Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 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.

Cinder was a book that I was eagerly waiting for and when I read it, it surpassed my expectations. The characters were great, the idea was great, the cyborg-alien-ness was great and I loved this book.

Cinder is basically a futuristic retelling of Cinderella in which the main character Cinder is a cyborg who has no memory of her past before being adopted. I really related to Cinder because she was so down to Earth and was smart. I liked that she had a sisterly bond with one of her step sisters, it made the story seem more real.

I kinda knew in the back of my head what was going to happen to Cinder all through the novel, but I was impressed with the other twists and turns that appeared while reading. The Chinese background and the addition of robots and moon people made the book more original. If you trace back the Cinderella fairy tale, it truly started in China (I’m pretty sure).

The cover of Cinder is beautiful and I loved how it was simple. Cinder is absolutely one of my favorite reads of 2012 and I need to read the rest of the series. Now. 5 Stars!

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Guest Post: Karyn Henley

Rafting Down a Novel

Reading a novel can be like whitewater rafting. Just as many streams flow into a river, many currents flow into the main story of a novel, rushing you toward the rapids.

You may not see all the streams running through a novel, but the ones you do see will usually be those you recognize from your own life. Maybe the courage of the main character inspires you, because you need courage. Or your conscience nudges you when the character is too angry to forgive. Is it the love story that grabs you? Or do you identify with the character’s struggle to forge his or her own identity? Do you know how she feels when she’s betrayed? All of these are streams that flow into the main story of Breath of Angel and Eye of the Sword.

But you probably won’t see all these streams, and you don’t have to. You raft through a novel for the joy of the ride. In fact, not even I see all the streams in my own novels. I was surprised when a friend read an early draft of Eye of the Sword and called it a novel about brothers. The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. But I hadn’t seen it.

As you read Eye of the Sword, you’ll discover other themes and streams. But if you want to look for the “brother” streams, here’s a guide: Watch Trevin and Dwin. They’re the most obvious brothers, but their relationship definitely goes through the rapids. Look at Kedemeth and Haden. And Benasin and Rejius. Watch how the brothers are alike and how they are different. Keep a lookout for the friends who are closer than brothers.

There is one more pair of brothers in Eye of the Sword, but I can’t spill that secret or I’d spoil it for you. In fact there are hidden relationships all up and down the river of this novel. So grab your binoculars, put on your life vest, hop aboard the raft, and watch out for whitewater. Happy rafting!