YA Friday: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, spinoffs, YA
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 2012
Source: Library
Read for: Once Upon a Time Challenge

Cinder is a mechanic in what was once China and is now an amalgamation of Asian countries. Reviled by her stepmother and neighbors for being a cyborg, she contents herself with working on machines -- a skill for which she is renowned -- and spending time with her two friends, android Iko and stepsister Peony. However, Cinder's life changes when Prince Kai ducks into her shop. Suddenly she is mixed up in interplanetary politics. Oh, and there's a plague.

Okay, I have to attribute the last line of that summary to Marissa Meyer herself, who came to the Provo Library on the Fierce Reads tour. When she was describing her book, she went into most of the details and then added, "Oh, and there's a plague," at the end like an afterthought. 'Twas amusing. But I digress.

If you haven't figured it out yet, Cinder is a futuristic, machine-filled retelling of Cinderella. There's a ball, a wicked stepsister out to get the prince, and an appendage left on the stairs at midnight. However, Cinder incorporates many other fascinating elements into the plot. I was impressed with the way Marissa Meyer managed to use the framework of the popular fairy tale while creating such a unique and unexpected story.

I enjoyed Cinder immensely. She is completely down to earth, not expecting anything out of the ordinary out of herself because of the fact that she is a lowly cyborg (although I don't know why they are lowly. They have so many extra talents that the "normal" people don't have!). Even when she begins to learn secrets about her past that indicate that she is actually as extraordinary as a person could be, she is straightforward and likable.

I also liked Kai. I'll admit part of that is because of his name -- it definitely came up when my husband and I were discussing boys' names for our baby. However, I also appreciated that he was not a snob, that he valued skill (thus, seeking out Cinder when he needed a job to be performed well) and that he wasn't a snob about who he made friends with. It was also interesting to see him grow from a relatively carefree prince to someone with responsibility for millions of people. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of others was endearing and made him truly a worthwhile character.

I did not love Levana. You might be thinking, "NO kidding," but I do have a penchant for enjoying the odd nastily written character. However, for me Levana was not a character that I loved to hate. I know the powerful, glamour-shrouded queen of the Lunars was essential to the plot of the story, but I despised every moment she was on the page. She was the epitome of sliminess.

My main complaint with Cinder (other than the utter repulsiveness of Levana) was that the story ended in a messy spot. I know that with series, authors tend to cut off at pivotal points. However, in general (and I know there are many, many exceptions to this rule) there is some sense of closure -- or at least, I appreciate when there is. Cinder leaves us hanging in the middle of everything, with nothing resolved. The ending wasn't such that I was throwing the book across the room like some certain trilogies, or that I was so desperate for more that I could have cried at the wait. I was more just confused, thinking, "That was it?" I know that more will happen as the series continued, but I did wish the ending was tied up a bit more nicely.

Overall, however, Cinder is a fun and refreshing take on an old fairy-tale, using a completely original tactic to tell the story. If you love unique fairytale retellings, you won't want to miss Cinder or the remaining books in the series.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Maybe a bit of violence? I am having difficulty remembering anything, so there must not be much to warn about.

(A Very Tangential) Fierce Reads Recap

I just returned from the Fierce Reads tour at the lovely Provo Library and wanted to set down my thoughts before it all gets fuzzled away by the dreariness of nursing school that makes up my every Wednesday. Fierce Reads featured Anna Banks, author of Of Poseidon, Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder, Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone, Emmy Laybourne, author of Monument 14, and Jennifer Bosworth, author of Struck.

The evening in a skeletal outline was this:
* Book bloggers had the opportunity to chat with the authors for about 45 minutes before the main event began
* At the main event, the authors presented their book trailers and a little information about their book
* Then, the authors answered texted in questions at a panel
* Finally, people bought books and had things signed. I did not participate because I am too poor to buy hardcover books at this student-y, pregnant part of my life, and also because I had a quiz to take and a bus to catch before 6 am. I was there in spirit. But it sounds like everyone else had a great time. :)

The evening impressions-wise was this:
* First of all, while I went into this event having read one author's book and knowing that I wanted to read two more, by the end of the evening I was convinced to read the remaining two as well. These women were witty, engaging, and hilarious, and I can't wait to read the stories they have to tell.
* Secondly, I just want to tell you a few of the fun facts I learned about each of these authors.


Anna Banks: Decided to start writing a book after being a waitress. To me, this is completely awesome. I love the idea of having a story to tell and being able to tell it. Also, this woman is absolutely hilarious. She has the driest self-deprecating humor, always with a straight face, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Marissa Meyer: She is so enthusiastic about writing and her passions, which always makes a person enjoyable to be around. She began her writing career with Sailor Moon fanfiction and got the idea to write futuristic fairy tales from a writing contest (her originally entry was about Puss in Boots).

Jennifer Bosworth: I found out tonight that she is a University of Utah graduate -- soon I will be, too! (Thank goodness). She now lives in LA, which is actually the reason I initially became interested in her book. While I've been to LA at least twenty times, I still feel like I don't really know the city, and I am so excited and nervous about living there that I am hungry to learn more until I am actually there. Anyway, one of my favorite things that she said was that she never believed she could write a book even though she had been writing her whole life until she met her husband. She said he believed in her from day one. It was really clear from the things she said about him how great their relationship is. I always love noticing real-life love stories no matter how subtle, and I loved hearing that from her.

Emmy Laybourne: She was an actor in a former life and was actually in the movie Superstar, which I haven't seen but have heard of, making me feel like I met a celebrity. Emmy was incredibly engaging and entertaining, giving us a few tidbits from her acting career (and she is definitely talented in that respect). She mentioned that while she loved acting, her greatest dream was to be a writer. Loved that. She also mentioned (kind of on a tangent -- I could explain the whole thing but it would take more than I think you are all willing to read) that she loved her body when she was pregnant and that experience made her want to respect her body in the future. I love that sentiment and have been feeling a bit of that myself lately. I think it is so amazing that I am able to harbor a life right now, which makes me want to take better care of myself with eating well (not less, but better) and exercising. Getting very tangential here. But these were my thoughts.

Leigh Bardugo: This lady is also from LA, and she was awesome. Something about her manner was so personable. I would have loved to talk to her one on one because she was just exuberant and fun to listen to. She talked about some of the bizarre foods she came across as she was researching for Shadow and Bone (examples include rye and herring and burnt swan with saffron -- that one I would like to try) and they piqued my little gourmandise interest.

There is so much more I could have said about all of these authors. I am seriously salivating to read the books that I have not yet read. A few more highlights from the night:

* Leigh Bardugo asked why someone didn't just shoot Lord Voldemort. A legitimate question. I also wonder why they only have owls and no voice communication. And also no internet. Not that I would change it. But, you know.
* Marissa Meyer's favorite experience with being published was when a little ten year old girl came up to her hugging a copy of Cinder at the launch party and said, "This is the coolest thing I've ever done." How precious. Somehow the approval of little kids makes everything seem more legitimate.
* One awesome aspect of living in Utah (and one I am going to miss) are the fabulous book bloggers. It was so fun to have people around me that were geeking out as much as I was.
* It was nice hearing that the authors' final drafts differed significantly from what they first wrote. Not that I am even really spending time writing right now (curse you, nursing school), but it always takes a lot of word vomit for me to make a pretty sentence, and sometimes it gets annoying cleaning it all up.

In short -- a great night. A night that makes me want to curl up and read, not get ready for bed so I can wake up at 5:05 am tomorrow morning and deal with reality. But, you know, a great night.

Fierce Reads comes to Provo!

Hey everyone! I am interrupting my little blogging hiatus to tell you all about an exciting event coming to the Provo City Library on Tuesday.  The event will be on Tuesday, June 12th at 7:00 pm at the Provo City Library, which is located at 550 North University Avenue.

The authors featured will be Marissa Meyer (Cinder), Jennifer Bosworth (Struck), Anna Banks (Of Poseidon), Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone) and Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14). It is going to be an awesome night, and I hope to see you there! Be sure and say hi to me if you see me -- I'm the pregnant one with curly hair. :)