Review of "Cinder"

"Tossing the screwdriver onto the table, Cinder gripped her heel and yanked the foot from its socket."

     Marissa Meyer's Cinder will make readers rethink everything they thought they knew about "Cinderella". It's over a hundred years T.E., and New Beijing citizen Linh Cinder is fed up with her life. After all, things can be rough when you're adopted, the only parent who loved you is dead, your mother works you like a slave, and you're only partially human. Cinder has been contemplating a runaway attempt for years, but now that she's unearthed the wreckage of a salvageable car, her plans may actually work. Then her sister falls victim to a terrible plague, everyone blames her, and what little stability she had in life is shattered. Take into account her growing feelings for the crown prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, and the Lunar queen's plot to establish a foothold on Earth, and Cinder has the makings of a very bad day. She'll have to fight, unearth secrets, and reconsider everything she thought she knew about herself if she wants to survive--and even then, the odds are not in her favor.

     When it comes to retelling classic fairy tales, Meyer's novel takes "Cinderella" to a whole new level. Cinder is a teenage cyborg who also happens to be the best mechanic in New Beijing. Her best friend is Iko, a bubbly android who only wants to be human, though she's also developed a tentative relationship with the kinder of her two stepsisters, Peony. And to top it off, her mother isn't trying to keep her away from the castle--when Peony falls ill and Cinder's body appears to hold answers, she practically throws her at the officials. This isn't the Disney princess we all know and love; she's a hardcore, freethinking teen with a head full of technology, and she's the perfect protagonist for this story.

     The plot of this book starts out simple: Cinder is minding her own business--literally--when Kai, the crown prince, drops an ancient android on her workbench and requests a repair. Pages later, she's running from the epicenter of a plague breakout, and from then on nothing is predictable. Betrayals, revelations, and startling discoveries are around each corner, lurking in innocent and sinister scenes alike. Meyer easily balances action, hard truths, political intrigue, a moon queen with superpowers, and shy romance with a dedicated sense of pacing, playing tension like a flute with every page. She knows her story well, and it's obvious from the characters' roundness, stunning worldbuilding, and easy-to-follow yet complex plot. Some of the characters are a little shallow, though, which is sad because they are so loveable.

     Readers don't need to worry about whether this book is age-appropriate. Profanity-wise, characters are clean, and the romance is very simple. Violence, when it happens, is not gory and parceled out neatly, lending the tale a clear sense of pacing. The most potentially-questionable scene involves a nightmare about fire, which is resolved quickly and serves a purpose. The villain of this piece is realistic and chillingly real, utilizing charm, political power, and brute force to achieve her goals.

     I would recommend this book to teens and young adults looking for a sci-fi take on "Cinderella". Linh Cinder is a strong, capable protagonist with plenty of depth and a lot of development, and her tale is almost addicting. This Cinderella is different from the rest--not only must she find true love and grow into her own, but she has to save the planet along the way. As an individual book and as the start of a series, Marissa Meyer has truly crafted a five-star story in Cinder.