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Reviewing 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer

Reviewing 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer

- Ritika Harwani

Marissa Meyer's 2012 novel ‘Cinder’ is built somewhat on the fairy-tale 'Cinderella,' which blends the classic love story and the nuances of the social class into a contemporary, dystopian twist. It is the first book in ‘The Lunar Chronicles’ series by Meyer. Cinder lives her life as a cyborg: she is part human and part machinery. Although a member of a social class that plays a low role in the social hierarchy, Cinder is a mechanic using her personal machine structure. Equipped with working gloves, boots, pants and greases, Cinder hides her cyborg status under her work apparel, knowing the judgment that awaits, if others were to learn of her true nature.

Long after World War IV, with a plague called letumosis ravaging all six Earthen countries, Cinder spends her day in New Beijing making mechanical reparations to make money for her selfish adoptive mother. Her two siblings are going to Prince Kai’s ball, wearing beautiful gowns; Cinder won't be going because she's hated and she's a cyborg. But the adorable prince then approaches Cinder's business as a customer, starting a chain of events that inevitably binds her with the prince and a royal doctor who is studying letumosis vaccines. Cinder’s unhappy life suddenly becomes very complicated when she meets the royal prince, Kai, and is thrown into his world of glamour. Torn between love and duty, Cinder must discover her true worth before she can save the lives of those around her.

What made this story interesting was how the typical Cinderella trappings are adapted to this future context. Certainly, several narrative marks were more than clear well before they occurred and even though the plot is predictable, one does end up smiling at the bits of homage that Cinder paid to its origins—like a "pumpkin" of a car and specific footwear left behind. It is also a space fantasy themed story about mind-controlling Lunars from the moon. From the beginning there is anticipated a connection between Cinder's forgotten childhood and Lunar Queen Levana.

This incredibly innovative approach on the story of Cinderella lets the heroine step away from behind the prince and create her own path. Marissa Meyer is doing a terrific job to transfer aspects from the popular fairy tale into an exciting new context such as to substitute a robotic foot for the glass slipper! This book is part of the Lunar Chronicles and anybody who reads it will be excited to find out how Snow White and Rapunzel appear in this weird new world.


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