I think this book suffered comparison to another fairytale inspired book I read earlier in the month (Deerskin by Robin McKinley) - not intentionally,I think this book suffered comparison to another fairytale inspired book I read earlier in the month (Deerskin by Robin McKinley) - not intentionally, but I am a capricious being. I thought the writing was lovely, but it's not likely to stay with me very long....more
A gorgeously illustrated fusion of Mi'kmaq folktales and the traditional French version of Cinderella. The youngest sister of three, scarred an[image]
A gorgeously illustrated fusion of Mi'kmaq folktales and the traditional French version of Cinderella. The youngest sister of three, scarred and ashed-stained, is the only one who can see the powerful Invisible Being for who he truly is, which eventually leads her to leave her abusive family for a better life. Here we see the tried-and-true concept of internal beauty triumphing over external, wonderfully detailed by the illustrations of David Shannon.
The biggest thing that stood out to me was in the beginning: "True, the splendid jewels and brocades of the kings and princes and barons were quite ouThe biggest thing that stood out to me was in the beginning: "True, the splendid jewels and brocades of the kings and princes and barons were quite out of place on her homely little person, but the fairy gifts had been very useful, for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."
This is an adorable take on the traditional fairy tale princess. I loved the reference to Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty ("You may have forgotten what happened to my great-great-great-great grandmother, but I have not. Had to sleep for a hundred years, poor girl, and the entire court with her, and all because of some silly fairy business at the christening.") Because Amy was so different from her sisters, this really makes her extraordinary to the reader - which makes me wish that Kaye hadn't married her off at all. That's such a traditional and ordinary thing to do! Still, it was handled in a cute, if not surprising, way.
There was the usual reveal of Peregrine & Amy's individual persons, but each character handled it with aplomb and humor. I did have a slight issue with the fact that he decided to send a proposal envoy to her parents before he had even asked Amy. Every other bit of this book spoke to independent young women and this stood out to me as a little awkward and heavy-handed.
I did heartily enjoy the mockery of bureaucracies that were interspersed within the various council meetings ("We will require a Minister in Charge of Hiring a Suitable Dragon and a subcommittee for drawing up the draft of a suitably worded proclamation.")
Favourite: "Well, you know what princes are," said Clorinda wisely. "Just a lot of little boys when it comes to killing dragons."...more
I gobbled these books up as a young girl and was infinitely disappointed that there weren't more to be found at my home library. Why did they only buyI gobbled these books up as a young girl and was infinitely disappointed that there weren't more to be found at my home library. Why did they only buy three of them??...more
In reviews it's much easier for me the point out all the things I didn't like about a book. I can nitpick all the live long day.
When I like a book? SuIn reviews it's much easier for me the point out all the things I didn't like about a book. I can nitpick all the live long day.
When I like a book? Suddenly, I can't think of anything other than "I just do, okay?!" So bear with me as a I traverse all the reasons I really enjoyed Cinder.
First of all, I adore retellings of fairy tales or myths - nothing is original anymore, but new takes on old things can still be great. Meyer made Cinderella into a cyborg, with all the (assumed) associated problems + benefits (though to be fair, most of the book focuses on the problems). Despite her "upgrades", Cinder behaves just like a normal person. She has moments of self-pity, she loves and hates and feels pain.
The fact that Kai seems to constantly run into her while she's about is not particularly realistic as a man in the position of Prince/Emperor, but runs totally in line with a teenager with a crush. He's charming and concerned, but not overly pushy to find out the secrets that she's pretty obviously hiding. Their banter was a little awkward, but mostly endearing. Her inability to blush really made it easier for me to enjoy their encounters, because the constant blushing and stammering is just not something I can handle reading about for too long. (This is why I avoid a lot of the YA genre now).
Obvious foreshadowing about Cinder (view spoiler)[being the presumed dead Princess Selene is obvious. There was absolutely no other reason to add that information in. Cinder's journey to figure it out herself (though really, she just has someone tell her ...) was a little slow for me. The doctor's identity as Lunar was also fairly blatant almost from the start, though at first I though perhaps he was going to be a creepy Mengele. I wish that Meyer had been a little more circumspect about how it was revealed, but perhaps that is her just pandering to the genre - which is not to say that the readers are idiots, just that the industry thinks so. (hide spoiler)]
I was hoping that Meyer would go more into the ethics of how cyborgs are treated as less than human, but that was probably too much subplot in a YA novel that already had politics and romance mixing. It's a fun ride and I hope see more improvements to the world building as the series continues. I know I'll be picking up the next one....more