Cinder

 Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

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.**

We planned a road trip to Chicago for BEA (Book Expo America) so I told J we needed a book we could listen to together and we'd both been wanting to read Cinder. We had even bought the books and just kept putting it off. This was the perfect opportunity for us to get started on them. SO we left and started the book and boy was it good. We were so involved with it and when we got to our overnight stop we didn't want to turn it off.   So we're going to write a review for it together! 

AG

Never did I think I would enjoy a book as much as I did Cinder. I know that I'm glad that I listened to it. It brought the characters alive for me and the narrator was great. It sometimes takes me a while to like a book when its an audio one. 

This is a retelling of Cinderella. Its based in a new futuristic China and it has cyborgs. Cinder is a cyborg! She lives with her step mother Adri and her step sisters Pearl and Peony in New Beijing. She's a mechanic and their servant. Her step father died right after he adopted her. They treat her like crap, they're awful to her all but Peony. In this time there is a plague, it is slowly killing a lot of the world. It was carried to the planet by people from the moon, Lunars. Cinder loves Peony, and Peony ends up contracting the disease. Now Cinder will do what ever she can to try and save her. 

Adri is pissed that Peony has contracted this disease and "volunteers" Cinder for the cyborg testing that the government has set up to find a cure for the plague. Strange things happen after she is in the facility. The doctor finds out things about Cinder he never thought he'd find! 

Through out all of this Cinder meets the Prince. Kai is cute and flirts and makes her swoon. She doesn't want to feel things for him because he might not even want her after he finds out that she's a cyborg. 

I loved this book and as soon as I was able to I started the second one. These books are some of the best books I've read this year! If you've not read this series I'd suggest that you grab it and block out the rest of the world and read it!!!

J

So, my wife and I traveled together and we decided to start this series. We have had the books for quite awhile now, yet we never picked them up. Boy we were crazy not to.

I am a fantasy guy. I love books that retell stories that I grew up on. However, the problem with these types of books, they are often not written well and the story is so flawed that you have to put the book down.

If you are worried, do not fear, this book along with the entire series shows us that Melissa is one of the top authors out there. Yes, each book is based upon a fairy tale and the base plot of that tale is woven within the story, as you read the books, you will find yourself forgetting this little fact.

Cinder and the pure imagination behind it was amazing. You will find yourself falling in love with Kai and Cinder and wishing the evil queen dead.

I know my wife mentioned some of the plot points above and I do not want to rehash anything that she said with the exception of one point.

You know a good story has been presented, when you can imagine the actors in the movie as you are smiling with each turn of the page.

Cinderella, How will you get to the ball? Why a modern pumpkin of course!

Until Next time,

J