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lilawsahar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Cinder is a young girl and cyborg living in New Beijing. She lives with her step-mother/guardian and her two step-sisters. Classic Cinderella story. However, in this world there is a virus that is killing people on earth brought by the people of the moon. The prince must secure an alliance with the moon queen in order to protect his people from the virus and imminent war, but if he goes through with it the queen will use her power to control the whole planet. That is if his feelings for Cinder don’t get it the way.
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, War, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Grief, and Body horror
lena_loves_reading's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Violence
nxclx's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn't get the feeling of sadness for Peony and her sickness and death, and Cinder seemed way more concerned with the Prince and the romantics kind of took over there. Also... we get it. The prince is hot. He's attractive. Woo.
Cinder for me could've been such a bad ass character, but she came across as brash and impulsive - which I get it, she's a teenager, but still. She' s grown up in this abusive household and her actions from the beginning don't show that. It would've been more appropriate to me to see that growth. Kai comes across the same way to me: out of character. I know that's a weird phrasing since he is the character but hear me out. He's grown up a prince and has presumably been taught his entire life how to run a country, how to act, proper diplomatic moves to make... and yet here he is, impulsive and not acting like a prince, but more of a regular teenager/young adult.
I feel like I've read this story before many times over in YA Fantasy that came out around this time, and maybe I need to stop reading books like that, but they all start to blend together and sound completely unoriginal...
I did like that they weren't together at the end of the book, that works more for me than forcing the ending to wrap up quickly and rush things. I don't know if I'll be continuing on with the series, but it's been on my TBR the longest, and I'm glad to have gotten it out of the way so I'll stop wondering about it.
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual assault
Clarifications: (partial spoilers, nothing major) - Body Shaming: for being a Cyborg and not human, not related to weight - Medical Content: medical examination and blood draws - Suicide: not actual suicide, but attempted forced suicide (twice.) - Terminal Illness: there's a deadly plague. sound familiar? - Xenophobia: aliens/cyborgs, not modern xenophobia - Gun Violence: again, attempted forced suicide (with a gun) - Sexual Assault: SPOILER she kisses him against his will and he does not reciprocatenidorina's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Despite having a lot of complaints about this book, I thought it was a very exciting read! I blitzed through it in a way I haven't with a book in a long time. This author's pacing is flawless, and the concepts the book is built on are incredibly interesting. If I didn't have to deal with the dull romantic plot with a dull love interest, or if the book was willing to offer more substance about them, I'd be hungry for more of how they're built. Ultimately, though, the book didn't have a ton of merit on its own except as a setup for a sequel that I don't intend to continue with.
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Self harm
axelstudies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Minor: Child abuse and Death
arocknrolldream's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Medical content, and Child abuse
Moderate: Gun violence