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pitchblackkoi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Classism, and Domestic abuse
luckykosmos's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Listened on audiobook, and I'm honestly surprised I let this one pass by as a child. Some of the twists are obvious coming in, but it's still fun, and I loved how Meyer adapted aspects of these stories. However, the Eastern Federation felt a bit like cultural soup in some places.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Child death
Minor: Forced institutionalization
readingqueerly's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
How have I not read this before? That's what I keep thinking. It read so smoothly and quickly. While I wasn't on the edge of my seat the whole time, I also never got bored or felt like I had to work through some chapters. This book felt like going to see a good movie and not once checking your watch but being surprised when it's over.
The story is a refreshing take on a the classic Cinderella Story (obvi). It has quite a few relevant themes and topics not the least of which a scary disease of course.
A few of the plot twists I have to say I saw coming from quite far away but I'm not personally deterred by that (same with spoilers for that matter). In fact, it was fun to see that I was right about things and even looking forward to the reveal moments.
For a book that's a decade old now (yes 10 years!) I have to say it holds up really well imo and the main character is actually really interesting and well written. That can be a downfall with those 2010s strong female main characters.
I'm well chuffed I finally read this book and I cannot wait to get the next one in the series.
The story is a refreshing take on a the classic Cinderella Story (obvi). It has quite a few relevant themes and topics not the least of which a scary disease of course.
A few of the plot twists I have to say I saw coming from quite far away but I'm not personally deterred by that (same with spoilers for that matter). In fact, it was fun to see that I was right about things and even looking forward to the reveal moments.
For a book that's a decade old now (yes 10 years!) I have to say it holds up really well imo and the main character is actually really interesting and well written. That can be a downfall with those 2010s strong female main characters.
I'm well chuffed I finally read this book and I cannot wait to get the next one in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death
calypso_the_oboe's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a wonderful 390-page-long sci-fi novel. It was published for the world in 2012. The main theme is how horrible life is for people who are discriminated against. In this future those people are cyborgs and lunars. People think that all lunars are evil because they have a corrupt government and that cyborgs owe their lives to save the rest of the population from letemosis, a virus with a 100% death rate that has turned into a pandemic, because they should have died years earlier.
Linh Cinder is the protagonist and titular character. The book is written in third-person-perspective following her. She lived with her adoptive mother and her two adoptive sisters, Peony and Pearl, and worked as a mechanic. The main love interest, Kai, is the prince of The Commonwealth which is modern-day Asia. His dad was sick with letemosis and was expected to die very soon. Iko is Cinder’s best and only friend. She is a android with a broken personality chip which made her act like a human woman. She loves makeup and fashion and has a crush on the prince like most every other teen girl of the Commonwealth.
This book is wonderful and it is impactful. The characters are realistic. The world seems so awesome. However, I romance has to much of a spotlight and I wish more of the romance parts were put into world and character building. The romance is well written, however, it’s quite realistic to how real teens would really act in situations like this. The book was very exciting and it pulled on my heartstrings quite a bit. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good sci-fi or romance. This book is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
I read this book quickly. It has been one of my favorite reads in recent months. I love how Meyer writes characters with flaws, hopes, and dreams. Peony’s death and Iko’s temporary one were very sad. Queen Levana seems like pure evil. No characters are over powered or flawless. I am looking forward to reading the other book in The Lunar Chronicles series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death and Child abuse
macliffe's review
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
catsphodel's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This is definitely a poorly aged story. Bringing up a child's fertility after a "trans" joke is weird and quite frankly, distasteful. I appreciate how fans have completely ignored Cinder as European and have instead claimed her as Asian. As for the Asian "influences" of this book I wouldn't consider this hodge podge and mixing of several different cultures anything to get excited about. Oddly both fast paced and a little info dumpy at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Bullying, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, Transphobia, Body shaming, Violence, Torture, Car accident, and Ableism
carrotsxcks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse
Minor: Death
junowo's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Always a fun series to read, with lovable characters. I’m particularly endeared by Cinder’s deadpan humor, as well as Kai as an entire character. It’s creative with the Cinderella story, following the same basic beats while bringing its own twists and rethinking the basics.
Ultimately, it’s a YA book that follows expected YA plots. That’s fine, and I think it’s unfair to expect something else from it. Its predictability can make it particularly comfortable to read, also.
I will probably come back to this book many times in my life!
Ultimately, it’s a YA book that follows expected YA plots. That’s fine, and I think it’s unfair to expect something else from it. Its predictability can make it particularly comfortable to read, also.
I will probably come back to this book many times in my life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment and Child death
renyoi's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fun and sometimes even innovative YA novel, with surprisingly likable characters and worldbuilding that feels natural, if a bit simplistic at times. The conglomeration of Asian cultures into a single monolith is problematic in some instances, but I do think the author was aware of the differences, even if that wasn’t always the impression in the text. Creative writing and striking characters with clear agency are the strengths of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Confinement, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: War