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Lunar Chronicles 01 Cinder
by
Marissa Meyer
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ISBN13:
9780312641894
ISBN10:
0312641893
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Average customer rating 4.5 (11 comments)
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JWallis
, November 15, 2019
(view all comments by JWallis)
Wonderful re-imagining of the Cinderella story incorporating sci-fi, reluctant hero storyline & a little star-crossed lovers thrown in. Cinder is a compelling character who really stands on her own - she doesn't feel like a faux Cinderella or Cinderella light, Marissa Meyer could have easily tweaked the story line enough to remove the Cinderella elements but her incorporation or re-imagination of them are so smart and interesting (& carry on through the rest of the series in such engrossing ways). Cinder is a brilliant mechanic in far future New Beijing. Like Cinderella she has a horrid "step" mother and 2 step sisters, 1 who is cruel like her mother and 1 who adores Cinder and treats her with kindness. Cinder herself is part cyborg, which makes her not only a pariah in New Beijing but also her step mother's property rather than an autonomous person. As the story progresses Cinder's world falls apart in more than 1 way but she has to think quickly and choose between saving herself and doing what she thinks is right. It's so easy to get caught up in the mystery and drama of the world Cinder finds herself in and the rest of the series keeps up the drama, mystery, and intrigue.
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Book Finder
, August 22, 2017
This book and another in the series was so good that I am having to replace them in the school library because they have never been returned. My daughter enjoyed them. I enjoyed them. I want other students to enjoy them as well. I have been to your store in Portland a few times, but it is 10 hours away.
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leslieluvzbooks
, August 01, 2015
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Set in a future where humans own android servants, Cinder, as a cyborg, is definitely a second-class citizen. Her "stepmother" is the wife of the man who adopted her and died soon after, leaving this shallow, materialistic woman with two daughters and a cyborg. The winks and nods to the original fairy tale fit wonderfully into this new setting (like the "pumpkin coach" is an "ancient" orange-colored Volkswagen Beetle that she fixes up to drive herself to the ball) and the twists and new sides of the story are both intriguing and amusing. I loved all of the characters, it made me smile, squeal, giggle, hold my breath, gasp--a general evocation of all the feelings one wants from a book! Cinder is no Mary-Sue, and the other characters are given their own dose of intrigue and made every bit as interesting as the "central couple." I am excited to see what she has done with other tales as I continue through the series!
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Mariella
, October 22, 2014
If you are not so sure whether or not to read this series I would recommend that you do! It is a quick, fun read, and it is so easy to fly through. The world is very captivating, and before you know it, you’re sucked in to the world! Over all I would give it an 87% on a regular percentage scale!
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Booklion12
, September 17, 2014
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This book is fantastic for any gender! And it just keeps on getting better throughout the series! If you like sci-fi or even if you don't, and you like kick butt characters, and a story with awesome plot, and stories based on fairy tales, you will love this book! And then you can check out the rest of the series!
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veryinvisible
, February 01, 2014
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Cinder is a cyborg mechanic version of the fairy tale, Cinderella. I absolutely love fairy tale retellings, but Cinderella is probably the most common fairy tale story Hollywood has retold. However, Marrisa Meyer turning Cinderella into a cyborg grabbed my attention from the start and left me wanting more. The story follows closely with the fairy tale in terms of living with a horrible step mother, Adri, and two step sisters, Pearl and Peony. Instead of a present day version of Cinderella, Cinder lives in New Beijing (what use to be Beijing) with androids, portscreens, hovers, and much more futuristic advancements. Instead of doing household chores, which are left to the androids, she works as a mechanic, bringing in most of the family income. Marissa Meyer has interwoven a classic fairy tale story into a dystopian world that is completely her own. The parallels between Cinder and Cinderella are done in a way that it wasn’t forced or cliche. The realistic relationship between the characters make the story feel more than just a Cinderella retelling, especially with the twists Meyer added along the way. Reading the story you can tell that Meyer’s world has been well thought out with a history of its own. The other iconic fairy tale characters included were also a very nice addition to the story, which we are sure to see more of in the next few books. I am very excited to be introduced to the other fairy tale stories and see how they connect with each other. I have no doubt that I am going to be just as amazed with the next books as I was with Cinder.
