FAIRYTALE FANTASY
Cinder
The Lunar Chronicles
By Marissa Meyer
Fantasy
Teen/YA
Fairytales
Kickin' Female Lead
I'd been bitching and moaning about decent fairytale adaptations for months when I came across Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I mean, we've read them all before, the vampire Snow White, the modern day Beauty and the Beast, or my personal fav, steampunk fairytales. But this is the first time I'd come across an adaptation that knocked my docs off. Seriously, read Cinder for yourself and you will see that it has everything that makes for a bloody good fairytale adventure. A little but of cyberpunk, a little bit of sci-fi, and a whole load of action.
Cinder is a cybernetic servant girl who at some point in her past underwent reconstructive surgery that replaced limbs and enhanced senses. She ends up in the care of one horrible bitch of a step-mama type lady who treats her like a second or fifth class citizen. But Cinder is one kick arse dame, and although you don't know it from just the first book, she garners loyalty and friendship everywhere she goes.
She tinkers and fixes anything and everything mechanical in a futuristic New Beijing. Along comes a handsome young prince in need of robot fixering uping and the rest is history. Only it isn't as simple as all that. Throw in an evil moon queen with a massive army and a deadly disease and Cinder ends up in way over her half-metal head. A race against time to save those close to her ends up becoming a race to save her handsome prince as well. And the ball is beautiful by the way.
The world of the Lunar Chronicles is too vast to capture in one book and you really must read the rest in the series.. There are more than just the Cinderella and the Prince Charming characters to fall in love with in this fantastic sciencey-cyberpunk fairytale.
I gave this book 4.5 stars, just because it was my first cyberpunk fairytale – enough said really.
