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Cinder: Chapters 1-5
This excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s Cinder contains for the first five chapters. Cinder will be available January 3, 2012. 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.
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47 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2011
236 people are currently reading
5217 people want to read
About the author
Marissa Meyer
84 books132k followersI live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 24, 2012
Excellent! Amazing!
January 11, 2023
This will be a cool series! Can't wait to read more of it! It reminds me of when I was into robots and robotics when I was a kid.
October 16, 2015
Okay, now I'm officially curious.
Also, ebooks rock. Seriously.
Also, ebooks rock. Seriously.
December 3, 2024
I really liked it I’m already reading the next one/scarlet and I think I like cinder is so good! And for cinder I was always on the edge of my seat! Me and my hole family loves it highly recommended!!
May 9, 2015
Brilliant book, a combination of dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy, romance and fairy tales. Great for all ages, I am a huge fan, and can't wait for Winter! The Lunar Chronicles are set in the future, but with fairy tale characters. Cinder is based on Cinderella, Scarlet on Little Red Riding Hood, Cress on Rapunzel, Fairest based on the Evil Queen in Snow White, and Winter as Snow White herself. Honestly, everyone should give the Lunar Chronicles a try
January 1, 2012
3.5 stars, really. I liked it enough that I'm curious to read the rest, but I wasn't gripped or moved by anything (yet?).
November 11, 2016
I have loved every single bit of this series and I am so happy to have all these characters permanently imprinted in my heart. Fantastic!
March 14, 2015
I just read the excerpts available on Wattpad and I'm SOLD. I need to get this book. It read so good. So original. Gahh!
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I used to roll my eyes whenever I see these fairytale retellings but this one is unique. I have a feeling I'll be falling head over heels on Prince Kai <3
I used to roll my eyes whenever I see these fairytale retellings but this one is unique. I have a feeling I'll be falling head over heels on Prince Kai <3
February 15, 2023
I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so I was looking forward to this. The concept is fascinating: Cinder(ella) is a half-human/half-machine cyborg living in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mysterious pandemic.
The concept had my attention for the first 2/3 of the book, but by the halfway mark I had figured out what would happen. I decided to jump to the last chapter to see how the book ended. I was a little disappointed to find out everything happened as I'd guessed, but it's not revealed until the end--I was able to skip 1/3 of the book without missing the main point.
Overall it was interesting and creative, but it got a little wordy for me and slowed down past the halfway mark. But if you enjoy books like The Hunger Games, you should check this out.
Rated PG.
The concept had my attention for the first 2/3 of the book, but by the halfway mark I had figured out what would happen. I decided to jump to the last chapter to see how the book ended. I was a little disappointed to find out everything happened as I'd guessed, but it's not revealed until the end--I was able to skip 1/3 of the book without missing the main point.
Overall it was interesting and creative, but it got a little wordy for me and slowed down past the halfway mark. But if you enjoy books like The Hunger Games, you should check this out.
Rated PG.
August 22, 2023
I read this series in 7th grade, and it brought back my love for reading. Not sure if I would recommend to an older audience, but my inner child still loves reading this series once a year. Ive read the entire set about 12 times haha. I would definitely recommend if you like fairytales with sci-fi twists!!!
January 30, 2024
So amazing! I was absolutely hooked, and have read the entire series multiple times. Beautifully blends sci-fi with fantasy and romance, full of plot twists, humor, adorable otps, and amazing endings!
December 22, 2017
I love the whole series!
September 16, 2018
These books are my guilty pleasure
January 11, 2021
| Read on Reader Fox |
We have the ability to love each other, no matter our differences. To help each other, no matter our weaknesses.
I first came across Cinder by Marissa Meyer in 2012 at a time when I’d been dejectedly hopping from disappointing book to disappointing book in search of a new read that I would actually enjoy. As it goes, I just wasn’t in the mood for another re-read of a book I actually liked. I couldn't quite tell you why this was the case, but I was just at a point where I couldn't bring myself to enjoy much of anything. As a result, I was searching for something to improve my mood in any place I could. And, if truth be told, I had no real intense desire to bother reading Cinder anyway.
