Summary: 

Cinder is the first of a quadrilogy, each retelling a beloved fairytale.

Cinder is a cyborg mechanic-the best in New Beijing, a bustling megacity with the danger of the plague on everyone’s mind. With no memory of her past life, she lives with her resentful stepmother and two stepsisters. Her dreary life changes when Prince Kai, heir to the throne of the Eastern Commonwealth visits her booth with a broken android that harbors information that could save all Earthens from the manipulative Lunar, Queen Levana.

Content Review:

Language-

-A couple uses each of h— and d–n.

Violence-

-Little to none, but more in the next book, Scarlet.

Spiritual-

-A reference to a Buddha statue.

-Queen Levana has multiple thaumaturges (magicians) that do her bidding and are the spiritual leaders of the Lunars.

Sexual-

-References to female curves, an illegitimate child, a sex change (sarcastically), the female reproductive system (and the fact that Cinder’s was unaffected by her cyborg surgery, and a few similar references).

-A couple of additional references to promiscuity.

Other-

-None

Personal Review: 4 stars

Cinder was a fun, fast-paced adventure. It was thought-provoking in its use of AI (seen as both a help and a danger if not used properly). Somewhat predictable (seeing as how it’s a Cinderella retelling), the story was still enjoyable and the premise interesting. Not extraordinarily deep, it was still engaging. The worldbuilding was immersive and the pacing was consistent. While drastically different from that of the original story, the setting was well-described and entertaining. I am eager to return to this interesting literary world and begin the next book! Geared toward the YA audience and fans of fairy tales or dystopian novels will enjoy it. Some content issues will affect the more sensitive reader’s enjoyment of the story. Overall, this was a fun, light summer read and a series I look forward to finishing.