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Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, 1) Paperback – January 1, 2013
Purchase options and add-ons
The first book in the #1 New York Times- and USA Today-Bestselling Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer! See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space.
"An interesting mash up of fairy tales and science fiction . . . a cross between Cinderella, Terminator, and Star Wars." ―Entertainment Weekly
"Prince Charming among the cyborgs." ―The Wall Street Journal
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a 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.
With high-stakes action and a smart, resourceful heroine, Cinder is a Cinderella retelling that is at once classic and strikingly original.
Don't miss these other books from #1 New York Times- and USA Today-Bestselling author Marissa Meyer:
The Lunar Chronicles:
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter
Stars Above
Fairest
The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book
Wires and Nerve: Vol. 1
Wires and Nerve: Vol. 2
Renegades:
Renegades: Book One
Heartless
Praise for the Lunar Chronicles:
#1 New York Times-Bestselling Series
USA Today Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
"Terrific." ―Los Angeles Times
"Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairytale genre." ―The Seattle Times
"Epic awesome." ―Bustle
"A binge-reading treat." ―MTV
"Takes the classic to a whole new level." ―NPR
“This series opener and debut offers a high coolness factor by rewriting Cinderella as a kickass mechanic in a plague-ridden future.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Cinder
“First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer's brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review for Cinder
“There's a lot of moving parts in this fresh spin on ‘Cinderella,' the first in a four-book series.” ―Booklist on Cinder
“Singing mice and glass slippers are replaced with snarky androids and mechanical feet in this richly imagined and darkly subversive retelling of ‘Cinderella.'” ―The Bulletin on Cinder
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level10 - 12
- Lexile measure790L
- Dimensions5.53 x 1.18 x 8.26 inches
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2013
- ISBN-101250007208
- ISBN-13978-1250007209
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for the Lunar Chronicles:
#1 New York Times-Bestselling Series
USA Today Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
"A mash up of fairy tales and science fiction . . . a cross between Cinderalla, Terminator, and Star Wars." ―Entertainment Weekly
"Prince Charming among the cyborgs." ―The Wall Street Journal
"Terrific." ―Los Angeles Times
"Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairytale genre." ―The Seattle Times
"Epic awesome." ―Bustle
"A binge-reading treat." ―MTV
"Takes the classic to a whole new level." ―NPR
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Square Fish (January 1, 2013)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250007208
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250007209
- Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 790L
- Grade level : 10 - 12
- Item Weight : 14.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.53 x 1.18 x 8.26 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #423,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #545 in Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tale & Folklore Adaptations
- #17,616 in Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction
- #87,208 in Children's Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Marissa Meyer is a fangirl at heart, with a closet full of costumes, a Harry Potter wand on her desk, and a Tuxedo Mask doll hanging from her rear view mirror. Han and Leia are still her OTP. She may or may not be a cyborg.
Marissa is also the NYT bestselling author of a number of books for teens, including The Lunar Chronicles, the Renegades Trilogy, and Heartless.
Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.marissameyer.com or follow her on social media:
Instagram: @marissameyerauthor
Pinterest: @marissameyerauthor
Facebook: @marissameyerauthor
Twitter: @marissa_meyer
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Top reviews from the United States
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Cinder starts off quickly and the easy, swift pacing is held throughout the book. I'm also not usually a fan of sci-fi stories, finding them hard to relate to and get lost in, but Meyer does a fantastic job of creating a vivid reality of Cinder's world while still keeping the book easy to follow and absorb. What's more, the author seems to make Cinder's world so real by creating unique technology that is still easy for us to relate to. For example, in Cinder's world they rely on "portscreens" and "netscreens" for communication, news, etc. I found it realistic and easy to imagine these things as future advancements on tablet computers and our modern flatscreen TVs and computers. It's very easy to see Cinder's life in New Beijing as a very realistic possibility for earth's future. This makes the sci-fi aspect of the book easier to handle for folks like me, who usually are lost in sci-fi fantasy.
