Cinder...ella?

If it isn't painfully obvious by the title and cover of this book, Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, is a retelling of the Cinderella story. To be honest, this book has been sitting on my bedside table for over six months waiting to be read. I have withheld on the basis that I wasn't sure I could take another fairytale retelling. That all said, Cinder is a really unique and interesting take on Cinderella and I ended up really enjoying it. Why? Because while there is the ball, the prince, the evil stepmother, and even an impressive allusion to a pumpkin carriage--it felt like a completely new story. Think Cinderella meets Star Trek. Seriously.

Cinder is a cyborg. Coming into this novel I had no idea what that meant. Turns out a cyborg is a person who is born human but then requires mechanical/technological parts in order to live. They may be forced to take parts due to an accident, disease, surgery, etc. Cinder's cyborg parts are because she and both her parents were in a hovercraft accident, leaving only her alive. But, getting these new parts requires rewiring her brain like a computer, which adds some complexity to her thought processes. She can't remember anything before her current life. Her stepfather adopted her at age 11 but died within a few months, leaving her with a cruel stepmother and two stepsisters, one of which is really sweet.

And so begins the Cinderella story. She is a slave who keeps her stepmother's semi-lavish lifestyle going by working as a mechanic. She meets a prince--of course--but not at the ball. In fact, Cinder wouldn't be caught dead at the ball. All of this is the "fairytale" part.

Insert sci-fi here: First off, the cyborg thing. Secondly, Earth is in a futuristic state, but has seen 126 years of peace after the last World War (WW IV). I am still not sure if that means this book is post-apocalyptic or in the middle of an apocalypse. Additionally, people live on the moon--and their leader is a crazy, hyped-up hag who really wants to extend her power to dictating Earth. And finally, there is a horrible disease, called leutmosis, which is absolutely terminal and takes a matter of days before it kills its victims. In all this joy (sarcasm intended) Cinder becomes a test subject for leutmosis, finds out some pretty crazy stuff about the world she lives in and is ultimately faced with a choice of freedom or sacrifice.

Maybe its because I just taught foreshadowing, but I knew the "twist" to the book by chapter 3. I kind of got annoyed, but the more I read on the more I realized the author was trying to make it obvious. However, knowing the twist DID NOT, by any means, ruin the book. I know the Cinderella story by heart...and while there a few bones that make the basic plot Cinderella, there are cyborg parts added to make this completely unique and fun. There are political power plays, evil beyond an evil stepmother, fantasy/magic which is explained through science, and examples of racism and bigotry.  It was just so "fresh".

There are three sequels, one of which is already out, Scarlett. I have it sitting in my classroom and am eager to get my hands on it after the weekend. Furthermore, the last two sequels already have release dates, which just shows you that the author knew the entire story going into writing it...rather than writing because a publisher told her to. If you like fairytales, you'll probably like this book. If you like sci-fi, you definitely will like it. A.