Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Synopsis: umans 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: The good thing about getting a book early is you get to read it early (obviously), but the bad thing is that now I have to wait extra long before the next book comes out! I really enjoyed this book! I wasn’t sure I’d like it, I mean a cyborg Cinderella? But, Cinder really won me over. I actually really liked her character. I wasn’t sure how the whole love-affair would play out with a human and a cyborg, but it worked. I actually thought more of her as a human than then anything else. I liked Cinders personality and spunk. I also liked Prince Kai (Kaito), especially when he was around Cinder. I wish there had been a few more interactions between them. But mostly I loved how original the story was, yet at the same time kept to the traditional Cinderella storyline. It definitely has a sci-fy feel to it, but was also really charming. I loved some of the side characters, like Dr. XXX, Peony and especially the endearing android Iko. The book does end on a cliffhanger, I kind of wish there had been a little more resolution, but it was still a good ending.

There will be three more books in the series (yay!), and I hear they will incorporate other fairy tales like Repunzel, Red Riding Hood and Snow White. I’m definitely curious to see where this series will go.

Release Date: January 3, 2012