So I’ve put off reading this book for years. It’s on all the window displays at bookstores and every year when the next book in the series has been released it comes back to the deals section with the bright yellow ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ sticker stuck to the lovely cover. But there are two reasons I refrained from reading it. First, that Cinderella has never been of much appeal to me. I’m an ardent romance lover, but the idea of insta-love is just unappealing. it’s my least favourite book trope, and the idea of a man marrying the woman who fit the glass slipper she left behind at his party is a bit out there, even for the Brothers Grimm. And second I’ve never been really interested in the idea of a cyborg based fantasy, not a fan of the robot uprising story. So in general this is not what I’d really go for. Cinderella – yugh. Cyborgs – eh. But Marissa Meyer does not disappoint at all.

Cinder was such a fun read! It didn’t meet any expectations I had and proved any apprehensions I had, wrong.

The world-building is so interesting! Meyer had to reconstruct the entire world in a futuristic setting. She’s moved forward enough in time that there have now been a total of four world wars rather than just two. Monarchies have been reinstated, and jurisdictions geographically have become far wider, seeming to encompass whole continents. Cyborgs aren’t just robots in this new world, but actual humans with severely cool bionic limbs and inner systems. The moon is now colonised by a race of earthen who have the power to manipulate bio-electricity. So Meyer has packed in a lot into her world.

With such intense world-building, one would assume that the book falls into heavy descriptive sequences, letting the story fall short, but Meyer has woven in all the elements through the plotline so it reads smoothly and isn’t just a dump of information. The language is simple which actually works in Meyer’s favour because it reads like a fairytale retelling. Its fluid and the story flows from scene to scene really well.

I really enjoyed Cinder and Kai’s romance. It was so cute, especially because Kai refused to give up on her until the very end when parts of her character were revealed. I really liked their chemistry and their interactions, giving insight into both of their characters. I’m hoping the future books pick up on their story!

I can’t wait to read Scarlet! In a way, I’m glad I put off reading this for so long because now I can binge read the entire series in a go. Waiting is the worst curse when you find a fantastic book series!