Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
4.5 stars
Really enjoyed it, such a unique story. I loved cinder. I didn’t feel it was insta love as they both made the decisions best for them not based on their attraction to each other, like when levana made kai choose between his country and cinder even before knowing she was a cyborg, he still chose his country, and when cinder was faced to either run away to attend ball with him, she was determined to run away and only went there to warn him of what repunzel said. So I really liked the book, really sad I won’t read from cinder’s perspective again.
Really enjoyed it, such a unique story. I loved cinder. I didn’t feel it was insta love as they both made the decisions best for them not based on their attraction to each other, like when levana made kai choose between his country and cinder even before knowing she was a cyborg, he still chose his country, and when cinder was faced to either run away to attend ball with him, she was determined to run away and only went there to warn him of what repunzel said. So I really liked the book, really sad I won’t read from cinder’s perspective again.
adventurous
fast-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
I read this series for the first time in high school alongside my mom, and I remember absolutely loving it. Now that I find myself returning to this series, I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful mix of dystopian/sci-fi with sprinkles from the story of Cinderella.
Cinder is such a great personality, and I loved all her little sarcastic remarks that other characters didn't always pick up on.
“We have the ability to love each other, no matter our differences. To help each other, no matter our weaknesses.”
Excerpt From
Cinder
Marissa Meyer
Cinder is such a great personality, and I loved all her little sarcastic remarks that other characters didn't always pick up on.
“We have the ability to love each other, no matter our differences. To help each other, no matter our weaknesses.”
Excerpt From
Cinder
Marissa Meyer
adventurous
funny
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
Objectively, I should give this book 3 stars, but you know what. I enjoyed myself and I make the rules.
Honestly, I wasn't really planning to read this book. I remember seeing it again at again during my bookstore tours and never actually buying it, always choosing another story; I suppose it was because I considered myself more of a fantasy girlie and this book seemed to have too little dragons and magic for my liking. And then there were years spent reading "adult" books, during which I didn't really step foot in that area where bookstores store their books for younger folks. Truly, I haven't thought about this title in forever, before stumbling on its audiobook like a week ago!
I can't say what brought me to give it a try, considering that I'm definitely not anymore at an age that would be considered its target audience, and I can't even cite nostalgia as a reason for me to finally start this series, but hey, I wanted something nice and chill for once, and this book absolutely served its purpose!
What can I say? Cinder is fun! It's a genius retelling of Cinderella that does exactly what retellings are supposed to do: keeping enough of the original story to make you go "hell yes, I got that reference :D" while turning the story into something new and personal. I loved the futuristic worldbuilding and the setups, and I really loved Cinder! She's headstrong, sarcastic, witty, and caring, and despite constantly dealing with new and upsetting situations, she takes her fate into her own hands and tries her best to move forward. She simply works!
I was a bit concerned about the romance moving too fast, considering that Cinder meets her prince-charming on like page 2, but actually, no, they are cute! Kai is a very young man who finds himself dealing with a series of responsibilities and duties that honestly he should not be dealing with, such as feeling like he might be forced to marry and compromise with a cruel and manipulative queen who could be his mother. I absolutely get why he would get a crush on Cinder, and why she would feel the same about it! Their relationship developed naturally - a sort of wary friendship at first, and then something between a crush and a first love. I appreciated the fact that it doesn't take priority over other, more pressing and concerning things, such as politics, a global pandemic, and the perspective of war.
The side characters are also quite charming and usually have depth, which should be the bare minimum but unfortunately is not.
Now, I wouldn't say that this book is a masterpiece, and the fact that its target audience is young minds is quite obvious. It also reads like something that was written in the 2010s, as it was. And if we are talking criticism, I must say it's a bit predictable, especially regarding the final twist. It's still a pleasant read in my opinion, and I can totally see why many feel very fondly about it!
Will probably continue the series!
Honestly, I wasn't really planning to read this book. I remember seeing it again at again during my bookstore tours and never actually buying it, always choosing another story; I suppose it was because I considered myself more of a fantasy girlie and this book seemed to have too little dragons and magic for my liking. And then there were years spent reading "adult" books, during which I didn't really step foot in that area where bookstores store their books for younger folks. Truly, I haven't thought about this title in forever, before stumbling on its audiobook like a week ago!
I can't say what brought me to give it a try, considering that I'm definitely not anymore at an age that would be considered its target audience, and I can't even cite nostalgia as a reason for me to finally start this series, but hey, I wanted something nice and chill for once, and this book absolutely served its purpose!
What can I say? Cinder is fun! It's a genius retelling of Cinderella that does exactly what retellings are supposed to do: keeping enough of the original story to make you go "hell yes, I got that reference :D" while turning the story into something new and personal. I loved the futuristic worldbuilding and the setups, and I really loved Cinder! She's headstrong, sarcastic, witty, and caring, and despite constantly dealing with new and upsetting situations, she takes her fate into her own hands and tries her best to move forward. She simply works!
I was a bit concerned about the romance moving too fast, considering that Cinder meets her prince-charming on like page 2, but actually, no, they are cute! Kai is a very young man who finds himself dealing with a series of responsibilities and duties that honestly he should not be dealing with, such as feeling like he might be forced to marry and compromise with a cruel and manipulative queen who could be his mother. I absolutely get why he would get a crush on Cinder, and why she would feel the same about it! Their relationship developed naturally - a sort of wary friendship at first, and then something between a crush and a first love. I appreciated the fact that it doesn't take priority over other, more pressing and concerning things, such as politics, a global pandemic, and the perspective of war.
The side characters are also quite charming and usually have depth, which should be the bare minimum but unfortunately is not.
Now, I wouldn't say that this book is a masterpiece, and the fact that its target audience is young minds is quite obvious. It also reads like something that was written in the 2010s, as it was. And if we are talking criticism, I must say it's a bit predictable, especially regarding the final twist. It's still a pleasant read in my opinion, and I can totally see why many feel very fondly about it!
Will probably continue the series!
Rating: 4.5
So I've finally gotten around to reading Cinder (since buying a copy in 2012!), and I am so glad that I did! This was novel is just fantastic a wonderful blend of retelling, fantasy/science-fiction, adventure and romance, with so much more thrown in as well. Cinder is a wonderful character (I was completely rooting for her from the first chapter), and so many others of the characters were easy to relate to, interesting and downright fun (I'm looking at you, Kai, Peony and Iko). I enjoyed the whole book and have already grabbed copies of [b:Scarlet|13206760|Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)|Marissa Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342485529s/13206760.jpg|18390691] and [b:Cress|13206828|Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)|Marissa Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379083526s/13206828.jpg|18390772] - hopefully I'll be able to read them soon!
This is a great book. Read it.
So I've finally gotten around to reading Cinder (since buying a copy in 2012!), and I am so glad that I did! This was novel is just fantastic a wonderful blend of retelling, fantasy/science-fiction, adventure and romance, with so much more thrown in as well. Cinder is a wonderful character (I was completely rooting for her from the first chapter), and so many others of the characters were easy to relate to, interesting and downright fun (I'm looking at you, Kai, Peony and Iko). I enjoyed the whole book and have already grabbed copies of [b:Scarlet|13206760|Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)|Marissa Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342485529s/13206760.jpg|18390691] and [b:Cress|13206828|Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)|Marissa Meyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379083526s/13206828.jpg|18390772] - hopefully I'll be able to read them soon!
This is a great book. Read it.
I absolutely loved this book!!
Cyborg Cinderella!! A plague that's taking over the world!! War threats from a neighboring planet!! CUTE LITTLE DROIDS!!
Set in futuristic Beijing, we follow the story of Cinder, a cyborg mechanic who after as surprise visit from an important stranger unlocks a series of events, secrets and a lot of action.
This is a fast paced book, with a lot of emotional scenes that had me tearing up as I was reading it. I adore the characters, and just want to give Prince Kai a cuddle because the poor guy clearly needs one.
I kinda predicted the plot twist, however the way it was played out was surprising and a lot more complicated that I'd thought, and the ending was fantastic. I cannot wait to get my hands on book two!
Cyborg Cinderella!! A plague that's taking over the world!! War threats from a neighboring planet!! CUTE LITTLE DROIDS!!
Set in futuristic Beijing, we follow the story of Cinder, a cyborg mechanic who after as surprise visit from an important stranger unlocks a series of events, secrets and a lot of action.
This is a fast paced book, with a lot of emotional scenes that had me tearing up as I was reading it. I adore the characters, and just want to give Prince Kai a cuddle because the poor guy clearly needs one.
I kinda predicted the plot twist, however the way it was played out was surprising and a lot more complicated that I'd thought, and the ending was fantastic. I cannot wait to get my hands on book two!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Basically just an introduction to the series. It’s really slow to me and frankly, I’d only read the rest of the series for the romance (which doesn’t seem super promising). I may continue but I lowkey wanna take a break…
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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