900 billion years later and I finally got the chance to read Cinder. I own all four books in the series and I’ve only just started reading them. WOW, KIRSTY. JUST… WOW. But I’ve finally read the first one and all I can say is that it was worth the wait. This is such an exceptional book and I cannot wait to read more about this world.

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it “a matter of national security,” but Cinder suspects it’s more serious than he’s letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder’s intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that’s been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter’s illness, Cinder’s stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an “honour” that no one has survived.

But it doesn’t take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

As you can tell by the blurb, Cinder is a Cinderella re-telling only with loads of twists and turns. One of the things that I absolutely loved about this book was that instead of having two evil stepsisters, Cinder only has the one. And the other stepsister, Peony is Cinder’s best friend and the love between the two of them just made me want to cry with happiness.

“I don’t know. I don’t actually remember anything from before the surgery.”

His eyebrows rose, his blue eyes sucking in all the light of the room. “The cybernetic operation?”

“No, the sex change.”

The doctor’s smile faltered.

“I’m joking.”
― Marissa Meyer, Cinder

I loved that Cinder was a mechanic, I loved that she was a cyborg and she took off her broken foot and put it on her market table and then Prince Kai picked it up, oh my life I was laughing so hard. I just loved every single one of the main characters: Cinder’s wit and sarcasm, Iko hilarious comments and banter with Cinder, Peony’s love for Cinder, Prince Kai’s innocence and naivety, Queen Levana’s evilness (and I’m praying that in the future books, Levana’s evilness is actually evil and not just Disney evil. I want death and destruction!)

I know that this is a Cinderella re-telling and that there’s going to be an evil step-mother, but oh my life, Adri (the step-mother) was just horrible! Every time she opened her mouth, something hateful and disgusting would come out and I just wanted to slap her.

I do recommend that you have the second book – Scarlett – on hand as soon as you finish Cinder because as soon as you finish the first book, you will want to start Scarlett straight away. The storyline is captivating, the characters are beautifully written and I can’t wait to finish the series.