Happenstance
Finding Cinder was wholly accidental. Scarlet was already out and, from a cursory look at the covers, my initial reaction was to assume the entire series would be just as disappointing as the last book I’d read. Though beautiful, those covers did look very much like they were advertising books to a 12-year-old market. I think it was the color.
If you’ve ever spent a lot of time reading middlegrade books, you’ll notice that color is something they’re pretty good with. So, while I did find it visually appealing to look at, I was ultimately comparing it to all those young reader books that I’d never actually fallen in love with.
My expectations for Cinder were pretty low. Granted, from the summary the book did sound fantastic. Cyborg Cinderella? Sign me up! However, I had misgivings. These were based largely on previous experiences finding a plethora of cool looking and sounding novels vastly disappointing. But I had nothing better to read and I was in need of some new material. So, I got both Cinder and Scarlet. And I was fully expecting to come away thinking they’d been okay reads, but were nothing amazing, or hating them entirely.
Then I read the book
It feels somewhat silly to say it, but Cinder was pretty life-changing for me. In the strangest of ways, it genuinely gave me new energy. I’d found the series at a time I’d been really struggling and, not to delve too deeply into the matter, been very depressed. I started writing again after reading this book, something I had been avoiding for quite some time. Sophomore year of college was hard for many reasons and Cinder made it a little easier. I’ve sometimes wondered if this explains why I feel so close to the series so many years later. Still, I don't think I'd still be rereading it at least once a year if that were the case. Besides, I’d only read the first two books.
Cinder begins with a young cyborg girl and a job. Readers are thrown into the desperate times of an earth ridden with plauges. The first, a very real and deadly disease. The other, tyrant Queen Levana of the moon. It's reasonable to assume, simply by knowing this is a Cinderella retelling, that you have a basis for where the plot will go. It doesn’t take long to figure out what the plot twist near the end of the book will be. However, knowing this does not detract once from how amazing the story, the characters, and Meyer’s superb writing truly is. And I remember being absolutely blown away the moment I learned that this was her debut novel.
Some people are simply amazing.
We soon meet Prince Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth. His first act is to deposit his malfunctioning android unceremoniously atop cyborg Cinderella’s mechanic’s booth. He enters with a desperate and almost painfully idealistic hope, quickly marking him as someone precious. Despite the ever-present threat the Moon Queen presents to both his country and planet Earth, he is kind-hearted and optimistic. Admittedly, he is also quite naive.
A plague tears through the population of the planet, setting the scene for the dire situation the world is in. And naturally, no Cinderella story would be complete without the awful stepmother, stepsister, and quirky sidekick. We meat each one early on and they are all written beautifully.
Meyer blends her story together with perfect pacing, something I’ve noticed can be quite difficult for authors to achieve. Her characters are exceptionally developed and easy to love. Meyer’s story is so well written with characters so fantastic that the predictability of a fairy-tale retelling literally becomes completely irrelevant. The differences between the material that inspired the story and the final product to truly capture and amaze readers.
I’ve always loved this story. I couldn’t tell you which re-read this was for me, though I’m well into double digits at this point. Reading this book has always evoked positive feelings in me. In fact, I often feel that a part of me has been left behind when I turn the final page.
| Reader Fox Links |
We have the ability to love each other, no matter our differences. To help each other, no matter our weaknesses.
I first came across Cinder by Marissa Meyer in 2012 at a time when I’d been dejectedly hopping from disappointing book to disappointing book in search of a new read that I would actually enjoy. As it goes, I just wasn’t in the mood for another re-read of a book I actually liked. I couldn't quite tell you why this was the case, but I was just at a point where I couldn't bring myself to enjoy much of anything. As a result, I was searching for something to improve my mood in any place I could. And, if truth be told, I had no real intense desire to bother reading Cinder anyway.