Cinder's story is very much like the classic Cinderella in many ways, she has an evil stepmother who keeps her as a slave, two stepsisters, and an uncertain past. When her paths cross with Prince Kai, Cinder is thrust into an unlikely romance. I have read a few reviews here that criticize the ease and "love at first sight" quality to Kai's attraction to Cinder. To this I have to say, come on, this is the retelling of a fairy tale! It's supposed to be "love at first sight" and "true love", and the reader should be expecting this. Much to my pleasant surprise, while Kai is immediately smitten with Cinder, she--on the other hand--does NOT turn into some swoony, pathetic girl in love with the handsome prince (I'm talking to you, Bella Swan). Thank you, Marissa Meyer! Too many heroines of the popular young adult novels feature whiny, weak girls for young readers to look up to. While Kai is the charming, strong hero I look for in a romantic book, Cinder is refreshingly intellectual and thoughtful.
I think many teen readers will enjoy and relate to the character of Cinder because, despite being cyborg (human with artificial body parts), she is a very real character to read. She is teased and mocked by her enemies because of her artificial body parts, and seeing how so many teens (and adults, too) struggle with self-image, I think Cinder is a heroine MANY will so easily relate to. She struggles to love herself at times, because of her cyborg parts and her downfalls, but when it really counts Cinder stands up for herself. I love this!
The pacing throughout all 38 chapters is swift and kept me unable to put my Kindle down until I finished this story, so readers in need of excitement and romance will definitely be happy with this read. Cinder's story is full of a few surprises and twists, though it also has a few non-surprises, at the end we are left with a cliffhanger. This is one difference from the classic Cinderella story. Cinder's first book does not leave us with a "happily ever after" complete with a bow. Instead, we are still hopeful for that "happily ever after", but it's obvious there is more in store for Cinder and Kai before that is even possible. This was fine by me, however, seeing as I rushed through the book so quickly, I'm excited to read more of what happens to Cinder and Kai and I'm hoping Meyer can deliver as well as she did with this first book!
Finally, as a mother of two young daughters, I'm very happy to say that this book gets the mom seal of approval from me! Cinder is not without it's dark and intense moments, but Meyer respectfully wrote a clean (I'm talking language and intimacy) book that I would definitely share with a reader even as young as 10. Too many young adult books have been showing up on shelves lately, full of cursing and promiscuity. It's nice to see an author finally show her talent without trying to sellout to what the publishing world seems to THINK teens want/need in a book. Which reminds me, the writing was clear, concise, and impressive. I would compare it to the style of Suzanne Collins of the famous Hunger Games books. Meyer clearly has talent.
I would absolutely recommend this fresh new novel to the young readers, AND adult readers who are interested in any mixture of adventure, fairy tales, sci-fi, and romanticism. I think it's a fun, fascinating read, and it kept me on edge for most of the book. I'm very much looking forward to the release of Meyer's next book--let's hope it doesn't take too long!
Please, don't let the cover fool you, this is NOT just -- well, whatever comes to your mind when looking at the cover. It is a beautiful, eye catching cover, but it doesn't remotely hint at the depth and complexity of world building that is going on here. Yes, I said world building. Generally, YA can be pretty sparse on world building. Characters are what matters in YA. And that is good. But Cinder is unique. The world building is complex and for the most part internally logical. It is harsh, dark, beautiful, frightening, and hopeful all rolled into one fascinating tale.
The prose is tight. The story is fast paced. The characters are -- of course -- a little predictable, and yet that doesn't matter. Cinder, in particular is a spectacular role model for anyone -- be they teenage girl, or anyone else.
The only weakness I see in this book is the "ending," which really isn't an ending at all. There ARE conclusions and resolutions to plot lines, but this is not the complete story. It feels more like a very large single story was broken up into smaller bits (like the publisher did for The Lord of the Rings) and so the lack of a main resolution to the Cinder/Kai relationship felt a little but like sequel baiting.
