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anielabooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Can absolutely see the parallels in this retelling. Obsessed with the relationship. Absolutely hated Adri and Pearl. I wish there would’ve been a fairy godmother element to it. The plot twist was very predictable but I still liked it. I wish we had gotten more Iko scenes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Self harm, and Gun violence
travisdabis's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.25
Definitely a teen book :). Was a fun read, mostly bought it because the updated cover art (not shown on this app, look it up tho!) Was very beautiful. Very interesting to see 2012 perspective on how society would react to a pandemic.
Nonetheless, interesting book, discussed pandemics, politics, cyborgs, and more. It did keep me very engage, though the 'twists' were a little expected! But I don't think that's terrible story telling. Definitely a book, pretty good read.
Nonetheless, interesting book, discussed pandemics, politics, cyborgs, and more. It did keep me very engage, though the 'twists' were a little expected! But I don't think that's terrible story telling. Definitely a book, pretty good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, and Body shaming
Main character is missing limbs and has prosthetics. Consistent descriptions of how stuff feels and very medical centered. Also there's a pandemic going on so talk about that too. At one point she cuts herself with a knife for plot.lagiven's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
I've read the Lunar Chronicles a few times now, and they're good books as the worldbuilding is interesting but easy to understand, and the characters are entertaining. Cinder isn't the best out of the four books as it only has Cinder's storyline and only a few main characters are introduced, but it's still a good setup for the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, and Xenophobia
baponthecob's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I dont hate it????
It was a little slow bc of exposition and setup and all of that, but it wasnt bad.
The way Cinder was 16 and Kai was 18 bugged me a lot so I'm just pretending that's not a thing.
To me, they vibe more as friends. I would like to see them get closer platonically and actually bond over something and get to know each other. Bc rn their entire thing is banter and flirting.
I like Kai and Cinder as individuals. They're both sarcastic little shits lol. Sometimes it was a BIT MUCH, but it added funny bits.
All the scenes with Adri made me feel really conflicted? They tugged on my heartstrings, man. There were a lot of scenes that were just painful. /pos
Also, as a reread, I can see a lot of foreshadowing and setup for future books.
Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how this holds up. I understand why 12-year-old me liked this so much.
It was a little slow bc of exposition and setup and all of that, but it wasnt bad.
The way Cinder was 16 and Kai was 18 bugged me a lot so I'm just pretending that's not a thing.
To me, they vibe more as friends. I would like to see them get closer platonically and actually bond over something and get to know each other. Bc rn their entire thing is banter and flirting.
I like Kai and Cinder as individuals. They're both sarcastic little shits lol. Sometimes it was a BIT MUCH, but it added funny bits.
All the scenes with Adri made me feel really conflicted? They tugged on my heartstrings, man. There were a lot of scenes that were just painful. /pos
Also, as a reread, I can see a lot of foreshadowing and setup for future books.
Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how this holds up. I understand why 12-year-old me liked this so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Child death, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Gun violence, Violence, Self harm, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
The adult/minor relationship is 18 & 16awkwardpotat013's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm sad I didn't pick up this series sooner!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Terminal illness, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Xenophobia, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Minor: Gun violence and Suicide attempt
empathephant's review
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.0
I think I really do just have a problem getting my brain to adjust the the new conditions of an SFF universe, because on this second read through I enjoyed the book so much more, no longer being unfamiliar with the setting and vocabulary. I need to remember this and just push through in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Excrement, Dementia, Violence, Slavery, Vomit, and Car accident
A pandemic that causes nearly death threatens the world. The plot takes place under the looming threat of war, centering on trying to prevent the war. Main character is an orphan, living in an abusive adoptive family.nxclx's review
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
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
reocalabra's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Xenophobia
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