Happenstance
Finding Cinder was wholly accidental. Scarlet was already out and, from a cursory look at the covers, my initial reaction was to assume the entire series would be just as disappointing as the last book I’d read. Though beautiful, those covers did look very much like they were advertising books to a 12-year-old market. I think it was the color.
If you’ve ever spent a lot of time reading middlegrade books, you’ll notice that color is something they’re pretty good with. So, while I did find it visually appealing to look at, I was ultimately comparing it to all those young reader books that I’d never actually fallen in love with.
My expectations for Cinder were pretty low. Granted, from the summary the book did sound fantastic. Cyborg Cinderella? Sign me up! However, I had misgivings. These were based largely on previous experiences finding a plethora of cool looking and sounding novels vastly disappointing. But I had nothing better to read and I was in need of some new material. So, I got both Cinder and Scarlet. And I was fully expecting to come away thinking they’d been okay reads, but were nothing amazing, or hating them entirely.
Then I read the book
It feels somewhat silly to say it, but Cinder was pretty life-changing for me. In the strangest of ways, it genuinely gave me new energy. I’d found the series at a time I’d been really struggling and, not to delve too deeply into the matter, been very depressed. I started writing again after reading this book, something I had been avoiding for quite some time. Sophomore year of college was hard for many reasons and Cinder made it a little easier. I’ve sometimes wondered if this explains why I feel so close to the series so many years later. Still, I don't think I'd still be rereading it at least once a year if that were the case. Besides, I’d only read the first two books.
Cinder begins with a young cyborg girl and a job. Readers are thrown into the desperate times of an earth ridden with plauges. The first, a very real and deadly disease. The other, tyrant Queen Levana of the moon. It's reasonable to assume, simply by knowing this is a Cinderella retelling, that you have a basis for where the plot will go. It doesn’t take long to figure out what the plot twist near the end of the book will be. However, knowing this does not detract once from how amazing the story, the characters, and Meyer’s superb writing truly is. And I remember being absolutely blown away the moment I learned that this was her debut novel.
Some people are simply amazing.
We soon meet Prince Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth. His first act is to deposit his malfunctioning android unceremoniously atop cyborg Cinderella’s mechanic’s booth. He enters with a desperate and almost painfully idealistic hope, quickly marking him as someone precious. Despite the ever-present threat the Moon Queen presents to both his country and planet Earth, he is kind-hearted and optimistic. Admittedly, he is also quite naive.
A plague tears through the population of the planet, setting the scene for the dire situation the world is in. And naturally, no Cinderella story would be complete without the awful stepmother, stepsister, and quirky sidekick. We meat each one early on and they are all written beautifully.
Meyer blends her story together with perfect pacing, something I’ve noticed can be quite difficult for authors to achieve. Her characters are exceptionally developed and easy to love. Meyer’s story is so well written with characters so fantastic that the predictability of a fairy-tale retelling literally becomes completely irrelevant. The differences between the material that inspired the story and the final product to truly capture and amaze readers.
I’ve always loved this story. I couldn’t tell you which re-read this was for me, though I’m well into double digits at this point. Reading this book has always evoked positive feelings in me. In fact, I often feel that a part of me has been left behind when I turn the final page.
| Reader Fox Links |
September 15, 2020
Loved this series
July 27, 2021
AMAZING
November 24, 2021
A book that kept me in the house all day. I recommend it to readers that love mysteries.
January 4, 2022
The best book I've ever read!!!!! ✨✨✨✨✨💙❤️💙❤️
February 3, 2022
Para ser un remake de la Cenicienta me gusta bastante en especial por la personalidad in creccendo de Cinder.
February 12, 2022
the best book i've ever read 🤍
June 27, 2024
I might not have been in the right mindset to latch onto this book when I read it...fun idea but I wasn't getting into the fantasy world setting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2024
Re-read, still good 😊
February 24, 2025
Fantastic series! I recommend!
March 9, 2017
“She was a cyborg, and she would never go to a ball.”
Basically,
I didn't love it, but I wasn't the biggest fan. This series has been recommended countless times, but after reading, I'm not sure there's much to glean from the (first book, at least) series besides its entertainment factor.
