[review] Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer 
Rating: Fangirl
Released: January 3rd, 2012
Published By: Feiwel & Friends 
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
 Pages:390 pages U.S. Hardcover 
Source: Public Library 

"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."

Description from goodreads.com 

Review

This book had elements that I love in it.

 Fairy Tale? Check!

 Robots/Cyborgs/Androids? Check!

 Strong Female Character? Check! 

This book was just so much fun. The characters were pretty well developed. The story was fun, but predictable at times. This book was just one of those books that I want to tell my friends “I can’t explain this, Just Read it! You will like it! Trust me!”.

Cinder, you are one classy cyborg. I love how strong she is. I really enjoy her inner monologues she has. I just like her.  Cinder’s journey was fun, yet predictable. Though I was able to figure out most of the twists and turns her character was so intriguing I wasn’t bored or annoyed. Iko, the fabulous android, was a great comedic and sidekick. Prince Kai was Dreamy (of course), but stronger than he thought he was. Stepmother Adri was, well, the evil stepmother and played the cards well. Queen Levana, the Lunar Queen was as manipulative as she was beautiful. And Dr. Erland, now, I really liked him. That is all I will say to that.

With all I liked about the book, there were still some things I didn’t really enjoy. The Evil Stepmother and sister I felt didn’t get as good as character development. I know, I know. They are the Evil Characters, but this is a retelling and I was craving some redeeming qualities for these women. Besides Cinder, Peony, and Iko (who is android so technically…) all the main women’s characters are Evil, Manipulative, and just plain selfish. The Main Male Characters, Dr. Erland and Prince Kai are the exactly the opposite.

New Beijing really needs to be fleshed out more. I wanted to dive into the landscape, have a better understanding of this interesting world that Ms. Meyer’s created, but I felt that it kind of was flat. I hope in the sequels to this series that the landscape is more detailed so I can just throw myself into the story with the main character.

Okay, Back to my favorites again, no need to dampen the mood more.  I am super excited for Cress to come out (in 2014?! Sigh!) With her little cameo she had, I want to know more! OMGoodness, it is going to be epic. And the ending, I am so glad I read this book Only a few weeks before Scarlet comes out, because otherwise I don’t know what I would do.

So, read this book. It is awesome! The end!

[review] Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Released: Feburary 7th, 2012
Published By:Harper Collins Publishers
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Pages:374 pages U.S. Hardcover
Source: Public Library

"WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers."

Description from goodreads.com 

Review

To me, world building is what makes or breaks a dystopian or sci-fi novel. I have to feel fully committed and understand the world that the characters were living in. In Under the Never Sky, i felt that the world that Rossi created was both complex but subtle. Aria and Perry's world takes place in the future, where the earth has been harshened by the elements, creating communities that either live in dome like structures or out in the open land.   Each one of the main characters comes from a different background; Aria growing up in Reverie under the dome and living most of her life in the Realms (virtual spaces) and Perry growing up on the outside.  After Aria gets exiled from Reverie she is left to to die in the outside world also know as"The Death Shop". She and Perry find out they can both help each other.

The story in this book i found to be a bit slower pace in the beginning. The first few chapters, while intersting and important to the world building, i felt needed to be a bit less stiff. However, once the chapters switched between narrators the story moved quicker.  Switching between narrators is hard to do well, and Rossi succeeds with this. I found myself excited to see what Aria's perspective of the story was while reading Perry's and vice versa. The supporting characters where also rich and inviting, however, i felt that Cinder could have been a bit more rounded out ( i hope that this happens in the next book).

The relationship between Perry and Aria was not a insta-romance, which i respect and enjoy. I felt Rossi did a great job creating a world that Perry and Aria could slowly fall into place. Their romance and relationship build throughout the story at a very real pace. However, they never lost each other in the relationship but instead grew to be stronger individuals

In the end, i really enjoyed this book, it has not been been the best book i have read in a while, but it was great and i will continue on excitedly to finish the series

::rating::
3 out of 5 stars