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Natalie A
, December 14, 2013
Cinder by Marissa Meyer is about a mechanically gifted teenage girl with a little something special, a metal leg which makes her a cyborg. Cinder, the cyborg, lives with her mean stepmother Adri, grotesque step sister Pearl and and sweet stepsister Peony. In this futuristic world, a plague has swept the world, including New Beijing, Cinder’s home. Cinder believes her life will be spent in her little shop and caring for her stepfamily, but when her life suddenly intertwines with the handsome Prince Kai, heir to New Beijing, it gets turned upside down. I really enjoyed the book Cinder by Marissa Meyer, it was upbeat, suspenseful, and overall written well. As my favorite genre, this book provides realism, bits of the present world in this futuristic dystopia. Cinder keeps pages turning and the main character is very easy to connect to. I would recommend this book to everyone.
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Lilian Cheng
, February 24, 2013
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I love sci-fi and fairytale re-telling. With all the praise surrounding Cinder, I was certain this would be my book. It wasn't. I enjoyed Meyer's futuristic interpretation of Cinderella, she had an interesting concept--unfortunately the execution was lacking, especially the clumsy world building. Perhaps I'm Chinese that I am particularly critical of how my culture is being portrayed, and Cinder irritated me on that front. It was also on the predictable side, where we all knew the plot-twist before page 100--yet I was still eager to keep exploring Cinder's eccentric characters. Shallow World-Building, Why not set it in Europe already?: Asian Culture Goes Beyond Cranes, Kimonos, and Dumplings, People! Like the book mentions, the culture in Cinder is really just "cobbled together from many [Asian] cultures." Except the main cultures haplessly "cobbled" together are just the Japanese and Chinese (there are Arabic and Sanskrit influences on a few names, but that's it)...and a large helping of Western culture. Sure, the language and descriptions have figments of Asian (by Asian, I mean only Japanese and Chinese) culture, but the way they act is completely Westernized. The concept of having a "ball" is completely Western (on another note, why someone would wear a kimono to a dance is beyond me.) So is kissing people on the hand. I am sure the music that was played during the ball was probably Bach or Chopin and not traditional oriental music. And the way Cinder talks her elders? I don't mean to be stereotypical, but if I spoke like that, I would be thrown out of the house. The world in Cinder had all the signs of a Western society, plus maybe a few cranes, bamboo, Buddha dolls--and dumplings. What Happened To The Technology?! Another issue I have with Cinder is that I didn't believe it was set in the future at all. Apparently they've invented androids, cyborgs, hover cars, but why has life still so pitiful? People still have to work in markets out in the open (I guess there's no online shopping anymore?,) actually go to meetings in person, and their medical facilities are just pitiful. On top of it, they have a disease they cant cure so people are dropping like flies. There are auto-drive functions in hover cars, but I guess not in normal cars, because Cinder still crashes into a tree. Language: Confusing, Random Honorifics: One of the most confusing, jarring parts of Cinder is their names, along with the honorifics. I rather Meyer forego the use of honorifics altogether since it seems to do more harm than good. In the acknowledgements, Meyer thanks Paul Manfredi Ph.D. for his assistance in Chinese honorifics. I don't have a doctorate degree, but I do speak fluent Chinese so I do think I am qualified to add my two cents on the use of Chinese honorifics. I think Meyer got confused between Japanese and Chinese honorifics. While both cultures use honorifics, Chinese tend to use them to a lesser degree--especially in modern times, and when they ARE used they usually denote a special relationship (along with respect). In Meyer's FAQ section on her website, she explains the usage of a few honorifics: For my futuristic culture, I simplified it to the following five honorifics used in the Eastern Commonwealth: -dàren: for a high-ranking official -shìfu: for an older male -jūn: for a younger male -jiĕ: for an older female -mèi: for a younger female Jiĕ and mèi are the two most commonly used honorifics in Cinder, and their usage always puzzles me and strikes me as clumsy (or unnecessary clunky) writing. Whatever happened to the the honorifics for royalty? How about doctors? And Mr and Mrs? Prince Kai refers to Cinder as Lihn-mèi, but using mèi denotes a close relationship. And for a guy to use it, he is usually as close to the girl as he is to a sister (even closer than if he were to use her first name.) It is very surprising for a PRINCE to use it, and to a girl he barely knows! Cinder refers to her mother (albeit stepmother) by her first name, which is just rude. She also refers to her father with his first name. I should just accept that Cinder has barely anything to do with Asian culture. I admit after reading the acknowledgments, I had to wonder just how much help from the PhD Meyer got (so I Googled him.) Or if I was the stupid one who didn't know anything about her own culture and the language she spoke fluently. Names: Wrong Romanization/Pinyin The names in Cinder seem to either come from Chinese or Japanese names. At