Word Nerd Review: Cinder

by Trisha Quezada

Cinder is a really interesting retelling of the Cinderella story, complete with cyborgs, plague, civil unrest, the threat of interplanetary war, and of course princes and evil stepmothers. Surprisingly enough, it works and it works well. Meyer has a definite vision for this world and the story and she really pulls you through it. Rather than falling prey to the typical “woe is me” and “waiting for fairy godmother” tropes that usually accompany Cinderella retellings, Meyer gives us a heroine who is smart, brave, motivated, tough as nails, and the best mechanic in the city. Also, she’s a cyborg – one who’s adopted mother despises her in favor of her other daughter. You will definitely all the elements of the fairy tale, but each with a twist. There are even nods to the Disney version (I love that her “getaway” car used to be orange and has a rounded roof – I picture an ancient rusted Volkswagen Bug personally). If all of that isn’t enough, she loves her sister and the house android, and is very much a good person. Without spoilers, I can’t really go into much more since you already know the classic story. But even though this is technically youth/teen fiction I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the second book.

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