Cinder (a review)

Synopsis: 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. 

Review: I don't really know where to begin with this review. I heard such great things about this book but was never compelled to by it when I'd see it in the bookstore. And then I found copies on the bargain table for $4.99 and decided to give it a shot.

I've been big on fairy tale retellings since I read Sisters Red and Sweetly by Jackson Pearce and Beastly by Alex Flinn. Even though I knew the older versions of those stories, the author managed to keep me engaged and guessing with different twists added to the story. Although Cinder has quite a big twist: she is a cyborg, there were no interesting elements to the plot that kept me wanting to read. I put the book down many times and struggled to pick it up again. I had some instances where I would try to guess what would happen. Even though I was on the right track, I felt that it was all anti-climactic. I will pick up part two, which is due next February only because we are left on a cliff hanger at the end of this book. I am hoping that the second book packs the punch that this one did not have.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars