Cinder by Marissa Meyer - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Cinder 
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Publisher:   Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan
Release Date:  January 3, 2012
Hardcover, 387 pages
ISBN 10:    0312641893
ISBN 13:  9780312641894
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

My Take: 

Judging by the comments I've read when I mentioned reading this one, it has LOTS of buzz!  Since I try my darndest not to read other reviews before I'VE had a chance to read a review book, I can only go my own feeling on this one and say, "Well deserved!".

I read this in one LONG sitting (which left me very tired the next day - I should learn not to start a new book for my nightly read).

Linh Cinder is a 16-year-old mechanic at New Beijing's weekly market.  Her guardian, Adri, relies on Cinder's income to pay her own bills and those of her own two daughters, Peony (14) and Pearl (17).  Adri's husband Garan adopted the orphan Cinder when she was five and soon after contracted letumosis, a deadly "plague" for which there is no cure.   Adri resents Cinder and, as in the old fairy tale, finds reasons NOT to allow her to go to the royal ball.   Peony is Cinder's only human friend, but she also has a great sidekick named Iko, a witty android/

Kaito (Kai), the Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, the heartthrob of many a teenage girl, comes incognito to Cinder's market stall to ask her to fix his android Nainsi.  Kai's mother died of the plague, and now his father, the Imperial Majesty Emperor Rikan, has contracted the disease.  Cinder is not starstruck like most girls, and Kai takes a liking to her.  Cinder knows it would never work, because she is a cyborg as a result of the hovercraft accident that killed her parents.  Cyborgs are considered less than human, treated as property, and there is even a draft for cyborgs for testing for a plague antidote.

Then comes a tale that mixes a bit of steampunk with a bit of dystopia and science fiction.  A kick-butt heroine, a handsome prince, an abusive adoptive mother, a doctor determined to find a cure for the plague, villains in the form of "Lunars" who evolved from an Earthen moon colony centuries ago and now have the power to manipulate people's minds - all combine to create this wonderful roller coaster of a ride through a wonderfully-drawn, realistic world.

I seriously wanted to SLAP Adri in so many places throughout this book.

I figured out a central theme early on, but that didn't stop me from reading on.

The villain, the Lunar Queen Levana, is spot-on creepy and manipulative.

The romantic aspects are appropriately timed, which, sadly, doesn't happen in a lot of YA.

Cinder is a girl that will make you root for her.  You'll smile at Iko's sarcasm, gnash your teeth at Adri's actions, hope against hope that Cinder will be on time for ... (oops, can't tell you, THAT would be a spoiler for sure).

In short, even if you're not a YA/sci-fi/steampunk reader, you'll still like this book, because it's a story about a girl who doesn't fit in, but has not let her spirit be broken.  She has dreams and the will to make them happen, as well as the smarts to figure out how to do it.

This is the first in a series by a debut author, and will likely be on my list of 2012 faves at the end of the year.  Buy it, borrow it, definitely read it.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

And the prince did know her now, sort of.  He had been kind to her at the market.  Perhaps he would ask her to dance.  Out of politeness.  Out of chivalry when he saw her standing alone.
The precarious fantasy crashed down around her as quickly as it had begun.  It was impossible.  Not worth thinking about.
She was cyborg, and she would never to the ball.

They said she'd murdered her older sister, Queen Channary, so that she could take the throne from her. They said she'd had her own husband killed too so that she would be free to make a more advantageous match.  They said she had forced her stepdaughter to mutilate her own face because, at the sweet age of thirteen, she had become more beautiful than the jealous queen could stand.

Cinder stared at the holograph and imagined watching herself die.  In real time.
"How many different batches of antibodies have you gone through?"
"Med?"
"Twenty-seven," said the med-droid.
"But," said the foreign voice, "they die a little slower each time."

Writing:  4 out of 5 stars

Plot:   5 out of 5 stars

Characters:  5 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:  5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   4.75 out of 5 stars

OTHER REVIEWS:

Susie Bookworm

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Chapters 1-5

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

One of my listed titles for the 2012 ARC Reading Challenge

One of my listed titles for the 2012 150+ Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher through Shelf Awareness to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma - BOOK REVIEW

Title: The Map of Time
Author: Felix J. Palma
Publisher: Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Hardcover, 624 pages
ISBN 10: 1439167397
ISBN 13: 9781439167397
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history?

My Take: 

FIRST SENTENCE:  Andrew Harrington would have gladly died several times over if that meant not having to choose just one pistol from among his father's vast collection in the living room cabinet.

