Cinder

* * * * */ Five Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Humor, Futuristic, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Intellect, Romance

In this extraordinary novel by Marissa Meyer, we are welcomed into a world where the moon is inhabited by beings called Lunars who can glamour people, the earth is divided into kingdoms rather than countries, and deception lies thick. On earth, living in the kingdom ruled by Prince Kai and his very ill father, we are introduced to the cyborg Cinder, who works as a mechanic to provide for her adoptive family. She has a way with machines and a troubled and mysterious past. When her beloved sister, Peony, catches a terrible and deadly plague that doesn't have a cure yet, her wicked stepmother and other sister send her in for plague testing and experiments. None of the previous people who have been used for testing have lived through it. But Cinder has. Her body neutralized the sample of the disease when it was injected into her; she is immune. Needless to say, this brings up many questions for her. Will her sister survive now?  What is the Lunar queen, Levana, hiding? Why is the prince interested in her? And, most importantly, who is Cinder?
I really loved this whimsical yet futuristic book. The characters are all developed and unique, especially Cinder herself. Although the novel is based loosely off of the classic tale of 'Cinderella', Cinder is set apart from all other versions of the main heroine in her heroics, strength, cunning, and witty-ness (if that's technically a word). Needless to say, this book is a great one that will soon become staple.
(In other words, READ IT AND THEN BUY IT. And buy the Percy Jackson novels. And the Kane Chronicles. And the Emerald Atlas. And everything else featured on this blog. ;-D)