first I thought the royal family would have Chinese origins since they rule New Beijing after all. But it turns out Japan must've taken over at some point because their names are Japanese (is this Meyer hinting at Japan's superiority over China?.) Rikan can be both Chinese or Japanese, so can Kai. But later I find out Kai is short for Kaito--which can only be derived from Japanese romanization. Curiously, we never get his last name. I can accept the Japanese names, but the Chinese ones are a mess. I appreciate Meyer for putting tone marks on the honorifics, but they don't appear anywhere else. Even without tonemarks Lihn should be "pinyinned" as Lin. I'm not sure if Nainsi is supposed to be a Chinese derivative of "Nancy" whoever named her fell asleep on the keyboard, but that n in the middle should not be there. The only one that has a believable Chinese name is Chang Sacha, but then her son (Sunto) is either misspelled or Japanese. For a Chinese-based world, there aren't many Chinese names. Or maybe Chinese names are a pain to pronounce (I know, because I gave up trying to teach people how to pronounce my Chinese name.) Romance: I appreciated that Cinder didn't fall in love at first glance, but I still don't find Prince Kai that appealing. That is probably due to his inappropriate bursts of sarcasm during political meetings. Why Do People Hate Cyborgs Again? From what I gather, cyborgs are still human with a few prosthetics, yet apparently they are hated as second class citizens. Melo-dramatic, much? I am sure if any of those other people ever lost a limb, they would welcome a prosthetic instead of being leg-less for the rest of their life too. Politics, MOON PEOPLE ARE OUT TO GET US. I really Don't Get Politics. Real or Fictional. I admit that I was left confused over how the politics work. Apparently the queen of the moon is going to wage war with Earth if they don't give her control because she's evil and she feels like it...yet she wants to marry a prince ten years her junior even though she has mind-control powers. Why she doesn't use mind-control for world domination to save herself the trouble is beyond me. Why Prince Kai still thinks there's anything worth negotiating is beyond me. Why can't he just send a nuclear bomb over to the moon? Problem solved. But I guess he is all for "peace," so bombs are out of the question. I didn't pay too much attention to the political talk since it seemed to get nowhere. Characters: I applaud the depth Meyer gives her characters. Surprisingly, I find the minor characters (Adri and Pearl more appealing than the main ones.) Despite Adri fulfilling the role as evil step-mother, I was sympathetic towards her losses (woman lost her husband and her daughter) and why she blames Cinder because of it. She was a mean grouch, but I thought she had legit reasons for her actions. Unlike the other "villain," Queen Levana who is evil and seeks world domination because she can. Cinder, The Mechanic with an Attitude (I think she needs anger management) I love Cinder for her intelligence. She is a determined character that has an heart for people she loves. However, I often want her to chill out. When she meets the doctor who informs her about her past, her society, and Lunars (moon people), she freaks out and starts hyperventilating even though she thinks the doctor could be just a crazy old man. At one point she wants to hit the guy with a wrench, or shoot a bolt of lightning through his head. Poor guy. For some reason Cinder is clueless about her own society and needs to be informed about the black market by a doctor (though I suspect he exists for info-dump purposes.) And people keep telling her national security secrets. After awhile, it gets in her head and she gives herself the responsibility to track down the enemy perpetrator by holding onto a communication chip instead of handing it to authorities. AND THE PRINCE IS OKAY WITH IT. So much for national security. She's a mechanic, not a hacker. Prince Kai, The Guy Who is Sarcastic in the Most Inappropriate Situations: I am not sure being sarcastic to an "evil" queen with mind control powers is a good idea. While I think his sarcasm is supposed to be funny, I found him childish. I kept wishing he would grow up to prove himself as a great leader instead of trying to be sarcastic all the time. For a prince, he really has too much time on his hands. Word of the Day: Thaumaturge Thaumaturge must be Meyer's favorite word. I can't read "thaumaturge" without thinking "trauma-turd-ist" or "centrifuge." Can someone tell me if using the word "magician," "miracle worker," or even "dowager" is too mainstream? Plot-Twist, I Saw You Coming From Page 100 The plot twist was predictable, but I didn't really mind since I was interested in getting to know the world and its interesting characters. Cinder, on the other hand, took a looonnng time to piece it all together (actually, she didn't even piece it all together, which says something about her intelligence.) Sailor Moon! Meyer did write Salor Moon fanfiction, and it's evident some of it seeped into Cinder. *coughSerena...Selenecough* I am sure I'm the minority who didn't fall head over heels into Cinder, and I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the sloppy world-building. While I have to give props to Meyers imagination, Cinder didn't appeal to me liked I hoped it would. I read Cinder so I could get to Scarlet, but after Cinder--I am unsure if I want anymore of Meyer's writing. Perhaps Scarlet would be better since it is set in France (and thank God not in China.)
