Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the 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. (from Goodreads)
I've always enjoyed the story of Cinderella, ever since we read a bunch of different versions from different cultures in elementary school. Cinderella is truly a universally loved fairy tale.This version kinda follows the Drew Barrymore - Ever After retelling more so than the Disney classic. It's a bit more believable that way. You'll see what I mean.
Cinder is extremely resourceful, smart and very proactive in the situations she's thrown into. She never gives up, no matter the circumstances. That's what I like about this girl. She's so strong. The problem is she's not a complete human girl. There was an accident at some point in her life and a chunk of her body has been replaced with robotic parts...including one of her feet. ;-) In Cinder's world, being a cyborg puts you way below humans and not far above androids. It creates a type of class system of the future that she has no control over and can't escape. Just like no one of today has any control over being born into extreme poverty, Cinder had no say in becoming a cyborg.
The hierarchy that Marissa Meyer has developed for her world got me to thinking about the prejudices we face today. Not to be too political, but it reminded me of racism in the 50's and 60's during the Civil Rights movement and even the Feminist movement after that. And I guess you could say today the big movements are for equal marriage rights and immigration rights as well. Basically, at almost every point in out history there has been some group that has been marginalized and treated like second-class citizens due to race, gender, religion, etc. It's interesting to me because the generation that fought for civil rights way back when are now the same generation fighting against equal rights for gays, lesbians, etc.
It's odd how as young people, we seem to embrace everyone but as we age, there are certain things we just can't except. My parents, for example, love listening to hard rock music and my grandparents, on the other hand, thought rock was sacrilegious. And I guess you could say that currently, rap music has replaced rock music's role of being the "corrupter of youth", and my parents can't stand it. They hate rap. It upsets them. But I like it. It doesn't bother me at all. I guess what I'm trying to get at is there will always be something that your generation refuses to accept into society, no matter how inviting and open you were in your youth. Makes me wonder what "thing" my children will be into that I won't have tolerance for.
This is what fascinates me about this story; in the future, the people who are looked down upon are the cyborgs. And there really is no logical basis for this reasoning, just like all the prejudices we face today. I didn't tear through this book like I've done with others, but it was more like a steady, page-turning thriller. I just wanted to soak it all up. And even if you know the story of Cinderella, you'll never guess how this ends!