The Map of Time is really a narrative consisting of three interconnected stories wrapped around the novelist H. G. Wells and the concept of time travel.  Time travel is portrayed as an event where traveling back in time and changing an event appears to create a parallel world.

We have a third party narrator who sometimes engages the reader directly (for some reason, I tend to love this writing device), with cameo appearances by Joseph Merrick (aka the "Elephant Man" - I found a lovely site that chronicles his life here), Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Henry James, tied in with events and places:  The Great London Fire of 1666, Jack the Ripper's reign, and 50 Berkeley Square (the most haunted house in London).

Some character sketches:

Andrew Harrington -  26 years old and still broken-hearted over the murder of the woman he loved, who would do anything to change the course of history.

Gilliam Murray - an oversized but graceful huckster who has brought time travel to the masses (those who can afford it, that is).

Herbert George Wells - 30 years old, who has recently published The Island of Dr. Moreau and is married to his second wife.

Claire Haggerty - A 21-year-old society girl, and extremely bored with her life.

Tom Blunt - son of a grave robber, whose mother died of cholera before his 6th birthday, soon followed by the drowning of his father.

To avoid spoilers, I can't really supply a synopsis, as the way the book unfolds leaves the reader wondering about this and that until the questions are answered with further reading. There is a rather Victorian feel to this novel and readers of Steampunk would like it, even though there aren't gears and steam-powered contraptions :). The translation of Palma's work seems to be spot on, and even though the novel is BIG (the ARC weighed in at 609 pages), it is so enjoyable to read that the pages seem to fly by.

I think this could be the break-out hit of the summer. Here is my caveat on that:  For readers who like a straight-forward story that you don't have to think about - probably not for you. For readers who like a bit of a puzzle - definitely for you. Historical fiction, Victoriana, murder, mystery, romance - there's a bit of each element here. I thought it was superbly written, with fascinating details and a true "feel" for the characters. In short - a stupendous reading experience - I loved it.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in finished copy):

(I had so many quotes down for this that it was hard for me to pick the following , but I hope they give you a feel for the novel):

He doubted whether either of them would ever decipher the true message concealed in his gesture (that he had preferred to die as he had lived - alone), but for Andrew it was enough to imagine the inevitable look of disgust on his father's face when he discovered his son had killed himself behind his back, without his permission.

Assuming you stay until the end of this tale, some of you will no doubt think that I chose the wrong thread with which to begin spinning my yarn, and that for accuracy's sake I should have respected chronological order and begun with Miss Haggerty's story.  It is possible, but there are stories that cannot begin at their beginning, and perhaps this is one of them.

"Behind this door awaits the most horrific-looking creature you have probably ever seen or will ever see; it is up to you whether you consider him a monster or an unfortunate wretch."
Wells felt a little faint.

It took him almost two hours to persuade his superior to sign an arrest warrant for a man who had not yet been born.

"In that case, forgive our reticence, but you will understand that murdering three innocent people in cold blood with the sole aim of drawing our attention leads us to doubt your philanthropic intentions," retorted Wells, who was just as capable, when he wanted, of stringing together sentences as tortuous as those of James.

Writing:  5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   5 out of 5 stars

Characters:  5 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:  5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:  5 out of 5 stars

Parents and Sensitive Readers:  Mostly parents - this is not a kid's book.  First, the writing style may well be over most kid's heads.  Second, there are prostitutes and Jack the Ripper - so there's a bit of sex and a bit of a graphic description of Jack's deeds.

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Other Reviews:

Chronicles of an Enamored Soul - 5 of 5 stars
Aisle B - 4 of 5 stars

Read an excerpt

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This book is included in my list for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

This book is included in my list for the Chunkster Challenge 2011

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through Library Thing's Early Reviewers program to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

eGalley Wednesday - June 22, 2011 - Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey and Blood Red Road by Moira Young

It's Wednesday!  Time for another chance to link up our eGalley reviews!  The linky stays open all week, and the only requirement is that your review(s) must be of eGalleys (Galley Grab, NetGalley, etc.)

Grab the button below, place it in YOUR eGalley review and join in! Link up throughout the week!  And don't forget to visit the other participants!

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Up for review this week are two titles:  Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, and Blood Red Road by Moira Young:

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Title:  Leviathan Wakes
Author: James S. A. Corey
Publisher:  Orbit Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group
Release Date:  June 15, 2011
HPaperback, 592 pages / ISBN 10: 0316129089  / ISBN 13: 9780316129084
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

The first in the Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes is a collaboration between Daniel Abraham (author of the recently-released The Dragon's Path - you can click the link to see my review - loved it) and Ty Franck, personal assistant to George R. R. Martin.  (With just that sentence, sci-fi buffs are already clicking the buy links).


