Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer


                Cinder was waiting for Iko to bring her a new foot when Prince Kai arrived with his android. It was an older model but held valuable information that he needed to attain. The Prince was shocked that one of the best mechanics in New Beijing was a young woman. Cinder was convinced that he would be even more surprised if he knew she was a cyborg. It wasn’t long after the Prince left the square that the baker across from Cinder was taken away, the telltale spots of Letumosis visible on her skin. Even now, over a hundred years after the Fourth World War, Earthens had something to fear, the plague ravaging the planet and the magical Lunars. The moon was one country, one government and one ruler, Levana their Queen. She was hoping to make an alliance with the Emperor but with Letumosis slowly taking his life, she was turning her sights to the Prince. Cinder was aware of the Lunars and their mysterious powers but on that day at the square she was more captivated by the Prince’s smile then any information the android could hold. Especially with the ball coming up and the prospect of possibly attending with her stepsisters, as long as her stepmother agrees.
                I’m interested. At the conclusion of this book I am not fully invested. I am not disappointed. I am interested. This wasn’t a bad novel at all. Cinder is a well thought out, interesting novel with a fascinating premise and an interesting world. There are just too many damn questions and not enough answers, even if this is the first book in a series. Let’s begin with our main character Cinder. She is a young woman stuck in a family that doesn’t want her. She was adopted by the patriarch of the family after her real parents died in a crash. The surgeries that saved her life are the ones that made her a cyborg. She remembers nothing from before the crash but now as a cyborg, she is considered less than human. I thought her character was well developed. She was funny and had her own little quirks and mannerism. But her lapse in memory left more questions that no one was answering. Her stepmother seemed to hate her simply because she was a cyborg. One stepsister was kind while the other treated her like dirt. (This seems to be all you really need for a spin on Cinderella because that is where all similarities end except for the royal ball.) Then here comes Prince Kai who Cinder keeps having random interactions with. He seems to be filled with a sense of honor bestowed upon him by his family. He genuinely wants to do what is right for his county. Oh and he is super attractive. So yeah cyborg, prince, evil stepmother and (here comes the twist), an evil ruler from the moon!  Now here comes all the questions: Why was there a fourth World War? Where have these Lunars come from? Why do Lunars have the ability to manipulate the people around them? Why are cyborgs considered second class? What year are we even really in, because I have no idea what T.E. stands for or what it actually means?

                So many questions. This has become a pet peeve of mine. I don’t understand why an author feels the need to leave so many questions when there is a series of books. It leaves me feeling unsatisfied in a sense. I don’t want to come up with my own explanation for why things have happened. I want you to tell me. Then I can have an understanding and fully appreciate the scope of the world. That didn’t happen to me here. There were also a few predictable moments for me. There was a cliffhanger at the end along with the plot twist. There are three more books in this series and like I said earlier, I am interested. I will probably read the next book because this one flowed well, was entertaining and an easy read. I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars. 

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