And because I cannot see who the entire story concludes, I can't give the 5 stars it probably deserves. The "ending" left me feeling a bit let down. I'm going to read on, but I don't like being "baited" into it. Perhaps it's just a publishing thing. And perhaps, this series will simply be too big to tell in just 1 or even 3 books. But I do wish we'd gotten more of a resolution at least in the first book.
However, that criticism isn't about the writing or even the story, but the manner in which the author/publisher chose to tell it. The book is brilliant! Marissa Meyer has created something truly fresh and beautiful in the first book of her Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder. And I will be reading further. No doubt about it. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this story goes.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Mexico on July 16, 2023
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Puffin
Edition: Kindle
Amount of Pages: 404
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction,
Date Read: 03-01-2020 - 04-01-2020
Favorite Quote: “Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”
Review:
This is the first book I've finished this year! I started another one but I had to put it on hold. I didn't know what I wanted to read and seen many people post about this book so I've decided to give it at try. It's definitely not what I would normally read but it was a good story non the less.
What is this book about:
This book is set somewhere in the future. There have been two more world wars and cyborgs and androids are a real thing now. They are hover treated as second class citizens.
Cinder is a cyborg, she lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters. You can totally see the Cinderella vibe hanging around there. Anyhow Cinder is a gifted mechanic. One morning at work the prince of the commonwealth (new Beijing) drops off an android for her to fix. They talked a bit and Cinder expected not to see him again. That's not what happened though. A plague is spreading all over the world, taking lives left and right. Cyborgs are being drafted left and right in order to try and find a cure. Something Cinder really doesn't want to happen, however certain events don't give her much of a choice.
If that isn't bad enough, the species that live on the moon, called lunar, are closing in on earth, well their evil queen is. Cyborgs, the plague, and a inevitable war? Things sure aren't boring, that's for sure.
What did I like about this book:
I liked the retelling of the Cinderella story. It gave it a nice twist but also kept allot of the same elements. It made the story quite predictable though. There where no surprises I didn't see coming in this book.
I found the story interesting and I would definitely read the rest of the books to see how it all turns out but I didn't love it. I didn't find it an amazing story. It just isn't a 100% my thing anymore. Overall it was an enjoyable story though.
Rating:
3 1/2 I liked it Stars
Ma poi qualcosa è cambiato.
Ho deciso di prendere a leggerlo. Con calma, una pagina per volta, la trama comincia a prendere piede. È vero: il libro è molto lento all’inizio, e la trama è molto semplice o lineare, ma non è questa la cosa più interessante del libro. No, ciò che colpisce è il legame tra la protagonista e la sua migliore amica androide Iko o la sorella Poeny.
È raro vedere protagoniste forti, che decidono di prendere in mano le loro vite e rivoltare completamente, e forse è per questo che Cinder mi è piaciuto così tanto. Pur avendo una trama semplice e conosciuta (è, dopotutto, un retelling di Cenerentola), il libro ti trattiene tra le pagine.
Un’altra cosa che applaudo di questo libro è il modo in cui affronta situazioni che viviamo anche nella vita quotidiana trasportandole in un mondo fantascientifico. Cinder è un cyborg – il suo corpo è fatto per metà di carne umana e per metà di fili di corrente e metallo – e come tale viene considerata inferiore. In questo libro si parla anche di razzismo, pregiudizi verso altre popolazioni o verso il “diverso”, e l’argomento è molto importante nella trama, tanto che Cinder stessa si mette in atto per cambiare le cose.
Per finire, Cinder gioca molto sugli stereotipi. Nel senso che la Meyer ha deciso di prendere gli stereotipi più famosi (l’uomo meccanico, la donna dalla parlantina rapida e sciolta) e li ha completamente invertiti.
Ho adorato tutto in questo libro. Lo consiglio caldamente a chiunque voglia leggere qualcosa di leggero ma con un significato, e anche a chiunque piaccia leggere retelling fantasy di storie già conosciute.






















