Cinder is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
Cinder takes place in futuristic society where World War IV forced many smaller countries to form larger countries and a plague known as letumosis rampages the earth. People called Lunars inhabit the moon and are said to have magical powers. The Lunars are also rumored to be extremely vain and this is illustrated by its Queen Levana. Queen Levana supposedly murdered several people that threated her power including her niece, Princess Selene and her sister, Queen Channary. Sixteen- year-old Cinder is a cyborg that lives in the city of New Beijing. She was adopted into a family with a stepmother and two stepsisters who rely on her for income, yet hate her, and she has no memory of anything before she turned 11. As a mechanic, she is used to meeting many people, but when Prince Kai asks her to fix his android, a chain of events is set into motion that allows Cinder to find out about her hidden history.
Like in the original Cinderella, Cinder lives in a family with her stepmother, Adri, and two stepsisters Peony and Pearl. Both Adri and Pearl hate her existence, but rely on her to provide income for the family. Peony is actually kind to Cinder and the two form a close relationship. Cinder is used to feeling hated and unwanted, especially since she is a cyborg. Most people avoid and shun cyborgs. When she learns of her identity, she accepts it rather quickly, rather than denying it like most protagonists. She is smart and willing to put others above herself.
Cinder is a great retelling of the Cinderella story. The story draws many parallels with the original story. Because of this, the story is extremely predictable. Most of the stories events can be seen from a mile away. It is annoying that the story uses the word intergalactic to describe the politics between earth and the moon. It gives the impression of politics between several solar systems when, in reality, it is only between the earth and the moon. While the book has elements that seem like fantasy, it tries very hard (maybe too hard) to stay in the realm of science fiction. The book slowly accumulates tension until it reaches an explosive ending. The world building is a little lacking and a good part of the book is slow. It is only towards the end where the book picks up.
I give this 387 page book 4 stars.
The Lunar Chronicle
The Lunar Chronicles takes place in a futuristic society. After World War IV, many smaller countries joined to form larger countires and all of these countries are suffering from a plague known as letumosis. There also exists a colony of people who live on the moon. These people known as Lunars are rumored to not only have a magical ability, but to be extremely vain and nasty people. This is illustrated by Queen Levana who murdered her sister Queen Channary and her niece Princess Selene. Most of the world is allied against Luna which has the most military power.