Plus, how great is this cover?
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.
The cover, alone, intrigued me, but the synopsis reeled me in. I loved and identified with Cinder from page one, despite her mechanical occupation (which is far from my own) and her cybernetic parts. She has an endearing and spunky android assistant that is much more than just a robot and she forms a titillating relationship with the prince, who appreciates that she is different from most of the girls he has known. I yearned for and dreaded each meeting between the two as Cinder tried to keep her cyborg enhancements a secret. This was a book that was hard for me to put down!
I thought Meyer's writing was fabulous. Her storytelling and world building were beautifully written and didn't feel at all like a debut. The story is romantic and empowering and I found myself obsessed with Cinder & Kai's stories. The ending is a bit cliff-hangarey (which sometimes frustrates me), but I loved it. However, I am now super anxious for Scarlet (book #2) and had a hard time reading anything else once I finished Cinder. Hopefully next January will come quickly....or maybe I'll be lucky enough to get another ARC from Feewel & Friends - they really hit things out of the park with this book!
The subsequent books in The Lunar Chronicles will bring twists on other fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Rupunzel, and Snow White. So awesome. I'm interested to see how they get worked in....though I think I'm beginning to imagine how Red Riding Hood and Snow White might work with a couple elements of the story. I was slightly disappointed that there were no red shoes in Cinder, but perhaps one of the sequels will have some. :)
The author was at Books Inc. in San Francisco recently (another fabulous "Not Your Mother's Book Club" event), but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish all my chores in time and there was no fairy godmother in sight, so I was unable to attend....though I did have an outfit ready to go.
Red shoes in honor of the cover. :)
So sad to have missed it, but if you're interested, you can view pics from the event on the NYMBC facebook page.
For more on the author, visit Marissa Meyer's Blog which includes more pics from her recent tour stops as well as links to all her recent blog tour posts with interviews and other fun features.
You can also find Marissa on Twitter: @marissa_meyer
The next book in The Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet, will be out in January of 2013.
I highly recommend Cinder....
though you may want to wait until closer to January to start it. :)
Advance Review Copy provided by publisher.
