Review by tracebypen - Cinder

tracebypen 's review for:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

3.25

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Read as an adult trying to get back into books, recommended by a friend.

Goes from fairytale derivation to political power grab + moon racism really quick. "Lunar" felt like a slur, helpp 😭 I can already imagine the series using fairytales the same way Kingdom Hearts does with Disney characters.

Fun worldbuilding, but not my cup of tea - don't get me wrong - kudos to creating this lore. It's difficult to write a believable cultural melting pot and diverse societies. But at the same time, I personally couldn't shake the feeling that these specific elements, when thrown together into a single package, made me feel a teeny bit monolith-y when I simply should've been immersed in the world.

Really enjoyed the climactic part where Cinder basically

powers up, super Saiyan style

. Some pacing and third person limited-but-jumping-perspective choices were confusing to me. Wished that the MC didn't default to snarky sarcasm for dialogue, especially after some intense and honestly dark scenes. Amused at the coolheadedness of the love interest. Wished there was a bit more elaboration on the stigma against cyborgs as a metaphor for othering / ableism, but again that's a personal preference. I'll probably pick up the next few books if they're also entertaining and quick to read.

Content Warnings