The words science and fairy tale don’t usually go together in the same sentence, which makes this novel so unique and fascinating.

“Cinder,” by Marissa Meyer, is a dystopian sci-fi retelling of the classic fable, Cinderella.
The story begins with New Beijing’s best mechanic, the 16-year-old cyborg, Cinder, who Prince Kai comes for help with his android. That’s where her problems begin.

Cinder, the main character, is 36.28 percent machine, which makes her a cyborg. The author made it clear that she was riddled with flaws.

She isn’t the same girl with beautiful blonde hair and etiquette as in the fable. Cinder has a temper and usually has grease stains on her face. That is why I found her character so admirable — she is realistic. Prince Kai is charming and has a great sense of humor. The friendship that Cinder and Kai establish becomes the nice relief to the dark theme.
He’s the perfect guy that people swoon over, the same dreamy prince from the fairy tales that everyone falls in love with.

The story still has a fair share of antagonists. It seems their only purpose is to be horrid.
Adri, the evil stepmother, Pearl, one of the two stepsisters, and Queen Levana all make the story deliciously aggravating.

This far from typical children’s fairy tale is filled with the reality of cruel people, tragic events, stress, anxiety and heartbreak.

Meyer does a great job tying in science by including the fatal plague, technology, an entire new species on the moon, androids and cyborgs.

It’s appealing because it is something we definitely haven’t read before. The book is never boring: the forbidden love, the deadly plague, the threat of an intergalactic war, the mystery of Cinder’s past, the politics, the science. The book is difficult to put down.
The third person point of view allows readers to see perspectives other than Cinder’s. That helps readers keep up with the conflicts and learn more about the setting and plot.

At times the story seems a bit dragged, making me say, “Get to the point!” while I read. Still, everything has some significance that would help solve the puzzle of mysteries by the end of the book. Another flaw that irks me is how Meyer fails at being inconspicuous.
The foreshadowing used makes one of the biggest plot twists predictable. Meyer does a fantastic job introducing readers to new characters and a dystopian world set in the far future.

Overall, “Cinder” is a great read, especially since it’s Meyer’s debut novel, which excites me for the rest of the series.

Meyer’s retelling of Cinderella does a fantastic job of tying in the whole storyline together perfectly with the cyborgs, a
ndroids and lunars.

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.