When I got into the first few pages of the book, I was like...oh boy. Making Cinder (Cinderella reincarnate) into a cyborg in a futurist New Beijing was compelling. It was an interesting read, but some areas were lacking in development.
After getting further into the story, very little about the city, the society, the social ills (besides the virus and Lunar people), the Lunar race themselves and how they came to be, are explained hardly at all. I found it difficult to world build without having those smaller details explained to get the full concept of the world in the story.
Of course, everyone writes in a different style, but I found while jumping scene to scene, I was left unappeased.
Secondly, Cinder lacked some essential keys to her character. Maybe she was incapable of them because she was cyborg, but she thought and acted human well enough. Throughout the book, we see her just...being. She rarely states her sentiments outside of her interest in Prince Kai, although, that isn't really explained either. She never states why she's interested in him, which leads me to believe that she's starstruck? It strikes me as odd that she is quite matter-of-fact in the rest of the book, but unable to reveal her true identity to Prince Kai. Frankly, this drove me nuts through the entire book. Besides that, (and I know she cannot physically cry) where is her remorse at losing someone close to her? (Not revealing the identity to avoid spoilers). I felt her reactions to this event were harbored once, and barely remembered after.
Lastly, the ending was TOTALLY foreseeable. I will not state what it is, to not spoil the outcome for other readers if you haven't already guessed what that'd be.
After not having much appeal from this book, I'm still going to read the series. It is not really valid to critique one book of a series because many hidden or underdeveloped aspects in the first book may be done so later on. Therefore, I wouldn't be doing the series justice by saying "I don't like this book" and leaving it at that. For a series is only good as its final words, in the final pages, of the final book. I just hope the plot will continue to unravel and become more explanatory in the books to come.
“Soon, the whole world would be searching for her--Linh Cinder.
A deformed cyborg with a missing foot.
A Lunar with a stolen identity.
A mechanic with no one to run to, nowhere to go.
But they will be looking for a ghost.”
This review can also be viewed on my blog: She's Going Book Crazy
Basically,
I didn't love it, but I wasn't the biggest fan. This series has been recommended countless times, but after reading, I'm not sure there's much to glean from the (first book, at least) series besides its entertainment factor.
When I got into the first few pages of the book, I was like...oh boy. Making Cinder (Cinderella reincarnate) into a cyborg in a futurist New Beijing was compelling. It was an interesting read, but some areas were lacking in development.
After getting further into the story, very little about the city, the society, the social ills (besides the virus and Lunar people), the Lunar race themselves and how they came to be, are explained hardly at all. I found it difficult to world build without having those smaller details explained to get the full concept of the world in the story.
Of course, everyone writes in a different style, but I found while jumping scene to scene, I was left unappeased.
Secondly, Cinder lacked some essential keys to her character. Maybe she was incapable of them because she was cyborg, but she thought and acted human well enough. Throughout the book, we see her just...being. She rarely states her sentiments outside of her interest in Prince Kai, although, that isn't really explained either. She never states why she's interested in him, which leads me to believe that she's starstruck? It strikes me as odd that she is quite matter-of-fact in the rest of the book, but unable to reveal her true identity to Prince Kai. Frankly, this drove me nuts through the entire book. Besides that, (and I know she cannot physically cry) where is her remorse at losing someone close to her? (Not revealing the identity to avoid spoilers). I felt her reactions to this event were harbored once, and barely remembered after.
Lastly, the ending was TOTALLY foreseeable. I will not state what it is, to not spoil the outcome for other readers if you haven't already guessed what that'd be.
After not having much appeal from this book, I'm still going to read the series. It is not really valid to critique one book of a series because many hidden or underdeveloped aspects in the first book may be done so later on. Therefore, I wouldn't be doing the series justice by saying "I don't like this book" and leaving it at that. For a series is only good as its final words, in the final pages, of the final book. I just hope the plot will continue to unravel and become more explanatory in the books to come.
“Soon, the whole world would be searching for her--Linh Cinder.
