Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I genuinely wish I liked this more than I did, but alas, my frontal lobe has fully developed. I should've read this ten years ago when I would have been as naive, awkward, and self-concious as Cinder. Genuinely, I would get so annoyed because many of the characters were unbearable, abusive, and disgusting. What do you mean these grown adults were so rooted in classism, racism and ableism (in a fantasy world, no less! magic exists, and they couldn't abracadabra get rid of these annoying systemic issues??) Also, the sense of urgency was such a joke in this book. I really hated how some of the characters would move so slowly, wasting valuable seconds in very high-stakes, emergency situations. Like, what do you mean you have the antidote, yet you're talking instead of administering it?? What do you mean you have imperative, life-altering news, and you're having a whole conversation (misunderstanding) for 10 whole minutes before you finally say what should've been said within your first inhale?? What do you mean I knew every plot twist by chapter 3, and I had to wait for 36 more chapters to find it written on the page?
Anyways, this book was not all that bad, but also not the best. I would've given it a higher rating if the relationship between the main couple wasn't so stunted at the end. Why did the main male lead still even like the main character after the last 2 chapters? Free yourself bro, you don't deserve her bs. Stories like this remind me that yes, I truly am reading fiction.
I'm probably going to read the next books in the series, but not immediately. I needed an actual, light palette cleanser book to battle the scary and heavy reads I've been completing. May Cinder find freedom and do better because she has a long way to go.
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: War
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence
Minor: Xenophobia, War
I don't include the audio performer in my overall star review, but I'd give Rebecca Soler 4/5. There isn't much to say outside of her performance falling a bit flat. It wasn't actively bad, but there wasn't enough excitement and variance in her narration to intrigue me; my inner reading dialogue is much more enthusiastic than her performance itself is.
Graphic: Ableism, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
There was enough of the original plot lines that you could see where the Cinderella story comes through, but also enough new plot lines and character quirks that it was basically it’s own story.
I thought the cyber punk type themes were a cool addition, and the political and romantic elements were great too.
One complaint I will say was the ending. We are making way for sequels, I get it, but come on? Really?
Moderate: Confinement, Slavery
Minor: Torture, Violence
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Car accident, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War
Graphic: Ableism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma
Minor: Confinement, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Slavery, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder
Minor: War
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: War