SOPHIE LI

Hello everyone!

Soooo you guys probably know by now that I have the bookish memory of a goldfish. It is in the few days after finishing a book when my memory of the characters and events are fresh. A week or two after? Details get blurry and it can be challenging to write a review. A few months later? Uh, I could probably only give you a general gist of the premise. How about a few years?? I could tell you whether or not I liked it, and, if we’re lucky, one (short) sentence about the plot of the book.

The first time I read Cinder was several years ago (during my pre-book blogging days). And to be honest, I…… didn’t remember much about it (shocker there.) I also didn’t make an effort to read the rest of the series. However, after reading Renegades by the same author (and loving it), it really motivated me to go back to the Lunar Chronicles series and maybe even finishing it.

So I decided to reread Cinder and really ended up enjoying it even more than when I read it the first time.

Even though I think many of you have read this book already, I am keeping this review spoiler-free in case you haven’t read it yet, or if you are planning to re-read this book like me!

• Overall I really liked the main character, Cinder, who was a strong female MC who made her own decisions and didn’t let the world boss her around.
• Loved the chemistry between Cinder and Prince Kai, which made me want to keep reading.
• The secondary characters were well-thought-out. Although Cinder’s stepmother and step sister treated her poorly (and I hated them as characters,) they were human too.
• The plot was fast-paced. There was always a sense of suspense and mystery from beginning to end. Each time a question was answered, a new mystery was unboxed. I was intrigued from beginning to end.
• There were touching, emotional moments that had me close to tears.
• I loved how the story for Cinderella was adapted for modern times. The original story was about Cinderella wanting to go to the ball, being visited by the fairy godmother, and living her dream of marrying the prince. In this novel, Cinder was proactive and took matters to her own hands, and she had bigger objectives than getting the prince to marry her.
• Loved the worldbuilding and all the intricate history and politics.

• I was a bit frustrated that some events could have been avoided if characters had communicated better…… you know what I mean?? (Didn’t want to spoil things here haha.)

Cinder was a fast-paced fairy tale retelling with a strong female lead and endless mysteries and suspense. I am definitely looking forward to continuing this series!

4/5 fishies!

Have you read this series? Do you like rereading? Any books you’ve reread lately?