Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (3/5)

CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it’s one you won’t forget.

Meh. That’s my overall rating for this book: meh.

Why? Because 1) because it’s a retelling, the story is predictable. Yes, Meyer took a few turns and made it not 100% predictable, but I mean, I CALLED the whole “missing Lunar Princess” the first time the book mentioned it – which was a very awkward part of the first chapter. I CALLED the doctor being Lunar, too. And knowing these “big reveals” makes the actually reveal of the information dull and lackluster.

I rolled my eyes. I mean, come on! You mention this missing princess in the first chapter, so obviously it’s important info or it wouldn’t be there.

I want a protagonist who is as intelligent as me when it comes to the plot; I want a protagonist who is able to put 2 and 2 together so that way I am understanding the plot’s secrets as they are, not waiting impatiently for them to figure it out.

Everything about this book felt so… meh. Predictable.

It just… didn’t grab me. It didn’t hold on. I found myself skimming and skipping sections just to get to the end. The writing was fine, the plot was fine, the world building was pretty cool.

And I realize there are several personal taste factors that lead to this. First, Cinderella’s not my favorite story to begin with. Second, I’m not big on the techno-cyborg setting. So, right there, I should have known better.

It’s not a bad book by any means, it’s a good story. I found it predictable and eye rolling at times. Cinder’s character wasn’t the typical “super nice” Cinderella cutout. She had spunk and guts and a drive, though she did carry “kindness” as a trait.

So, if you’re into Cinderella stories and science fiction and cyborgs, you should really check this book and the rest of the series out. It’s just not for me.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer gets a 3 out of 5 from me.