cinder the cyborg battling adversity and a mysterious past. I had some strong Atila vibes through this including the rather open ending just building for the next book, it's a good set up and I'm looking forward to reading the next book but this did feel like just an intro and lacked some satisfaction in of itself.
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Mara (13 KP) rated

Dec 10, 2019  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Where to begin with my review? I guess I should start out by being completely honest and mentioning that I did not buy Cinder for myself, and I likely never would have either. After begging me to read it for a while, my best friend ended up buying me a copy for Christmas in the hope that I would give it a go. And to be fair to her, I did. Four times to be precise. The first three times I ended up giving up before chapter four. However, don't let that deter you. On my fourth attempt, I loved it! The only reason I can think of as to why I struggled the other times was because I was in a serious book hangover from another story. So I was a little reluctant to start a new story with characters I wasn't invested in yet, and a story I already knew. Or at least, I thought I did.
So let's start with the plot. Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella. Perhaps another reason for my lack of interest in the beginning as I've never really been a huge fan of that particular princess. What I do enjoy is a fresh twist on a well known story, so I should have known I would enjoy it if I gave it a chance. Like Cinderella, Cinder follows the story of a young girl who lives with her step-mother, and her two step-sisters, no love lost between them. In both, the girl leads a tough, though somewhat mundane life, right up until she meets her prince, and then things start to look up. Blah, blah, blah... We all know the story right? No. Marissa Meyer gives the traditional tale a new spin, and it was like reading the story for the first time. Because of this, I easily finished the story over one (busy) weekend. The story contained just the right mix of adventure, romance, and sci-fi to keep me hooked, even if -in places- the story seemed to drag a little. This was more than made up for with the explosive ending though. The story ends with enough unresolved conflict to keep you wanting more... And if you're anything like me, thankfully you don't have to wait months for the next one (It's called Scarlet BTW). Another great part of this story was the world building and backstory. At one point, the events of WW4 are mentioned, giving us a little insight as to how the world we know morphed into the one in the story. This also prevented the world from becoming too complicated when other races (The Lunars) are introduced, and helped blend the backstories of both races nicely. Lunars are the genetically mutated humans that live on the moon (Luna), and they have the ability to use a power known as "Glamour" to influence other's minds and make them see and believe what they want them to. This particular part impressed me as it was a clever way of introducing magic in an otherwise "normal" world. Because I'm a sucker for a bit of magic. The only real problem I had with this story was that the plot was somewhat predictable at times... For example, pretty much as soon as it was mentioned that there was once a princess who -if she was still alive- could usurp the Queen of the Lunars and restore peace to the two worlds... It was obvious that it was going to end up being Cinder. (This is confirmed at the end of the book).
Now, onto the characters! Meet our protagonist, Linh Cinder. Cinder is a sixteen-year-old living in New Beijing with her evil Step-mother and two step-sisters... But that's pretty much where the similarities with her and the traditional Cinderella end. Not only is our protagonist more than just a pretty face with a kind heart, she is a badass! Throughout the story she impressed me with her attitude, intelligence, and ability to call people out on their bullshit. Fair enough she came across a little whiny at times, but this can be overlooked when you remember she is pretty much still a child who has had a pretty rough life. Unable to remember her life before a crash that claimed the lives of her family, she was adopted by a man who soon died, leaving her at the mercy of his wife, who was not a fan of Cinder. Why, you ask? Well, Cinder is a cyborg, and that is unforgivable and clearly Cinder's fault... According to the step mother at least. Still, despite being shunned by most people who knew the truth about her, Cinder still manages to be a likable character. Yeah she has her flaws, but that's what I liked about her. She's realistic. She's embarrassed by the fact she is a cyborg, especially when she meets the handsome Prince Kai. It was frustrating at times to read scenes with these two, mainly because Cinder was reluctant to tell Kai about her being a cyborg, and it built a wall between them. I mean, I can see where she's coming from. It would be a nice change to just be a normal girl to someone after years of being told she was less. BUT DAMN GIRL! KAI IS A CINNAMON ROLL AND WOULD LOVE YOU EITHER WAY!!!
*Clears throat* Anyway, moving on... Now we can talk about Kai. Handsome, charming, clueless, Prince Kai. We meet Kai pretty early on in the story (first chapter in fact) and from the moment we meet him, we know he and Cinder are destined. Or at least I hope so... I haven't read the second book yet! The only child of the emperor, Kai will someday rule the Eastern Commonwealth. Unfortunately that day comes all too soon when his father contracts the plague and soon after dies, leaving the job to the young Prince. If I'm being completely honest, I was expecting him to crash and burn at some point, but I was pleasantly surprised when he managed to hack it, even going as far as to stand up to the Lunar Queen- A megabitch we will discuss later- despite the fact she could start a war that would cause chaos for the Earthlings. His character development was fun to read. He started as a charismatic prince with a rebellious streak, and by the end of the book he was an Emperor loyal to his people and smarter than he lets on. I was a little disappointed in his reaction to finding out Cinder was a cyborg (and a Lunar), but under the circumstances, he can be forgiven. I'm quite interested in how the rest of Emperor Kai's story is going to play out, especially as he seemed to have something planned at the end of the first book, but I have yet to see if my suspicions are correct about him.
Now time to talk about our main antagonist, Queen Levana AKA The Megabitch. As far as antagonists go, she isn't the most evil I've met, but she is one of the more interesting. Queen of the Lunars, she is a cold, flawless, evil lady, who hates technology, and is infamous for using her glamour to hide her true face. Her motives seem pretty simple. She wants to rule. As Queen of the Lunars, she can do this by marriage, or she can take it by force. She doesn't really seem to care which way she goes about it, but she does suggest a marriage alliance with Prince/Emperor Kai Puh-lease. He and Cinder are OTP. (Also, I have to praise Meyer for the lack of a love triangle here, even though it would have been easy enough to include one. Bless you, child!) For the majority of the story she seems to be cool and in control, which is worrying for those of us rooting for the heroes, but at the Ball Naturally Cinder manages to crack the flawless facade and give us a little insight to the Queen's weakness Score 1 for Cinder! I have a feeling though that the next time we see the Queen, she is going to up her game and really give our heroes some problems, but we shall see!
Overall, I really enjoyed Cinder and I'm glad that I gave it another go. I should really start listening when my friend suggests books to me. It was an entertaining, frustrating, and even heart-breaking story at times, but I loved it. Marissa Meyer has definitely earned another fan, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO MY SHIP. The book had a few issues of course, but not enough that I would hesitate to read the next book... Hopefully I'll get around to it soon! In the mean time, anyone debating reading Cinder, you should definitely do it! 100%. And if anyone -like me- is struggling to get into it... Stick at it! I swear it's worth it in the end!
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Mae (7 KP) rated

