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theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The first time I read Cinder was when it was first released, nearly ten years ago now and when I was fresh out of high school. It was really interesting to read it again with a fresh perspective to see how it held up after all of these years.
To this day, I think The Lunar Chronicles are the best fairytale retellings ever. They're so unique and fun - and honestly, they're timeless. They stick closely to the original stories in a lot of ways - and then, of course, Meyer always puts her incredibly creative twist on them! She's one of my favorite authors for a reason.
It was hard for me to separate whether I was just doing a great job remembering the book or whether the plot twists I found shocking in the past were actually totally predictable. I definitely remembered a lot more than I expected, but I also wondered if maybe I would've picked apart the narrative if this was my first time reading. However, it really didn't matter if it felt "predictable" this time around or not because it was such an enjoyable read and just like last time, I was immediately ready to jump into the next book in the series to find out what happens!
These are not complicated books at all and they're super easy to digest quickly. I'm looking forward to continuing my reread. It'll be so great to see how I feel about Scarlet after so long (because that was my favorite book the first time around)!
To this day, I think The Lunar Chronicles are the best fairytale retellings ever. They're so unique and fun - and honestly, they're timeless. They stick closely to the original stories in a lot of ways - and then, of course, Meyer always puts her incredibly creative twist on them! She's one of my favorite authors for a reason.
It was hard for me to separate whether I was just doing a great job remembering the book or whether the plot twists I found shocking in the past were actually totally predictable. I definitely remembered a lot more than I expected, but I also wondered if maybe I would've picked apart the narrative if this was my first time reading. However, it really didn't matter if it felt "predictable" this time around or not because it was such an enjoyable read and just like last time, I was immediately ready to jump into the next book in the series to find out what happens!
These are not complicated books at all and they're super easy to digest quickly. I'm looking forward to continuing my reread. It'll be so great to see how I feel about Scarlet after so long (because that was my favorite book the first time around)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Body shaming
Minor: Ableism
I don't really know how to classify this particular trigger warning: there is a lot of disdain and hatred against cyborgs in the book, so in this particular sci-fi universe, I would consider it racism - however, it's clearly a fantastical classification because cyborgs aren't reality.keiwald's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Finished part one in an hour. I got sucked in so fast, I wasn't expecting to care about the side characters right away. The plot was expected but still had its own uniqueness from the fairytale retelling. Finished the book in less than 24 hours and desperately want to get my hands on the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Self harm, Torture, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit and Gun violence
nxclx's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
Honestly, the combination or Cinderella retelling mixed with a few other fairy tales didn't work for me. The third quarter was the most interesting for me, but then it got right back to being a retelling and it was distracting and all the plot twists were way too predictable for my tastes.
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..." Chosen" Girls who are commoners/lower class, and they're 'not like other girls' (and who also turn out to be royalty for some reason or another, so that eliminates the class barrier - one of the reasons I love Aladdin) and yet the prince/special higher class boy who either 'isn't like other boys' or doesn't act like the setting he was placed in, still finds her stunning and she catches his attention. It's over played and unrealistic.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fast-paced and fun with pretty prose that demands intimate familiarity with the genre from the reader if any visuals at all are going to be had, because it has little description to offer. Predictable throughout, even besides the fact that I know how Cinderella goes, but still enjoyable. The cultural mishmash of the setting felt strange at best and sometimes approached vaguely offensive, but I'm not in any place to speak definitively on that. The romance was absolutely insipid, without any chemistry or substance; Cinder's attraction to the prince felt no different than her fourteen-year-old sister's celebrity crush. The love interest doesn't stand especially well as his own character, either, and I spent his chapters desperate to get back to Cinder's much more interesting perspective.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Self harm
hamohero's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Medical content, Child death, Bullying, and Ableism
Moderate: Gun violence
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