Titles: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Format: book

Synopsis (from publisher):

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, Book 1)

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.

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2)

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison—even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does—in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

Cress (Lunar Chronicles, Book 3)

In this third book in Marissa Meyer’s bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.

My Review:

Wow… I came across Cinder while watching some book bloggers back in February. So many people were talking about it and let’s face it, the cover is really cool.  So I ordered it from BookOutlet for an amazing price.  I took it with me on my annual girl’s craft weekend in Jackson New Hampshire. I always bring a book to read before I go to bed.

I started reading Cinder (the first in the series) and found myself up hours later, totally engrossed. Now, this is a Young Adult fiction and I am past Young Adult in age but let me say that I thoroughly enjoy many books from this genre.  I don’t turn my nose up to a good story.

Ms. Meyer takes the story on a wild adventure while still keeping the basis of the story grounded in the traditional fairy tale, Cinderella.  I enjoyed the first book so much because it created the world with vivid descriptions.  I instantly liked the main character Cinder although a few times I don’t know why she didn’t make smarter choices.  I like that social issues (Like what defines being human.)  were intertwined with the story but weren’t being forced down your throat. I found myself going to my room while on my weekend away and reading a few chapters. I just wanted to know what would happen.

As in the Hunger Games, each book of this series end with a cliff hanger so you have to read the next book to find out what happens. What I also found fascinating is that Ms. Meyer took different fairy tales and found ways to link the books to each other. For example the first book is Cinderella, the second is Little Red Riding Hood and the third is Rapunzel and the next to be released is Snow White.

I really enjoyed this series and read them very fast. I think there was good character development in each book and just enough romance without ruining the story.  My favorite of the three would be Cinder because that is where Ms. Meyer created the world for us in such lovely detail.

I highly recommend this series. The only problem is that I have to wait for the final book, Winter which will be released in 2015.

I will be back with more reviews very soon.  I have been reading a lot lately and just need to sit down and write up some reviews.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My rating was 5 butterflies!

Happy Reading!

Belinda