Aug 6, 2019  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is one of the very few of my top top favourite books! It is the kind that sucks you in and refuses to let you put it down. I love the spin off the traditional fairy tales with such clever changes to them i love figuring out how they link back to them. The relationships berween the characters are complicated and imaginative- i love it. The plot is well thought out and so descriptive,. If you love fantasy, romance, adventure and shouting at the book for the charcters to not do that... then you are in for a treat. You have to give this book i try (You will not regret it!)
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KM Watts (12 KP) rated

Sep 9, 2018  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantastic characters (2 more)
Imaginative world building
Wonderful plot
The villain could have been a bit more dangerous (0 more)
A wonderful reimagining
This book is the first in the series. This book was on my list for awhile, but I had been holding off reading it. I’m glad I finally did. It was a fast paced adventure with a sprinkle of romance. It had me rooting for Cinder the whole time, and there were enough twists to keep everything interesting. The villain was good, though I think she could have been given stonger motives. This was a fantastic retelling of an old fairytale, with an awesome sci-fi twist. I would highly recommend it.
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Cinder reviews from people you don't follow
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated

Jan 11, 2021  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
It was an interesting retelling of Cinderella only more futuristic, with people living on the moon and cyborgs living amongst people.

I liked the story but wasn't blown away by it. It kept me reading but at the same time I wasn't completely absorbed into it, like I am most other stories.

The thing between Cinder and Kai was cute, I just wish their had been more scenes of them together in the book.

I'm intrigued by what will happen in the next book, and maybe at some point I'll buy it and read it.
  
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S. Behr (45 KP) rated

Nov 19, 2019  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
everything! (0 more)
What an amazing world!
From the first page she sucks you in and if you are looking for a binge weekend series read, this is it!
  
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Elizabeth (429 KP) rated

Mar 2, 2019 (Updated Mar 3, 2019)  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am not a huge fan of sci-fi, but this book was an exception. I loved this twist on Cinderella, it was different and I liked it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales and/or sci-fi books.
  
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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated

Jan 2, 2019  
Cinder
Cinder
Marissa Meyer | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (96 Ratings)
Book Rating
I admit that I didn't know quite what to expect when I picked up Cinder. All I knew was that is was a retelling of Cinderella...with a cyborg. But let me tell you, this book is AMAZING!

Set in the very distant future, 126 years after the end of World War IV. The moon is inhabited, there are only 6 countries on earth, and a vicious plague is laying waste to the planet. Set in the Eastern Commonwealth (Asia/China), we get to experience the story through Cinder as well as Prince Kai. Cinder is as loveable and caring as she is in any other telling of Cinderella. The prince's responsibilities to find a cure for the plague and to maintain peace with the Lunars weigh heavily on him. Nut he posses a strength that I admire.

Both Kai and Cinder are faced with challenges that are beyond anything that I could even imagine. Will they make the best choice for the people? What will come of it all? Well, I can't even tell you, because this is only the first book in a series that I can not wait to continue. I already placed the next book on hold at the library.

Filled with descriptive details of the architect, the technology, the customs of the era, I was completely submerged into this brilliant world that Marissa Meyer has created. Although not a Christian book, it is clean and appropriate. I can recommend this book to young adults without any hesitation.

If you think you would enjoy a dystopian sci-fi with a fairy tale mixed into it all, you should definitely give Cinder a try. I think you will truly enjoy it.

I found Cinder at my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.