Cinder is the first book in Marissa Meyer’s young adult fantasy/science-fiction series, “The Lunar Chronicles” (and is her debut novel). This series follows classic fairy tale characters as they’re rewritten into Earth’s only hope for survival against powerful villains from a lunar colony.
Among the crowded streets of New Beijing, humans are battling a increasingly deadly virus outbreak. Cinder works as a skilled mechanic with her best robot friend, hiding the fact she’s a cyborg. As a cyborg, she could be “traded in” to be a research subject at any time by her stepmother, who threatens her so daily.
Cinder is approached by Prince Kai one day to fix his android, leading to a royal invitation (of course). Between the Prince, her beloved sister’s illness, and past secrets, she quickly finds herself in the center of an intergalactic struggle – complete with an evil Queen.
Meyer, M. Cinder. Square Fish. 2012.
The series continues with Scarlet – a spaceship pilot searching for her grandmother, Cress – an imprisoned computer hacker, and Winter – a kind and beloved Lunar princess. As the plague mutates, dangers grow, and the Queen continues to gain power, all four must team up to fight evil and save the world.
