The Lunar chronicles is my favorite series second only to The Heroes of Olympus and tied with the Land of Stories. Dripping with sarcasm, adventure, and mystery, it's a twist to the Cinderella story but also one of the most unique books I know. Set in the future, cyborgs, androids, flying ships, and the Man on the Moon is commonsense. In fact, there is an entire colony on the moon with people who can use glamour or even control minds. There has been world peace for over a hundred years on Earth after World War 4. This world has just one major problem... a deadly plague by the name of letumosis. There is no cure found. Cinder is a sixteen year old cyborg-mechanic caught in the gist of it all. She's a second- class citizen with a mysterious past- she can't remember anything from before the age of 11. The story starts when Prince Kai asks Cinder to fix an android, hinting at a big matter. Suddenly, Cinder's life is broken into pieces when he stepsister dies from letumosis and she finds a secret message in Prince Kai's Android that may hold the fate of Earth in its clutches. Caught in the center of an intergalactic struggle, Cinder must find the clues to her past in order to protect her world's future. Cinder is the most resilient, resourceful, and brave character I have ever read about. She is really scared and fragile on the inside but the fact that she builds an impenetrable shell on the outside for the sake of the fate of others is what I think makes her a hero. She is strong and ignores the prejudices that come from being a cyborg. If you want book with a character you will never forget, it's Cinder.
Cinder
By Marissa Meyer
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 3 - 6 | n/a | 5.8 | 87661 |
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.)
Book Reviews (152)
The book Cinder, by Marissa Meyer is jam packed with good characters, an amazing plot, and so much more. This book is about a Cyborg girl named Cinder that lives in a dystopian future where her kind are not viewed as regulars. She has to go through living with horrible parents and step-sisters that don't quite understand her. Cinder has to power through and finds love, worrying, and so much perseverance. This book has so many good things about it that make it great. There are amazing characters and they're actions make the plot great. This book deserves a solid 8.5/10. This may not be given the same rate to a third drawer though. I wouldn't recommend anyone below fifth grade reading this book. It has some pretty gruesome events and the events can be a little disturbing. This book is a great read for anyone in middle school or older. An example of an internal conflict is when Cinder gets mad at herself for giving the plague to her step-sister. She gets mad at herself because she accidentally touched her sister which made her die. An example of an external conflict is the conflict between Cinder and her step-sisters and mom. This is an external conflict because they are constantly getting into fights and causing a bigger conflict each time. The title of the book fits it well. It is the characters name, Cinder. Cinder is such a complex character and has such a simple name. When it is shown on the cover it makes the book sound amazing. The theme of this book is perseverance. So many things are thrown at Cinder's way and she shakes them off. When Cinder's sister dies from the plague she powers through and doesn't let that pain get in her way. Cinder is strong and it is shown so much throughout the book.
This is an amazing book, frankly the best one in the series.
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Dang the books just awesome!
Oh. My. Gods. I want a movie. Like now.
so far its a GREAT book well the first 50 pages it has some action in the start of the book ;)
i just finshed that book i'm on scarlet book two and i can't wait to see what happend to her grandma. :)
this book was awesome! i saw my friend reading it and i thought it looked interesting so i wanted to try it and it was totally unlike what i thought, but still great anyway. i <3 this book, but my fav is Scarlet. can't wait for Winter!!!
I really enjoyed this book and could not stop reading it. The whole book is very well written and really comes to life. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
I loved loved loved this book! When I first saw the cover, I was a little unsure about it, but after reading maybe 5 pages, I got totally into it!