No synopsis from me on this one; the synopsis on Goodreads gives a good idea of the story.  What it doesn't tell you is this:

This book is FABulous!  Really - it's sci-fi, with a bit of the thriller, a shot of "Alien", and an old-fashioned crime mystery to boot.  It tells of the strange prejudices between Earth, Mars, and the "Belters" (those who live on the outer edge of the system and who rely on supplies from Earth and Mars).  There's an embittered police officer/detective, a loyal and true-to-his-morals ship captain, an entertaining crew, a little bit of romance, and a mission to determine who or what is attempting to cause war between the planets.

While it put me somewhat in mind of Clarke and Heinlein, it's NOT hard science fiction; more of a space opera, with a lot of human drama.  It's a thriller that happens to occur in outer space.  If you've never read science fiction, but would like to try, this would be a good novel to whet your appetite with.  If you're a fan of old-fashioned science fiction, you'll love this one.  I've put this one on my to-buy list (I read an eGalley, but this is for the keeper shelf), and eagerly await the next installment in the series, Caliban's War, which I haven't been able to find a release date for yet. (UPDATE:  According to an editor at Orbit, Caliban's War is due for release in June, 2012)

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

"You don't get to just fly away, you murderous son of a b___.  I don't care what your reasons are, but you just killed fifty friends of mine.  You need to know who they were.  I am sending to you the name and photograph of everyone who just died in that ship.  Take a good look at what you did."

Book Rating:   4.75 out of 5 stars

Sensitive Reader:  It's basically a read about sailors (even though they're sailing spaceships) and hard-core police officers - there's a bit of profanity.

A video on the authors' collaboration:

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the video here.

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Title:  Blood Red Road
Author:  Moira Young
Publisher:  Margaret K. Elderberry, a division of Simon & Schuster
Released:  June 7, 2011
Hardcover, 459 pages /  ISBN 10:  1442429984 / ISBN 13: 9781442429987
The Book Depository / Amazon  / Goodreads / Publisher

In a world decimated by .. we don't really find out in this first in series book ... where inhabitants are reduced to walking and horseback (and some to ships with wheels), and most others are addicted to chaal (an apparent drug you chew that slows you down), Saba is an 18-year-old whose adored twin brother Lugh has been taken by mounted men (the Tonton) who killed her father and left her and her 9-year-old sister Emmi orphaned and alone.

Saba is determined to rescue Lugh, and even though she's never traveled to a city, she leaves Emmi with a woman named Mercy who was her mother's friend and sets off across the desert of Sandsea to find him.

Told in the first-person dialect of Saba, a pretty kick-butt heroine, it may take a while to get into the flow of this novel, but once the reader's mind has adjusted itself, it does flow much more smoothly.  Saba is not perfect; she has a deep resentment of her little sister that stems from her mother dying in childbirth.  Despite this, the reader will find themselves cheering her on and hoping that she escapes from the predicaments she finds herself in during her quest.  There's cruelty, madness, romance, and danger, but there's also a great sense of awakening and growth.

The film rights for this debut novel have already been optioned (yes, pre-release), and I can picture it in my mind's eye.   Hunger Games fans - I have seen reviews comparing this to Hunger Games - it's good, but definitely not Hunger Games caliber, in my opinion.  The fast-flipping, heart-pounding, "oh, my gosh!  I hope Katniss will be alright - I wish none of the kids had to die" feeling I got from Hunger Games was definitely not present for me here.  That is not meant to take away from THIS novel; I just think the comparison is unrealistic.   While I WAS interested in what happened to Saba, a deep connection didn't surface; I actually found myself invested in some of the secondary characters, however.  Unlike many first-in-series, this one ends on a good note - no cliffhanger, etc. - but leaves room for more story to be told.

QUOTE (from a galley; may be different in final copy):  

Lugh shines like the sun.
That must of made it easy fer them to find him.
All they had to do was follow his light.

Book Rating:   3.5 out of 5 stars

If your browser doesn't support embedded video, you can view the trailer here

Read an excerpt

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That's all for this week.  As always, you can click the Amazon or Goodreads links to find other reviews.  





Link up!

Disclosure:  I received complimentary eGalleys of these titles through the publishers to facilitate my reviews.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post  positive reviews.

 

These books are listed as titles for my 2011 ARC Reading Challenge