Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Dear Readers, Aliens and Creatures, I am unsure about this one. Here, we have a book with somewhat insulting undertones, but a fresh approach to the Cinderella story. I give you, ‘Cinder’. 

Firstly, HOWEVER, I am delighted that this book was written before the Covid-19 pandemic, because OTHERWISEEEE I fear what this author would have been up to. 🙈

▪️BASICS:

Official title: Cinder

My title: How to Never be Clean

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: @macmillanusa

Fav character: The moon

Type: Book – LONG LONG 😒 LONG series

Will you read the others? – Nope

3.5/5

▪️INTRO:

Basically a story about 5 year olds embroiled in intrigue with a poor attempt at describing diplomacy among world leaders. I found this book insulting.

▪️REVIEW:

Cinder is not quite what you’d expect. Yes, the YA tropes of the silly, love obsessed and incapable of obeying sensible orders females are alive and well. Yes, the only ‘dark people’ are brash and or annoying and or disrespectful and or evil. 🤦‍♀️ HOWEVER, much has been done to this Cinderella retelling; Cue space, world powers, magical gifts, androids, cyborgs and more. 

The story meanders including many seemingly odd bits and pieces, but it is written well enough that it works and the world is believable. Unfortunately, there are many tropes that I dislike littering the pages of this book, including the hated lie/delay/waste time. 🤦‍♀️ I hate that particular combination… and here it just serves to add additional pages.

Overall, better than Ash Princess with an MC that is more tolerable than Caraval, but a somewhat ninny nonetheless. 🤦‍♀️ There is a slightly insulting tone to certain things in this book that I was not comfortable with, luckily there are many other authors out there.

Read if you are into Cinderella retellings with a twist.

▪️OBSERVATIONS:

Things I found strange/off/lazy/tactless:

• The bizarre animosity the doctor has towards his only tall dark female assistant;
• The ‘behaviour’ of a few representatives at the global leaders meeting;
• How Cinder arrives at the ball… It just seems a bit… overindulgent of a walking disaster;
• The fact that Cinder doesn’t bathe and we aren’t told why;
• The focus on descriptions of certain characters over others;
• 🤦‍♀️ The plague was first noticed in ‘Africa’…
• South America being basically… ‘forgotten’ 😞

 

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Over to you.

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