Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
This book took me a while to get through, but not because it was boring! It was far from boring. I was just short on reading time, because getting back into the school groove ate up a lot of it. Major sad face. :( But now I'm back! *does happy dance*
I did finally finish it this book! And now that I've given myself a couple days to let it soak in before writing this, I've decided that I really enjoyed it. (I've caught myself absent-mindedly thinking about it, so I'd take that as a pretty good clue)
The beginning seemed almost juvenile to me. While reading the first few chapters, I have to admit, I did ponder whether the quality of writing was worth continuing the read. I wasn't completely hooked after page one. But in the end, I think it was the situation Marissa Meyer threw me into that kept me reading. I mean, who can resist a Cinderella-Cyborg crossover? Not to mention it's all set in the yet to be established New Beijing. (sounds to me like there was a bit of World War 3 action goin' on... or maybe even 4) The whole idea is just too darn fascinating.
After I got through the first few chapters, the plot really started to develop, and characters began to take shape. Cinder became more than just a mechanic with a robotic foot. She became a mystery. A question. Her past is unknown, so it leaves a world of possibilities for our minds to explore. How did she get hurt? Why did she become a cyborg? How did she end up with her step-family? These questions just explode off the page while reading. It was brilliant.
I found the general progression of the story pretty well written, except... a bit predictable. I predicted one of the key plot points that was revealed at the end of the book, when I was halfway through. I was a little disappointed that this happened, because there was no surprise ending. I really commend authors who can keep me completely clueless and on my toes as to what's going to go down, but it just wasn't the case for this book. I did like the plot and the events that played out, it was the fact that I predicted them before they happened that was disheartening.
Amidst all the cyborg-awesomeness was your typical love story. The forbidden love. I am a real sucker for romance in books, (and movies, and TV shows, and real life for that matter...) so this classic Romeo and Juliet-esque tale really pulled at my heartstrings. Another plot point I absolutely loved, was the disease conflict. It seemed much like a conspiracy to me the whole way through... I won't get into any more detail than that, or else spoilers will arise, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this if you have read Cinder!
keep readin' it write!
Megan
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