Review : Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title : Cinder Author : Marissa Meyer Reading Dates : 18 Mar - 30 Mar 2012 Total Pages : 387
The Lunar Chronicles Cinder
From Amazon : 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.

Book Review of Cinder.

I wanted to love Cinder but unfortunately I couldn’t. The storyline definitely had possibilities and the world Cinder’s story is set in was one I’d have liked to get to know better, but there just wasn’t any chemistry between the 2 main protagonists of the story.

Cinder’s premise offered much. Right from the get-go I was curious about the world Marissa Meyer had created, wondering how it all came to be that way. Trying to guess how the balance of power of this futuristic vision of our world could have changed and the forces that drove it. There were even hints of a darker theme, one involving cyborgs and slavery. But all of this came to nothing at the end of the story. Nothing was explored beyond the superficial.

The same went for Kai and Cinder’s story. I simply couldn’t imagine either Cinder or Kai willing to sacrifice themselves for each other because there was simply nothing to their relationship. The feelings which they spoke of or acted on seemed just mere words to me.

At the end of Cinder, I couldn’t help feeling let down. While I didn’t hate the story, I just couldn’t see why I’d read the next book in the series. Cinder, was unfortunately not the tale for me.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Maybe, but I can't seem to drag up any interest right now.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? No.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? No.
• Who would I recommend this too? Young adult readers.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

In My Mailbox

Teaser Tuesdays

Challenges : 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge; Eclectic Reader Challenge 2012