A deformed cyborg with a missing foot.
A Lunar with a stolen identity.
A mechanic with no one to run to, nowhere to go.
But they will be looking for a ghost.”
This review can also be viewed on my blog: She's Going Book Crazy
July 14, 2025
I finished this book completely charmed.
It’s rare for me to lose track of time while reading, but in this case, it’s undeniable. Having just finished it, I only now realize how late it’s gotten.
First of all, after reading the synopsis (which I almost never do unless I have no idea what the book is about, not even from the title), I was determined to read it right away, as I particularly enjoy adaptations of Grimms' fairy tales (especially Cinderella). And I must say, I don’t regret that decision at all.
Let’s start with the heroine: Cinder, a cyborg serving her stepmother exclusively, and thus forced to work tirelessly to provide for her stepmother and stepsisters. We have all the elements of the classic Cinderella story, but aside from a few details, that’s where the similarities end. The adaptation is very loosely based on the original, and that’s not a bad thing at all because the heroine is not lacking in character or determination when it comes to finding a way out of her situation as a "slave," which I really appreciated and made me adore this unconventional heroine.
Next, another key element of the original story is the prince falling in love, and in this case, the romance is developed consistently and subtly throughout the book. We are given the chance to experience their relationship over a much longer period than in the classic fairy tale, where their meeting and love-at-first-sight moment happens (as everyone knows) at the ball—and that’s it.
Moreover, we occasionally get the perspective of Prince Kai, which allows us to better understand his reactions, personality, and vulnerabilities. This made me grow very attached to his character.
The plot itself is entirely original and is kept alive with a steady pace, pushing us to want more and more. Also, the ball, which is seemingly the main trigger for the second book, doesn’t happen until the very end, which reassured me a lot, as I was afraid the story might feel rushed. Mixing this love story with a conflict between Earth and the Moon, along with a devastating plague that currently has no cure? It was an ambitious storyline, and for me, it completely succeeded in pulling me into this world.
I can’t wait for more; the fluid and minimalist writing style only enhances the accuracy of the dialogues and situations. I’m really looking forward to reading the next one.
It’s rare for me to lose track of time while reading, but in this case, it’s undeniable. Having just finished it, I only now realize how late it’s gotten.
First of all, after reading the synopsis (which I almost never do unless I have no idea what the book is about, not even from the title), I was determined to read it right away, as I particularly enjoy adaptations of Grimms' fairy tales (especially Cinderella). And I must say, I don’t regret that decision at all.
Let’s start with the heroine: Cinder, a cyborg serving her stepmother exclusively, and thus forced to work tirelessly to provide for her stepmother and stepsisters. We have all the elements of the classic Cinderella story, but aside from a few details, that’s where the similarities end. The adaptation is very loosely based on the original, and that’s not a bad thing at all because the heroine is not lacking in character or determination when it comes to finding a way out of her situation as a "slave," which I really appreciated and made me adore this unconventional heroine.
Next, another key element of the original story is the prince falling in love, and in this case, the romance is developed consistently and subtly throughout the book. We are given the chance to experience their relationship over a much longer period than in the classic fairy tale, where their meeting and love-at-first-sight moment happens (as everyone knows) at the ball—and that’s it.
Moreover, we occasionally get the perspective of Prince Kai, which allows us to better understand his reactions, personality, and vulnerabilities. This made me grow very attached to his character.
The plot itself is entirely original and is kept alive with a steady pace, pushing us to want more and more. Also, the ball, which is seemingly the main trigger for the second book, doesn’t happen until the very end, which reassured me a lot, as I was afraid the story might feel rushed. Mixing this love story with a conflict between Earth and the Moon, along with a devastating plague that currently has no cure? It was an ambitious storyline, and for me, it completely succeeded in pulling me into this world.
