Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Have you ever wondered what Cinderella would have been like if she was 31% machine? I hadn't either, that is until I read the blurb for CINDER! Even though it came out earlier this year I've only just got my hands on a copy :) So here we go! CINDER is an out of this world retelling of this classic fairytale. Meet Cinder - the cyborg :)

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Puffin (UK) | Feiwel & Friends (US)
Release Date: 5th January 2012 (UK) | 3rd January 2012 (US)
Series: Lunar Chronicles, Book 1
Source: My own personal copy

Blurb from Goodreads:
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.

Review:
Frist Line - 'The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle. Her knuckles ached from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another.'
From line one you can tell this is no ordinary fairytale. And if you think this is going to be an exact copy of Cinderella...think again. Firstly, Cinder is a cyborg...a second class citizen in her world, as if having metal in her body makes her worth less than everyone else. Secondly, while there is still the wicked stepmother (Adri), one of her stepsisters (Peony) is actually quite nice, Pearl however is just like her mother and despises Cinder...despite the fact her skills as a mechanic are wildly sought after and bring steady income into the house. And finally, Cinder lives in a city called New Beijing, in a world that is wider than we have ever known. A race of beings living on the moon, called the Lunar, are just one of the new editions to our home world.
While not an apocalyptic dystopian novel, Cinder is set in the distant future where a plague (letumosis/blue fever) has been ravishing mankind. It's already taken Cinder's adoptive father leaving her to face his widow and daughters alone. Then her only ally in the household, Peony, is also struck down by the disease. It can strike anyone at any time...including the King of New Beijing. Letumosis has no known survivors.

A scream filled Cinder’s ears. She flinched, the sound peaking in her audio interface, and turned toward it. The market silenced. The children, who had switched to a game of hide-and-seek among the clustered booths, crept out from their hiding spots.
The scream had come from the baker, Chang Sacha. Baffled, Cinder stood and climbed on top of her chair to peer over the crowd. She spotted Sacha in her booth, behind the glass case of sweet breads and pork buns, gawking at her outstretched hands.
Cinder clamped a hand over her nose at the same moment realization skittered through the rest of the square.
“The plague!” someone yelled. “She has the plague!”

Adri had always hated Cinder, believing that if her husband hadn't gone to Europe to adopt Cinder, he would never have caught letumosis and would still be alive today. And after her daughter Peony contracts the disease too, Adri decides to get rid of the 'useless cyborg' who's been plaguing her life for years...and in the ultimate act of cruelty and betrayal, Adri volunteers Cinder to test the newest vaccine against Letumosis. Cinder has no choice in the matter because Adri is her legal guardian so despite the fact that Cinder refuses to test the vaccine there is nothing she can do...and no cyborg has ever survived the testing phase. And that's all I'm telling you about that...too many spoilers lay ahead...you'll just have to read CINDER and find out for yourselves ;).

'Legally, Cinder belonged to Adri as much as the household android and so too did her money, her few possessions, even the new foot she'd just attached. Adri loved to remind her of that.'

Why is Cinder a cyborg and not fully human do I hear you ask? Well, there was an accident...at least that's what Cinder's been told. She can't actually remember. All she knows is that one day she woke up with a metal hand and metal leg, along with some sort of programming wired into her brain that can tell when people are lying and get her just about any information she wants.
Cinder is just an awesome main character, she recognises and deals with her awful family dynamic maturely despite the often harsh treatment from her Stepmother and Pearl. The closest person to her was her sister Peony, but when the disease steals Peony from Cinder...she's left with no-one. That is until Prince Kai steps on the scene. He'd turned up at her stall looking for the famous Linh Cinder...the mechanic who can fix anything. Expecting some old dude covered in grease, you can imagine his surprise when he meets the real Cinder. It sort of spirals from there and includes an android with royal secrets as well as a possible cure for the fatal letumosis disease. All the while Cinder has to hide her true nature from Kai, for fear he'll be as disgusted by her as her family is. But Cinder's family troubles are only just beginning, there are many revelations for Cinder in this. She finds out who and what she really is...the things from before the accident that she can't remember, and reason why her mad scientist friend insists she hide from the visiting Lunar Queen. It's all very exciting and left me on tenterhooks for the next one in the series :)

Marissa Meyer has breathed new life into this classic fairytale, taking us on an exciting journey of love, war, and impossible choices. I'd recommend it to anyone who has a love of fairytale and dystopian novels. Heck, I'd just recommend it to anyone :D

My Rating 4.5/5

Interested? Well you can read prequel novella GLITCHES by Marissa Meyer HERE. A big Thank You to Tor and the lovely Marissa Meyer for providing this amazing novella online :)

Review: When Copper Suns Fall by KaSonndra Leigh

Hey all, my newest review is When Copper Suns Fall by KaSonndra Leigh. This dystopian fantasy is book 1 in the Copper Suns Trilogy.

Title: When Copper Suns Fall
Author: KaSonndra Leigh
Publisher: TriGate Press
Release Date: 6th December 2011 (Kindle Edition)
Series: Copper Suns Trilogy, Book 1
Source: I recieved a copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from the KaSonndra Leigh's website:
In fifteen-year-old Chela Prizeon’s city, alchemy is forbidden and angels hide among the mortal. With a deadly virus ravaging the globe, Chela’s nightmarish memories compels her to experience a past riddled with gloom, and now her brother is infected. Chela’s only hope is the Caduceans, slayers sworn to protect the last seven Light Keepers and the ancient memories they share. A group led by the sometimes elusive, sometimes infuriating boy who intrigues Chela. But can she trust this boy with the mysterious past, someone who can influence her memories?
With the Caduceans aid, Chela races to defeat her rivals, to unearth dark family secrets, desperate to find a cure…only to discover the glutovirus is far more than a simple disease.

