Goodreads synopsis
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.
Review
This book started off in such a way I never expected it to. I was so confused for a page or two I kept rereading the sentences over and over again. It was a interesting concept but one I had to get used to by force; I forced myself into committing to the book so I battled through the weirdness and got comfortable enough to enjoy the story.
I like the genre of the book - a futuristic dystopia fairy tale. Not many books have such an awesome and promising sound to them as Cinder had, that's what drew me to the book instantly.
"Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time."
The story was very interesting from page one, it had all the elements of a great dystopia novel, but there were clear signs of a fairy tale retelling and it mixed together very nicely. It was also really funny, I enjoyed reading it a lot.
The more I read on the more captivating it became. I did not expect the twists and turns the book offered which made me really happy. I often guess what will be going on and then spoil myself the book (or TV series/movie) so this mysteriousness and unexpectedness of the book made it even more appealing to me. I did see a few of them coming but not so many to spoil myself the story.
What I missed the most was world building. We were given a few mentions of the city and its appearance, a brief description of the interior of the Royal lab or whatever and two tiny mentions of the 4th World War but there's no history to the book, no explanation for the androids, chips, aliens ... that could have been nicely woven into the story and could explain a couple of things further. To begin with, what's T.E.? I can only guess here. That's the main reason I felt a bit uncomfortable reading this book, it made me feel like I'm missing something, like I didn't read properly, like some pages are missing. I'd very much like to know more about the new world the story is set into.
I did like the love story. It was cute, innocent, a little awkward as one between two teenagers should be. It was sweet and funny as well, I quite enjoyed it. And it still remained in the fairy tale boundaries, just like the 'real' Cinderella's story.
The story was escalating slowly but still fast enough that it kept my interest while reading. Even though I was bothered by not knowing about the history of the setting it was still intriguing enough that I kept reading on. Cinder's everyday struggles helped prolong the main twist so it was built up to a nice finish.
The beginning to the end was nothing I expected, it was very well written and it made me fidget in my chair because I could not read fast enough. The main plot twist however... I have been expecting it for a long long time and it was no shocker to me at all. I just knew it's going to happen. I still liked it very much. The final end to the book was promising and I look forward to the next book in the series.
To summarize, the story was interesting and funny but it had something missing. I just didn't feel completely comfortable reading it, I didn't really feel like I was there, the story did not fully pull me in. I did however like that there were no overly-convenient moments that helped the story when the writer got stuck, I always hated those.
It was a great read I'd recommend to all dystopia lovers and to all those who like a fairy tale with a kick.
The more I read on the more captivating it became. I did not expect the twists and turns the book offered which made me really happy. I often guess what will be going on and then spoil myself the book (or TV series/movie) so this mysteriousness and unexpectedness of the book made it even more appealing to me. I did see a few of them coming but not so many to spoil myself the story.
"Prince Kai! Check my fan, I think I'm overheating."
What I missed the most was world building. We were given a few mentions of the city and its appearance, a brief description of the interior of the Royal lab or whatever and two tiny mentions of the 4th World War but there's no history to the book, no explanation for the androids, chips, aliens ... that could have been nicely woven into the story and could explain a couple of things further. To begin with, what's T.E.? I can only guess here. That's the main reason I felt a bit uncomfortable reading this book, it made me feel like I'm missing something, like I didn't read properly, like some pages are missing. I'd very much like to know more about the new world the story is set into.
I did like the love story. It was cute, innocent, a little awkward as one between two teenagers should be. It was sweet and funny as well, I quite enjoyed it. And it still remained in the fairy tale boundaries, just like the 'real' Cinderella's story.
"I'm sure I'll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on."
The story was escalating slowly but still fast enough that it kept my interest while reading. Even though I was bothered by not knowing about the history of the setting it was still intriguing enough that I kept reading on. Cinder's everyday struggles helped prolong the main twist so it was built up to a nice finish.
The beginning to the end was nothing I expected, it was very well written and it made me fidget in my chair because I could not read fast enough. The main plot twist however... I have been expecting it for a long long time and it was no shocker to me at all. I just knew it's going to happen. I still liked it very much. The final end to the book was promising and I look forward to the next book in the series.
To summarize, the story was interesting and funny but it had something missing. I just didn't feel completely comfortable reading it, I didn't really feel like I was there, the story did not fully pull me in. I did however like that there were no overly-convenient moments that helped the story when the writer got stuck, I always hated those.
It was a great read I'd recommend to all dystopia lovers and to all those who like a fairy tale with a kick.
A very good read!
Dystopia Challenge books read count: 4/24
I just read Cinder and completely agree that the reader didn't get much information on the world, so I could visualize it a little better but otherwise I thought it was a good read. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed despite lack of world building. Thanks for review. I still haven't read any of this series, but prb will eventually.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading,
Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I loved this book and I can't wait for Scarlet. I never felt that the world-building lacked, but I hope that there will be more information for you in the sequel! :)
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.
Awww really good review, Ula! :). This was was incredible and glad that you forced yourself to get into it. The whole robot thing is a new addiction for me at the moment - just can't get enough of them!
ReplyDelete