Book Review: Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was suspicious of this book at first because the premise of a science fiction version of Cinderella seemed so odd to me. Plus it was getting alot of publicity, to the point of excess in my opinion, so I hadn't planned to read it until a co-worker suggested I do so. (You get cred Mr. Joseph!)



Anyway, I really liked it. Almost loved it. For the sake of full disclosure, I should note that I am a fan of fractured fairy tales in general. Also, I have some inexplicable affection for Cinderella tales, despite the fact that I find - in the original tale - Cinderella to be a whimp. "Oh come save me you brave man!" (WITH EXTREME SARCASM!)



So despite all that baggage, I was just delighted with this tale. Cinder has real attitude. She's not a whimp, but just trying to survive. Her belief in her own worthlessness as a cyborg is completely realistic, given the society she lives in. Yes, the stuff with the prince is rather high on the cheese-o-meter. But at the same time, Prince Kai is someone you want to root for too. He's genuinely good, but not plasticly perfect. Plus, this is just a good old fashioned pulpy sci-fi story with the threat of invasion of Earth by the people who've evolved a very different socity on the Moon. I'm not saying this is a fine dining experience of a book, but if you're in the mood for a really good burger & fries, then this is the book for you.



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