I can’t wait for more; the fluid and minimalist writing style only enhances the accuracy of the dialogues and situations. I’m really looking forward to reading the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2021
it is like one of the best series i ever read!! cinder is badass and cool
August 31, 2013
The story begins with our MC Cinder working as a mechanic. In walks Prince Kai, the heir to the throne and due to become Emperor any day now. The base of the story is the tale of Cinderella and the reader could easily believe that this story will follow the formula that we all know so well. Poor, hardworking young woman meets a Prince and they live happily ever after. However in this novel it is clear that there are other stories to tell aside from romantic ones.
After the Prince leaves Cinder’s store the marketplace is in panic and people are running for their lives. It is then revealed that a deadly plague has taken hold of this futuristic world and a market employee is the next victim. The terror is palpable. Oh and did I mention that Cinder is a cyborg. All of this happens within the first couple of chapters and I realise early on that this is going to be a great story.
Throughout the novel the plague shows no mercy and all efforts are spent trying to find a cure. Cyborgs are experimented on in the desperation to find a cure. The Lunar Queen comes to Earth and is a constant threat over Cinder's realm and the rest of Earth as well. Cinder also has to deal with family drama and feelings for Prince Kai. All these threads of storyline stitch together for a pretty amazing story.
So why only 4 stars? I didn’t give the story 5 stars as the twists, although enjoyable were predictable. Even though I guessed a couple of the plot twists I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend you read this novel.
A steampunk retelling of the classic Cinderella tale. What's not to like?
After the Prince leaves Cinder’s store the marketplace is in panic and people are running for their lives. It is then revealed that a deadly plague has taken hold of this futuristic world and a market employee is the next victim. The terror is palpable. Oh and did I mention that Cinder is a cyborg. All of this happens within the first couple of chapters and I realise early on that this is going to be a great story.
Throughout the novel the plague shows no mercy and all efforts are spent trying to find a cure. Cyborgs are experimented on in the desperation to find a cure. The Lunar Queen comes to Earth and is a constant threat over Cinder's realm and the rest of Earth as well. Cinder also has to deal with family drama and feelings for Prince Kai. All these threads of storyline stitch together for a pretty amazing story.
So why only 4 stars? I didn’t give the story 5 stars as the twists, although enjoyable were predictable. Even though I guessed a couple of the plot twists I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend you read this novel.
A steampunk retelling of the classic Cinderella tale. What's not to like?
November 2, 2016
This book was amazing! At first, I honestly thought it was slow, but the more I read, the more it built in anticipation and tension. As I was reading, I felt myself slowly falling in love with the characters, Iko especially, and was soon trying to get all my friends to read this book. I loved that I knew these stories already, because you hear them growing up as a child. Marissa Meyer did such a great job at keeping some plot points the same as the fairy tale so that the reader could correlate the character with the fairy tale, and changing it enough that it became her own- and an entirely different story. As a reader, I definately have my list of favorite books-but this topped them all! I'm not just saying that either, I genuinely loved everything about it! If you are into sci-fi, alterations, love stories, dystopian type novels, this book is for you!!!
July 10, 2013
I took my husband for eye surgery early this morning, and I listened to Cinder, while I was waiting for his surgery to be over. We got up really early this morning, and when we got home, I was very tired, so I just kept listening to the book until it was over. I enjoyed the book. In the end there is a cliff hanger, so I'm expecting another book. The book isn't what I expected, from looking at the cover, with its red high heeled shoe. Cinder was adopted when she was about 11. She had been in a terrible accident, and had extensive surgery. Her adoptive father was a genius, and did the surgery, before he was killed. The adoptive mother resented Cinder, but Cinder earned the money for the support of the adoptive mother, and her two daughters.
May 19, 2016
I really love , I must say that isn't a perfect book, it's very predictable in some aspects, but it doesn't take away all the emotions, surprises and tense moments. I personally think of Cinder as a bit despairing girl, but also sarcastic and hard working, but there was some times that I wanted she to react, to say something, she just standed there hearing her annoying aunt and she doesn't do anything! Besides that, I really gonna miss her as the principal character. Kay is so adorable. I don't know why I keep on visualizing him like a cute brunette from a k-pop band XD. He's lovely, I want him for my own. ♡
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews