With the hubbub of the new Cinderella movie I felt it necessary to provide my input on a spin of the classic tale with “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer.
Meyer dramatically changes the landscape of the beloved story by setting it in dystopian New Beijing after the Fourth World War. This future holds cyborgs, a whole monarchy residing on the moon, spaceships, and ID cards embedded in your wrist. Our heroine is naturally the girl- or should I say cyborg- whom eventually leaves her shoe on the steps of the palace. Cinder is a mechanic in the marketplace of New Beijing and blindly stumbles (since her foot doesn’t fit her properly, did I mention she has a prosthetic hand and leg? ) through her life with her controlling step-mother and two step-sisters. Cinder’s life changes when Prince Kai drops by her little store for her business. The result is a story full of adventure but still keeps true to the original (not Disney but Grimm Brothers) story line.
The story also introduces a twist with the evil Queen Levana, ruler of the colony on the Moon. Queen Levana has her heart set on ruling the Earth and Prince Kai.
This novel has two companions, Scarlet and Cress, which are available now. Not only this book, but the series as a whole has won my attention with its whimsy and heart stopping moments between Kai and Cinder *wipes away tear*. Definitely worth the read so don’t go leaving this book on someone’s staircase.