Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Genre: YA/Steampunk/Dystopian
Format Reviewed: From Personal Library
Release Date: January 3, 2012

Rating: Wait Until Payday
Synopsis: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.

Review:
This is the first 2012 debut author that I was soooo NOT going to read but then I saw a TON of really good reviews for this book that I changed my mind and bought a copy.  Usually, I have trouble with re-tellings, I keep thinking about the original.  Which usually leads to me knitpicking the book apart.  That was not the case with Cinder.

Cinder is a super talented cyborg who is living with her step-mother and step-sisters. Cinder meets Prince Kai while working at her booth in the marketplace.  He needs his android fixed and Cinder was recommended to him by his “people.”  Then tragedy strikes.  One of Cinder’s step-sisters contracts the plague that has been taking its toll on New Beijing.  In a fit of rage Cinder’s step-mom volunteers her for scientific studies to test new plague vaccines.  A shocking revelation is learned while testing is being done on Cinder.

There is a lot of drama that takes place in Cinder.  So much so that I had to keep reading!  I had a very hard time putting Cinder down and we’re talking about a book that I wasn’t even going to read in the first place!  Since this is a re-telling there were parts that were pretty predictable, hence why I couldn’t give this book a 5/5 rating.  I loved that in addition to all the drama there was a TON of friction between Luna and the Earth.  The Queen of Luna is one nasty BEOTCH!

The romance between Cinder and Kai I thought was pretty sweet.  She keeps rejecting him, even though she doesn’t really want too and he just keeps on trying.  I’ve got to say that the fact that Kai kept pursuing Cinder even after he found out that she was a cyborg moved him up on my “Book Boyfriend List.”  I find it kinda sexy when a character accepts someone for who they are and NOT for WHAT they are.

The ending?!  Cliffhanger and ANOTHER shocking revelation!  Why do we have to wait so long for the next book in this series?!