Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles: Book 1)

9/10

It’s a Cinderella story set in a post-apocalyptic future and the Cinderella in question is Cinder Linh; the best mechanic in New Beijing who is also a… wait for it… cyborg! An interesting read? I most definitely think so!

Amazon.com describes the book thus. “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 centre 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.”

The handsome prince in question was the reason I had my doubts on the story, but as it pans out Prince Kai matures nicely. He’s a relative nice guy, friendly to most and wary as a prince must be. He shows some interest in Cinder because she’s very genuine underneath the false front she puts to show people that she doesn’t mind going unnoticed. Unlike dear old Cinders from the Disney classic, Cinder Linh has guts and determination and a wrench, if all else fails. Even though she is thrust into the middle of a crisis she wants no part in, she tries hard and faces down bad guys bravely.

She’s a far cry from the hoard of badass female characters that have stormed fiction and fantasy in general. I feel that Cinder is very real, in many ways despite the fact she is a cyborg.

The only flaws would be that you figure out how it’ll end (sort of) somewhere in the middle of the book and though the setting is New Beijing, the character's lack authentic Asian qualities, probably more apparent to me because I’m Asian. I tend to get peeved when this happens.

Overall, Cyborg Cinderella is a brilliant and fresh take on the classic fairy tale. I will read the rest of the chronicles!