A review by edelm
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
4.0
Full review up on my blog: The Irish Bookworm
Cinder is one of those books that you hear about EVERYWHERE, and when I heard it was a re-telling of Cinderella with cyborgs I was incredibly intrigued. I was looking for something that was different and not your everyday YA book and Cinder did not disappoint me there.
Lately, I have been disliking the female protagonists in the books I have been reading. They are usually far too reliant on male characters or are spoilt/pathetic/shallow etc. Thankfully Cinder was none of these things. I really liked the character of Cinder as she was strong and independent. She wasn't the usual YA protagonist that swoons every time she sees her crush. Cinder sticks to her guns and her motivations are not selfish. Her actions do not revolve around Prince Kai but more so what she knows is the right thing to do. She makes level headed decisions and doesn't lose her mind because of her crush on the Prince.
This brings me on to the romance. Being a YA book and a re-telling of Cinderella there is obviously going to be a romance, however, this one did not overshadow the plot line of the story. THANKFULLY. Now, the romance was a little rushed but it was not the be all and end all and, in fact, even though the feelings Cinder and Kai had for each other progressed very quickly, the romance itself didn't.
Now, while I really enjoyed the character of Cinder I was not too fond of Prince Kai. Now don't get me wrong he seems like a nice guy but I guess that is the problem, he seemed too nice. He was a little too boring for my liking. I loved the character of Iko. She was quirky and fun and basically the perfect sidekick for Cinder, who is far too serious. The Lunars were also incredibly interesting characters with the Queen of the Lunars playing the perfect antagonist.
One tiny little aspect I had a problem with was the setting. This story was set in New Beijing, which I was excited for as not many books are set in such locations. Unfortunately, this book, literally, could have been anywhere. To be honest I kept imagining the place like an American city (why American? Probably because most of the books I read and tv series I watch are set in America). However, this wasn't really a major problem for me, but if you are looking for an Asian setting, this book will probably not be for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line and found it so refreshing from what I usually read. This is my first cyborg read and I would definitely pick up more after reading this. This was a really enjoyable read for me and so I give it 4 stars.
Cinder is one of those books that you hear about EVERYWHERE, and when I heard it was a re-telling of Cinderella with cyborgs I was incredibly intrigued. I was looking for something that was different and not your everyday YA book and Cinder did not disappoint me there.
Lately, I have been disliking the female protagonists in the books I have been reading. They are usually far too reliant on male characters or are spoilt/pathetic/shallow etc. Thankfully Cinder was none of these things. I really liked the character of Cinder as she was strong and independent. She wasn't the usual YA protagonist that swoons every time she sees her crush. Cinder sticks to her guns and her motivations are not selfish. Her actions do not revolve around Prince Kai but more so what she knows is the right thing to do. She makes level headed decisions and doesn't lose her mind because of her crush on the Prince.
This brings me on to the romance. Being a YA book and a re-telling of Cinderella there is obviously going to be a romance, however, this one did not overshadow the plot line of the story. THANKFULLY. Now, the romance was a little rushed but it was not the be all and end all and, in fact, even though the feelings Cinder and Kai had for each other progressed very quickly, the romance itself didn't.
Now, while I really enjoyed the character of Cinder I was not too fond of Prince Kai. Now don't get me wrong he seems like a nice guy but I guess that is the problem, he seemed too nice. He was a little too boring for my liking. I loved the character of Iko. She was quirky and fun and basically the perfect sidekick for Cinder, who is far too serious. The Lunars were also incredibly interesting characters with the Queen of the Lunars playing the perfect antagonist.
One tiny little aspect I had a problem with was the setting. This story was set in New Beijing, which I was excited for as not many books are set in such locations. Unfortunately, this book, literally, could have been anywhere. To be honest I kept imagining the place like an American city (why American? Probably because most of the books I read and tv series I watch are set in America). However, this wasn't really a major problem for me, but if you are looking for an Asian setting, this book will probably not be for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line and found it so refreshing from what I usually read. This is my first cyborg read and I would definitely pick up more after reading this. This was a really enjoyable read for me and so I give it 4 stars.