As I said in my
last post, I am stuck on Kentucky. At work we had a big arrival of new books
and I had to help myself to a few items. Cinder was one of them and Going
Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt is the other. I do love summer for many
things and having the time to read in the evenings is one of them. It has kept
me distracted from the self-designated reading challenge, but I feel that the goal of the
challenge (as well as the blog) is to keep me up-to-date on the happenings of
YA literature. So why not also read the newest selections in addition?! Cinder
is a great book and appeared in YALSA’s 2012 Teen’s Top Ten at numero siete (7th);
therefore, a perfect choice for light reading at home.
On to the story
itself. When asked about this book I would describe it as “the story of
Cinderella. Oh! But she’s a cyborg and there are aliens as well as political strife
and a fast spreading epidemic.” Cinder
is a cyborg living with a guardian and her two daughters. Cinder had been
adopted by the guardian’s husband a few years prior. Cinder does not remember
anything before the horrific accident that turned most of her body into metal.
Since cyborgs are considered second class citizens (slaves really), she has no
choice but to help her guardian make-do by working as a top notch mechanic in
New Beijing. When Cinder witnesses her young step sister Peony become
disease-ridden by Letumosis, it starts the action of not only familial unrest,
but political unrest.
That’s the primary
exposition, but did I mention there were aliens? Oh yeah the Lunars, as they
are called, are the inhabitants of the Moon that they call Luna. They have
special powers that allow them to manipulate bioelectricity, i.e. people’s
brain functions and vision perceptions. This power freaks out all of Earth
because it means that the Lunars can easily brainwash its citizens and easily
change their appearances. The Luna ruler is Queen Levana whose rise to power
came when she killed her sister and attempted to kill her niece, Princess
Selene. Princess Selene; however, was mysteriously never found. The Queen’s
niece is the only one who can challenge her rule and so the search for the
missing princess becomes a critical plot point.
There is a lot of
plot to this book. In addition to the above synopsis, there are many other
characters and plots including Dr. Erland and Prince Kai. The doctor, Prince
Kai and Cinder’s lives become intertwined with not only finding a cure for
Letumosis, but also dealing with Queen Levana visit to Earth. Cinder wants to
be with the prince, but she is embarrassed to tell him that she is a cyborg.
Also, there’s a ball and of course the evil stepmother and one evil step sister
(though just the one).
Even though the
reference to the classic fairy tale Cinderella is obvious, I feel that this
rendition offers more mystery and intrigue. I also love the difference in
setting. We’re in a time where Earth was torn apart by war leaving its
inhabitants to deal with the consequences, including intergalactic politics as
well as an epidemic. That’s definitely way more action-packed and awesome than
some silly, vague kingdom far away. Also, this setting allows us to enjoy a
heroine who is not only a sassy mechanic, but clever, conflicted, and strong. I
was afraid that this rendition would be too much like Cinderella to be good,
but so far it has only referenced the basic plot points. I say “so far” because
this is the first in a series (figures). This is a Must-Have for any YA
Collection.
The following
suggested reads come from Novelist, GoodReads, and my own personal judgement. These
related reads are for those who love Sci-Fi/Fantasy with a dash of something
else:
Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
Transparent by Natalie Whipple
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters
Pride and Prejudice
and Zombies
by Seth Grahame-Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment