Burnt to Cinders

courtesy Goodreads.com

It seems like only yesterday I was announcing that Cinder was the next book on the queue for a review. Wait a second...it was only yesterday! I seem to have regained my ability to read a book in a mere two hours and let me tell y'all, it was quite the read. Please direct your attention to the Goodreads summary below.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the 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.

Whew. What a summary. When I bought the book a few months ago (I know, I know), I saw the cover and thought to myself, "Gee, that looks like something I'd like." Shame on me for not making time right then to read it because Cinder is probably one of the best books I've read in a while, and I don't say that lightly.

Marissa Meyer, author extraordinaire, has created a vibrant world with a story that hijacks your brain and takes it for a joy ride. In all honesty, I'm a sucker for retellings of fairy tales, but I've never seen Cinderella's story taken in such an awesome direction. This Cinder is tough, street smart, and far more interesting than the original. Sorry Bros Grimm. And Walt. This day was bound to come eventually.

Plus, how can you resist the added twist of a race living on the moon with an evil queen bent on conquering and enslaving earth? Ummm, mixing science fiction with fairy tales has got to be the best cross-pollination in literary history.

I'm only sad it didn't last longer. That said, I can't wait until the next book is released. It's going to continue Cinder's story and introduce us to Scarlet, aka Little Red Riding Hood. Appropriately enough, this second installment in the Lunar Chronicles will be titled Scarlet. Sadly, Scarlet will not be published until next February.

However, it won't hurt y'all any to get a jump start on its release by reading Cinder. In fact, I highly recommend y'all do. Immediately. I totally would post the book trailer that the publisher made for this book, but...it stinks so I didn't want to subject y'all to that. I'm going to be posting a video reaction to Cinder later today on my YouTube channel as well. In fact, I think I may just make a better book trailer. Hmmmm....I guess y'all will just have to wait and see what I decide.

Until next time...