Book post: Cinder

Book cover from Marissa Meyer

Meyer, M. (2012). Cinder. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.

Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing. This may not sound like a Cinderella story, but it is loosely based on the old tale. I found myself comparing as I read, which was so much fun. However, Cinder is much more action-packed than you've seen this story before. Because of her reputation as the best mechanic in the city, Prince Kai brings his broken droid to Cinder to fix. She finds out secrets that she probably shouldn't know, and has to save Prince Kai (and the Earth) from imminent danger. She also discovers missing pieces from her past and has to decide what to do about her new identity. As a cyborg, she has never really fit in, but now she knows why she never can. This is a great story to read if you love alternate versions of fairy tales, science fiction, and strong but vulnerable protagonists.