Kimberly's Novel Notes: Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Grade: 4 Butterflies
Name:Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Source: The Library
Released: January 3rd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: Hardcover, 390 pages

Goodreads summary

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.

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My Thoughts

      You can not go in the book blogspehere for 10 minutes before you start hearing people saying glowing things about this book. Its suppose to blow your socks off. Added to that fact is that it's a retelling of Cinderella, my favorite bed time story. So, naturally I really wanted to read this book, but I don't buy hardcover books and if I ordered it from the library I would be in hold position 150. I thought to myself that I would just wait for the paperback copy to come out. Then one day at the library I found this just sitting there and I shouted for joy. When I finished reading it I wasn't blown away like everyone else. Its not a bad book, it's a really great book, but it wasn't as great as every one's been saying.

     One of the best things about this book was the world. New Beijing was so vivid and I loved everything about it, the people (well, maybe not Cinder's family), the androids, the market, everything. Which also says how great a writer the author was, because never before was I so captivated by the world in a book.

     Like I said the writing in this book was fantastic, just fantastic!!! I don't often talk about the writing in reviews, but this one was so good I couldn't not. Even though this book was Marissa Meyer's debut book, how well it was written I didn't even know this was her debut book until I looked to what else she's written.

     So, after reading those two paragraphs filled with praise' "why" you ask "am I giving this book 4 Butterflies"? Well I will tell you. It is because there were some things I wish where better in this book.

     The first thing was for most of the book I thought the characters where well written, but had nothing special about them. It wasn't until the last 20 or so pages that I saw development and sparks in them. Which I was so disappointed in, because the characters were what I was most excited for when reading this.

     Also, even though the plot was great and kept my interest through out the whole book, it was very predictable. Maybe it was just me, but, except for some minor ones, I could see every plot twist from a mile away. Whenever that happens in a book it diminishes the greatness of the book.

     One last thing, I thought that the relationship between the prince and Cinder would be more....there. It felt like the relationship between the prince and Cinder wasn't forced, but I didn't feel like it was there at all. Which, I was really disappointed in, because I did feel chemistry between them, but they just didn't interact with each enough for a relationship to form. At least it felt like that for me. It felt like they did have feelings for each other, but nothing solid or serious. I hope in the next book their relationship will develop some more, because they are perfect for each other.

   Over all, this book was really great with outstanding writing and a world that I fell in love with. It was a lot better then most books, but it didn't blow me away like everyone's been saying. I will defiantly go out and buy my own copy.  And I highly recomened this book to you if you haven't read it already.

This book got...

4 Butterflies

Beloved, This is a really good book.