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jasmineroster
, January 02, 2013
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Fantastic writing and the best retelling I've read in quite some time.
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Hwa Sun
, August 11, 2012
(view all comments by Hwa Sun)
Cinder is a fascinating retelling of Cinderella with a delightful sci-fi twist. First of all, this world that Marissa Meyer has created is simply brilliant. She's a freaking genius. As for the characters, Cinder was awesome. She's smart and level headed, both of which are always good traits to have. She's not afraid to use force if it comes down to it, knows how to be sarcastic, and has a personality that I can easily relate to. I think Prince Kai was amazing, too. I loved his snarky side because it was funny, and he could actually control it and not take his anger out on everyone. He had the ability to keep it mostly to himself, which I very much appreciated. Now, about the plot: the first 150 pages or so were slow. Nothing big happened, and there were only two reasons why I kept reading through it. One was that I kept hoping that something would happen soon, and the second reason was because the world building was so fantastic, it drew me in and wouldn't let go. I wanted to know more about the world. When the plot finally began to unfold, I was reeled in even further. The last hundred pages practically flew by. I'll admit, the plot was rather predictable, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. The ending was one that I liked very much. It wasn't a cliffhanger, which was good. It closed off this book, while at the same time, it opened up for the sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed Cinder, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series bring. Hwa Sun :)
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Teri Crosby
, January 03, 2012
(view all comments by Teri Crosby)
Cyborg Cinderella. I think that it was the concept of an altered twist on the Cinderella tale that really made me yearn for this release as much as I did, and Marissa Meyer fulfilled all of my fantasy dreams. Castle on Earth, yes! How about a evil empire on the Moon that is hellbent on taking over ruling Earth by offing a huge portion of the population so evil Queen can marry hot prince who is crushing on said cyborg Cinderella?! OH yeah! Cinder is a story about a girl named Cinder who lives with the evil stepmother in New Bejing surviving by hiding out in her workshop and selling parts and repairs in the city market. We open up to Cinder revealing to readers that she is a cyborg, part human-part machine, living in a futuristic world that wants nothing to do with cyborgs (constant discrimination) and yet they are also looking to sell off a cyborg to two into research for a cure to end a crippling disease rippling through the population. Cinder is soon asked to repair a service machine to the one and only horribly attractive, conflicted and kind Prince Kai. Is this book just about a relationship, nope, it is about the harsh reality of interplanetary conflict, death and disease, machine repair, medical practices, and personal leg repair. The character interactions between Kai and Cinder are fabulously written and intertwined in the plot throughout the story but really what caught me was Cinder. This amazing young woman lives a harsh life but also she carries within her a spark to greatness. We soon find in these pages a complicated past and a harrowing future for this young heroine in a world out to shun her. Marissa Meyer has taken an old tale and fashioned it into a new beautiful work that will captivate readers and keep them anticipating until the very last page.
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Product Details
ISBN:
9780312641894
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
01/03/2012
Publisher:
Feiwel & Friends
Series info:
Lunar Chronicles
Language:
English
Pages:
400
Height:
1.25IN
Width:
6.00IN
Thickness:
1.25
LCCN:
2011036123
Series Number:
1
Age Range:
12 to 17
Grade Range:
7 to 12
Author:
Marissa Meyer
Author:
Marissa Meyer
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Children s-General
$24.99
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