Recently I was recommended a book from a friend, and I had been recommended this book many times before from librarians, friends, family, and such. So when I was in my local bookstore I decided to give it a chance. To my delight, it did not disappoint and I’m so glad that it is the first of a series so I may enjoy many other books with the writing and characters I grew to love. The writing is phenomenal, from the story building to the character development, this book has it all.
Adapted from the story of Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm, Cinder is a sci-fi rewrite of the beloved children's story. In this adaption Cinder is a teenage cyborg girl who is tasked with the job of fixing the prince's android. This all changes when her (step)sister, Peony contracts the plague. Many problems soon arise, and it doesn’t help that the threatening Lunar queen is visiting and has many plans to disrupt the monarchy and take over the Eastern Commonwealth.
One thing I loved about this book was how much effort was put into the backstory and worldbuilding. The whole lore about the Lunar colony really interested me and Cinder's ties to it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. One thing that I did not enjoy about this book however, was the romance with Prince Kai. It seemed forced, cliché, and I felt like I got déjà vu while reading it. While in a story about Cinderella there must be a prince, there could have been a better way to write this love story. Rather than making us relive the standard prince and princess love story with an evil witch coming to marry the prince, we could have gotten a different love story or one that focused on Cinder and Peony’s relationship instead.
Overall, this book is about an 8/10. It was a very good book, and I really enjoyed it, though it could have had a bit less predictable romance. A well written book with very intriguing writing, I would definitely recommend this book to a friend or family member looking for an exciting read. Cinder definitely has some mature themes, but none too explicit or crude. I would recommend it to readers ages 12-15, though mature 11 year olds would most likely be able to handle it. Above the age of 15, it really depends on the type of reading material you like, but I would recommend Cinder to readers of any age above 12.
