Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles

Marissa Meyer

Jan 2012 · The Lunar Chronicles Book 1 · Sold by Feiwel & Friends

About this ebook

The #1 New York Times Bestselling Series!

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.

Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men
Which of your characters is most like you?
I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no—I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side—things that could be said about me too—although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it.
Where do you write?
I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch.
If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you?
Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued.
The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book?
Scarlet is awesome—she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.)

Ratings and reviews

Cinder is a cyborg mechanic, despised by her peers.. She lives in New Beijing where there is a deadly disease outbreak; this is the beginning of Cinder. The premise draws me in. From there it diverges. The obvious reference to the fairytale it was drawn from include a desirable prince, an evil ish step mother and sister and a left behind "shoe". I enjoyed the story very much it combines some of my favorite story telling elements. I will say New Beijing is not very fleshed-out. descriptions are minimal to make it indistinguishable from anyplace. However, most of the book is about the characters, and not the specific place- inter- turmoil, and that sort of thing, which is universal. I am not a huge fan of the audiobooks narration, it makes Cinder seem a little bratty but overall I would recommend.

Dystopian Cinderella story. The romance angle here is less important than the character development of Cinder herself. The themes of feeling like an outsider, being different, ostracized because she was a Cyborg...these are powerful messages. I hope the teenagers who read this book will understand a little bit about what it's like for anyone who feels like an outsider (people with disabilities, etc) and why it's important to treat them equally.

One of my friends told me about this book and that I should check it out, but I told my friend That I was too old for Fairy Tales but, that's when she looked at me staright in the eye and said "No one gets too old of some that they might have love during there childhood." I mean she got a point ; so I went on and read the book and it's actually really good though the sister died and that Cinder was blame for this and that😥. sometimes I wonder how it feels to be only half human and cyborg. It's better to get this book at the library since I go there like almost two to three weeks your choice.

About the author

Marissa Meyer was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, home of Almond Roca and Stadium High School, which was made famous when Heath Ledger danced down the stadium steps in 10 Things I Hate About You. Marissa didn't actually go to Stadium High School, but she did attend Pacific Lutheran University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She still lives in Tacoma, now with her husband. Cinder is her YA debut.