Cinder

Review time! First year of 2012 and the honor goes to Cinder by Marissa Meyer, who’s release date is actually today (in the US) anyway :) I *positive* that Cinder is in stores already for all Australian residents. Cinder is a 2012 YA Debut therefore this is also the first book to be counted towards my Debut Author challenge! Thanks to Penguin for the ARC!

(Goodreads) 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. 

The Short Story? – A futuristic re-imagining of my favorite childhood fairytale – Cinderella. A remarkable debut that will leave its imprint in 2012. Utterly original and completely un-put-down-able, Meyer has taken a classic and turned it into an epic adventure of massive proportion. Beautifully written and wonderfully characterized, this is a dystrophic fairytale that calls for an immediate sequel!

The Long Story? – WHAT A SUBERB DEBUT! Meyer has really kicked off the year for me, Cinder was amazing. One of the most original re-imagining I have read, beautiful creation of a dystrophic society, Meyer detail to her post-WWIV world is just extraordinary. Technologically advanced, the society isn’t like the clichéd controlling, brain-washing societies, we’re always reading in YA fiction. This society is interesting, it has personality, it has ROYALTY (instead of the general ruling body or whatever) and it has a handsome prince. New Beijing is a groovy place to live and it’s an excellent setting for the start of brilliant series. Cinder isn’t a re-telling it’s a re-imagining so while some parts are similar to the fairytale, the majority of the book has been changed so that it’s definitely not a fairytale you except a 5 year old to read! I don’t want to go into the plot too much because I don’t want to spoil it but it’s very nicely shaped, it’s a well-thought out plot and all the loose ends are tied neatly by the end of the book leaving only a cliff hanger to hook you into the anticipation for the next book!

The characterization is most original. Cinder, our main character is a cyborg and at the start I had a prejudice against her. I was under the mistaken impression that Cyborgs were robots and the thought of a Cyborg kissing a Prince and saving the world, quite frankly, horrified me. As I read on, I discovered that a Cyborg was in fact human with robotic part, a little like an amputee with a fake arm etc. SO FALSE ALARM. When that was cleared up I could really see what well developed character Cinder really was and in the end I really loved her. She’s really sweet and I can see why Kai would grow to love her. Prince Kai is our ‘love interest’; I’m really hoping that the romance picks up in the next book because Cinder was more of a development of affection process. Nevertheless, Kai would make a great boyfriend so I hope they totally get together!!! Also, Meyer has made the stepmother and stepsister REAL mean; seriously, there were a few times I wanted to cry for Cinder (since she can’t.) We have villains and heroes, what more do we need for a cast of characters?

Start the New Year with a book you know is going to rock! Cinder exceeded my expectations and completely blew me away. A memorable debut that is a must-read of the year, Meyer has turned a childhood favorite into a fighting evil, saving the world kind of book with a blossoming romance that’s had me hooked! A futuristic society, a deadly plague, a love story, Cinder is a dystrophic fairytale that leaves readers wishing for a happy ending!

What’s its Worth? – Hand over the Paycheck/ Break out the Piggy Bank

Badass Bookie xx