Description: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
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.
Opinion/Recommendation: This book was an amazingly new take on the story of Cinderella. Of course it has that dystopian setting, which I'm loving at the moment, but the premise of the story was very refreshing. I really enjoyed Cinder's character; part human and part cyborg, she's a social outcast with a hidden agenda...certainly not the kind of Cinderella I grew up with. But I think her strength makes Cinder more appealing to audiences today. Along with that strength, Cinder is very smart and genuine. Despite her lack of friends, she's probably the one person who you would want to be friends with.
Even though the story is based on Cinderella, you don't need to worry about knowing the entire plot line. Meyer provides enough of the original story without it seeming like a word for word retelling of the classic. It branches out from the original story in many different ways, including the relationships Cinder shares with her family and the prince, as well as the introduction of a political/power driven war and plague that sweep Cinder from her life as a mechanic to a much more vital role (I like to think of her as an essential weapon). Can't wait to find out what happens in Scarlet, book two, coming out January 3, 2013.
On a bunny trail side-note: Yesterday, I went to a teen author showcase. Marrissa Meyer was there!
I sat in the second row (the first row was empty, so it felt like i was right up front). It was a very insightful event and I now have a few new books I'm interested in reading. Ex. Velveteen by Daniel Marks. From his description, the book sounds pretty dark and humorous...haven't really read that kind of genre before, but you never know...............
Anyway, Marissa was really nice and spoke often about her book(s). I'm so excited for the whole series; and I'll let you know, that she said the other books will be based on other fairytale stories. She said Scarlet will be based on Little Red Riding Hood, and Cress will be based on Rapunzel.
Also, another extra tidbit: I found out how to pronounce Cinder's sidekick robot's name "Iko". The whole time I was thinking it was pronounced I (like eye) and ko (like the beginning of coca-cola)...but no. Marissa kindly told me it's pronounced "eco" like the beginning of ecosystem. She was also handing out specially made fortune cookies (how clever). My fortune said, "Take comfort in your friends. Especially the android ones." That makes me smile.
...Hope your day is bright
Olive juice
No comments:
Post a Comment