REVIEW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

First read of the year! Glad it was a good one, this means many more good reads in the future, y/y? Yes!

The book: Cinder
The author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
The genre: young adult, sci-fi, fantasy, romance
Recommended to: Fairy-tale lovers. Those interested in books set in an alternate universe. Actually, everyone.
Note: Keep in mind this is the first book in the series and the second book is not expected to be out until 2013.



Finished this the previous night, but I couldn't bring myself to leave a review after such a frustratingly abrupt ending. Yes, I'm frustrated. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this enthralling story about a cyborg who must find her true self after her world turns upside down. The world that she lives in is not just suffering from a plague, but hangs in the threat of war. Whether Cinder's world finds peace again, rests in her hands.

The reason for my frustration is that it DID end with a cliffhanger that had me pleading for more.

The story is, of course, a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. It's almost comforting to have those familiar elements woven into the story. However, I was still surprised at the twists and turns, and I was pleased to find myself immersed and lost in whatever path the story took me on.

The characters are quite simply charming.

Cinder is refreshing, I fell in love with her character right from the start. Witty. Strong. Independent. A real, true to heart girl.

Kai, next in line to be emperor of New Beijing, makes a perfect Prince Charming. Ever the gentleman, Kaito suits the swoon-worthy role and makes it his own while wearing a hoodie.

And can't have a Cinderella story without her evil step-mother and step-sisters. I won't spoil the fun of the interesting spin on the love-to-hate villains, but I happened to love it.

As for the fairy god-mother, well, again I won't spoil it. But I have to say, she is my favorite character no matter her form.

I loved the freshness and the direction of the story, and though the cliffhanger is leaving me hanging, I'll definitely hold on for the next installment of this wicked, steampunk-ish story that happened to break out of the mold of the classic Cinderella story and has left me quite thoroughly enchanted.

2012 is finally here! Say what?

2011 just flew right on by, I almost can't believe it!

So I'm sitting here, now, trying to conjure up thoughts of what I want to post. I mean, it's the new year and all, I want my first post to start out right. A good start is being thankful of the past, eh? Well, I think so. Perhaps a recollection of the best, most relevant, adventure that I experienced in 2011 is in order.

Diana had called me to go on this trip with her for a book signing. I told her that I would think about it because I had exams to study for. I remember calling her back and saying that I'd go because how could I say no? The date was set.

And as soon as we were off, I realized that this was not going to be an ordinary trip to say the least.

Diana and I went on this journey to not only make it to our destination but to also just be us for a day. It was a day to leave everything behind. We were worry free, except for getting lost, which we did, get lost, I mean. Anywy, what kind of road trip would it have been if we hadn't? Not the kind of road trips Diana and I make, that's for sure. We did eventually make it to Costa Mesa where we met Tessa Dare, Zoe Archer, Sylvia Day and Suzanne Forster at their book signing.

The book signing was held at an adorable book shop called Toni's New & Recycled Romances. Loved the place. Shelves upon shelves of books. All romance novels. Walking in just felt amazing. It was beautiful. And I loved the quirky charm to the place, making the experience personal and intimate. The bookstore owner was kind and welcoming. And wow, meeting the authors, seeing them face to face and even chatting with them... It was amazing. Diana and I were even able to take some pictures with them. If you haven't already seen them, you could view them in Diana's epic first post of the year.

We had such an awesome time, we didn't want to leave. But when that time came, we left the book store feeling good and with an arm load full of new books to read. And they were all personalized with autographs!

We had such a fun time and are so thankful that we had such an opportunity. Hopefully, we can do it again.

Just think of the new year. 2012 is here and already happening. Oh, the possibilities...