Well this was fun. I had been waiting a while to read this book, and it was way up there on the *congratulations you’ve finished exams do all of the reading* list. I’d heard good things about this book, and just from the premise alone you can tell that fun is the best way to describe it. Cinder is not so much a retelling as a reworking of Cinderella set in a futuristic city, which appears to be some sort of weird-Firefly-remeniscent fusion of American and Chinese culture. And Cinderella is a cyborg. Need I say more?
I will admit that this book was fairly predictable – I had inklings of the final revelation pretty much from the start, and had solidified my theory by the whole burning dream thing that happens a few chapters in. Like seriously, how did no one else see it? It’s so bleedin’ obvious. Come on people. I have to say though that it really didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book. The world is fascinating, and the characters are well thought through. Cinder and Prince Kai may have been a teeny bit irritating at times, but no more so than their versions in the original fairytale, and you have to feel rather sorry for Kai being thrown in at the deep end. The Lunars were a concept that I wasn’t expecting when I picked it up. I know they’re in the blurb but I wasn’t expecting them to be such a central part of the plot and so, I don’t know, annoyingly kniving? JUST GO AWAY ALREADY. Yes I know it’s the title of the series, but that is not the point. It was still cool. Oh, and Iko. Iko is priceless.
Once again I say this book was fun. A darn sight more fun than Cinderella ever was if you ask me.
~ Becca x
The Paper Ship 