Review:
First Line: 'My brothers hand twitched. It was the first time he'd moved in almost a year. Micah was in a coma. He lay in his bed, sightless eyes staring upward. Tubes attached to his arms, legs, and head led to a life-support system. My chest ached, stomach rolled, and grief was a bomb waiting to explode inside me.'
This first few lines drew me right in, how did Chela's brother end up in a coma? This is the question that eventually draws Chela into a world most believe had been left in the past. The official story is that he was in an accident, (Micah fell from the top of a ride) but Chela is convinced that it was no accident. She believes the mythical Tainteds were somehow involved and being twins...Chela will not stop until she discovers the truth.

Unfortunately the incurable Glutovirus is rampaging through Micah's system and his Doctor wishes to use Micah's body for research purposes...because Micah and Chela share a secret. They have celestial blood running through their veins. With her celestial blood Chela could have thrown off the men who took her from her brothers room or done some serious damage to the doctor who threatens to tell the world what she is...but Chela knows she has to keep her blood hidden...otherwise she risks being arrested or shot like the others of her kind. Since the Great War the humans have been forbidden, by the governing tribuneral, to have any association with the Caduceans and Tainteds who where the beings at the centre of the war which changed mankind forever. Chela's journey to discover the truth about Micah takes her further than she had ever imagined and drags her in to a place where the Caduceans and Tainteds are anything but myths. Chela makes some life changing discoveries about her home and her celestial heritage. Lies will be uncovered and cracks begin to show in the perfect society, for those in power have been anything but honest. Chela's celestial blood brings her new discoveries about her heritage and the role she will play in a hidden war. With the help of her friends Chela will change the world and her future...forever.

As far as the characters go, I liked Chela, she's strong and protective of those she loves and will do all she can to make things right. She is human and makes mistakes...I find a flawed heroine more believable than a perfect one so this is a definite plus for me. However, I didn't always connect with Chela. In some places I can picture exactly what she sees and feels...but in a couple of other places I feel more like someone sat on the sidelines. The love intrest in the form of Faris certainly has some promise...and I love the scene where they first meet, my word Faris is certainly intriguing...my mind kept wandering back to him. However, 2 more love interests are inrtoduced in the form of Seth and Jalen. The love triangle...or maybe it's a square...I don't know that ensues is hard on Chela (though I was always rooting for Faris) and she loses herself briefly.

“They’ll call me, now, and make me a witness against you. I’m sorry, but I already have too many problems. So I—I have to tell the truth,” I said.
“That won’t be a problem.” Faris smiled, a catchy one that lit his face up. I couldn’t decide whether it was angelic or downright wicked. Just like I couldn’t remember where I’d ever heard an accent like his. What kind was it? Old southern? Old English? Irish? It sounded like a mix of all three, but with a deep timbre, making him sound god like. “In a few minutes, you won’t remember me or any of this.”
“Really? How do you figure that?” I asked, heart racing.
“Because my gift to you…” He moved his face closer to mine, pulling me into whatever was happening in his head. “My gift is to remove memories that cause you pain.”
“Okay, um, right.” Had I lost my mind? It probably wouldn’t have hurt to scream.
He held my gaze, locking me into something I couldn’t explain. A tear puckered up in his left eye, and slid down his cheek where it stopped on his top lip. Then he blinked, snapping us out of whatever place he’d taken us to, and glanced behind my head. “Here comes your dark knight,” he said, easing his arms away from me.

Seth, unlike Faris, creeped me out from the very beginning. He is just one of those characters you are always suspicious of, and for that I think he is absolutely great. He is the guy in this love triangle who whenever Chela spent time with him I was going 'NOO! FARIS, PICK FARIS, GIRL ARE YOU BLIND!?' I always enjoy trying to get characters to see what they, in my opinion, are doing wrong...though my housemates get creeped out when I start shouting at books haha.

When Copper Suns Fall certainly keeps you on your toes while you're reading it. KaSonndra Leigh has created a new world full of many types of people. It reads well and I rarely had to struggle through it. There is a lot of action and when you think you see where the story is going, KaSonndra Leigh throws a curve ball and you suddenly have no idea what will happen next! I loved that about it, predictable is no fun. The unique spin on angel myhtology was absolutely fascinating and the dystopian theme was woven really well into the mythology. The Seraphim, Cherubim, the Caduceans and the Tainted will keep you enthralled throughout.

The one fault I could find with When Copper Suns Fall was the lack of background information in one or two areas. Some area's are not fully explained and left me a tiny bit lost at times. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the read but I don't think I got as into it as I feel I should have done, I mean the story showed so much promise. I had to flick back occasionally to try and find explanations that weren't always there which spoilt it for me a little bit. An example is that we don't get an awful lot of information about the Great War, it is mentioned yes, but not to the level of detail that I would have personally liked.
BUT, and this is a big but, this series certainly has a lot of promise and I certainly will be keeping an eye out as the trilogy progresses.

My Rating 3.5/5