Cyborg Cinderella: Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Melissa Meyer intrigued me so much that it convinced me to break my own rule about reading trilogies. If you're curious, I usually wait until all three are published to read any--I buy and shelve to be read later if it's an author I want to support. My reasons are too many to discuss here. But Cinder tempted me and while I hate being stuck waiting for the next book, I am glad I read the first one. Meyer had an ARC sent to me and an extra one that I am giving away as part of the December Giveaway: Favorite Fairy Tale Things.

I'm not going to write a thoughtful review right now. I will simply say that this is Cinderella unlike I've ever read her before. The story was interesting and kept me reading along with Meyer's approachable writing style. Cyborgs are tricky and science fiction can turn off some genre readers who abstain from it on principle, but they shouldn't skip this one because I think it will appeal to a broader audience. It's definitely not part of the darker oeuvre the market is currently saturated with in fairy tale retellings, but it isn't sweet and happy either. Bad things happen. There is pain. The ending is curbending rather than cliffhanging which simply hurts more when you close a book with one. We are curious and left hanging with answers to questions but not so much that we don't feel completely unresolved--except perhaps for those most invested in the romance which is very much there but doesn't dominate.

And, of course, how she plays with the Cinderella story is always fun for fairy tale readers like us.

The book isn't released until January 3 but it is getting great publisher support (congrats Marissa!) and is sweeping the net with publicity. I'll join in the fun.

Book description:

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.

You can read the first five chapters online or download them for free to your Kindle or other devices, too.

There is also a prequel short story available for free online at Glitches by Marissa Meyer.

And Marissa has a blog where you can read to learn more about the book and her experiences getting to launch date and beyond...