Review | 'Cinder'

Cinder
Marissa Meyer
386 pg., U.S. hardcover
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan
5 stars | A+



From Goodreads:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the 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.


I was pleasantly, incredibly pleasantly, surprised by Cinder--to the point where it's definitely become one of my favorite books of the year, and maybe of all time. I had no expectations going into this, but I was aware of its great reviews, but I think that people even with high expectations will be satisfied by this book. I loved the writing, the characterization, the world-building, the pacing, the plot, all of it.
So let's delve into the review.
As far as plot goes, basically the story takes place in the Eastern Commonwealth, a post-war formation of Asia, and its relationship with Luna, which is essentially a civilization on the moon. The citizens of Luna, called Lunars, have special abilities that worry the people of Earth; they believe the Lunars want to take over their planet, which is, in a sense, very true. They are ruled by Queen Levana, but the Eastern Commonwealth is ruled by soon-to-be-Emperor Kai. Cinder is as you think she would be, a girl living with a step-mother and her two daughters, but she is a cyborg, and works as a mechanic in New Beijing. Cinder's friendly step-sister, Peony, is infected with the plague spreading throughout the commonwealth, and Cinder is recruited for volunteer work in order to find an antidote. She discovers plot-affecting secrets about herself, and puts them into affect when Levana arrives on Earth in hopes to marry Kai and become empress. I was really pleased by the world-building, you get a lot of back-story, and some of which is actually on Marissa Meyer's website, and you're immersed in this world where you just feel like all those futuristic elements are normal. Meyer doesn't draw attention to their peculiarity, because in the characters' sense, they aren't peculiar at all. I love the building of the animosity between the Lunars and the Earthen, and it made it incredibly suspenseful when the Lunars came to infiltrate the Eastern Commonwealth. I knew instantly *SPOILER [highlight to read]* when the whole conspiracy theories about Princess Selene were brought up that she was alive, but I had no idea that she would turn out to be Cinder, and that TOTALLY flipped me out, and pumped me up for the next book. *END SPOILER* Everything was totally building up to the ending, but I never saw the specific ending coming, so I really liked that. I also liked the usage of the quarantine, the androids, the comms, and all the different ways they went about life in the new world. It was really fascinating, and intriguing to see the way people responded to cyborgs and different political systems. I loved how *SPOILER [highlight to read] Cinder essentially became the catalyst for a war. It really added a lot to the story, and made everything come together in an astounding way! *END SPOILER* 
The characterization in this book was probably the best I've read in a while. I love how, at the beginning of the story, Cinder was practically a dull, worn-out mechanic, and by the end of the story, she was this intelligent, cunning woman who both knew what she was doing, and had no clue. I am so glad that Marissa Meyer made one of the step-sisters nice, because--although it is conventional to have them both be mean--I think it was a great refreshment to have Peony be a friend to Cinder, and it made it all the more tragic when she was affected with the plague. The step-mother, Adri, was very violent, and I was surprised at her loathing behavior towards Cinder. I thought it was a huge step-up from the usual Disney version, and I quite liked it. I loved how Kai was basically the reluctant prince who didn't want to assume the throne, yet his final decision in the book was for the greater good of his nation. I feel like, if it was Edward Cullen or some other fictional character, they would have chosen the more selfish route, probably because the author didn't weigh the characterization pros and cons, but I could tell that Meyer did. I also, of course, liked Doctor Erland, and how he was always just like, "Oh, and by the way..." It made for an interesting character. I also appreciated the antagonists, and I'm very glad that Queen Levana's behavior was explained in the end, and I'm looking forward to seeing her come back in the later books.

The writing in Cinder was very unique in the sense that I felt like the book was written how a book would be written in the future. I didn't actually feel, though, like I was reading a book, but that--and I know this is cliche--I was with Cinder as she experienced everything. At some points, I had forgotten the story was third person, and I felt as though Cinder was telling the story firsthand. I loved the alternating perspectives; it boosted the characterization ten times, and really clarified a lot in the plot. Kudos to Meyer for including that and using it in a proper sense. The pacing was quick, except for a brief period before Cinder goes to the ball, but I still dished the book off in two days, so it was worth it. 

Cinder is just a phenomenon, and I can already tell it's going to go far, and that it deserves every positive review and word that it gets.

Cinder is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles. The sequel, Scarlet, will be released February 5, 2013, and will focus on both Cinder, and a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The following two books will be released in the following two years.