MB's Review of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Before we get to the meat of my review I feel that I need to start off by saying that my TBR list (To Be Read) is ridiculous. Like hundreds of books ridiculous. I love that I have so many books BUTTT… I am not proud of how many books I still have to read, especially when I know how many I add on a daily basis.  Do you know what I am proud of? I am proud of the fact that we have so many amazing writers to choose from. Our choices are endless and it is so exciting. Think about it we get to choose reading a specific type of author like Indie, Self-Published, or Traditional and the fact there are so many genres and sub-genres…. well that means we can basically read about anything our imagination can create and if you don’t see what you want to read about then you can write it yourself! That is some exciting stuff. But I digress.

 

Why am I talking about my TBR? Well, the amount of hardcover and paperback books accumulating in my house is crazy!! And that doesn’t include all of my e-books!!!! I was with my 2 older children last week and we stopped by Barnes n Nobles to look around and get them a book or two. While in the Young Adult section I saw Cinder by Marissa Meyer. A little tidbit about me is that I love covers. They draw me in and get me to pick them up to look at their blurb. The cover for Cinder is beautiful. It has the classic look of the Cinderella story we know and love, but you know right off the bat with the x-ray vision inside of the girl’s leg that there is more to the story. I pointed the book out to my daughter and said to her that I could have sworn that I had that book stashed away sad and unread somewhere at the house. So when we got home I went on a book hunt and I found it! I knew I put off reading it for long enough so I opened to the first page and off I went.

I happily give this book a fabulous 4 stars! I love young adult novels as it is and this one is so creative. I had heard for a long time that I needed to read it because it was that good, and all I can say is that this book did not disappoint. What an amazing twist on a classic story. I know that cliché is a bit over used but it’s true. The story was fresh and inventive. I was engrossed in the story from the start but the more I read the deeper I fell. I literally couldn’t put it down and finished in about 24-26 hours. It probably would have been less but I had to sleep.

I thankful I started reading it on a Friday because I would have had a major book hangover if it was during the week, Marissa’s characters were so rich and somehow in such a fantastical world with androids, and cyborgs, and aliens, they were very relatable. I felt for Cinder and everything she goes through. You can’t help but root for her. I’d give her a hand but I’d rather give her a foot. LOL!

The heroine is kind but not a push over given her situation. She has a strength that slowly starts to show more and more as the book progresses. Her world is rocked but she draws off that strength to help her work through what to do. The Hero is not an arrogant, spoiled jerk and I appreciate that. He is naïve and kind and wants what’s best for his kingdom.

If you are an adult don’t feel like you can’t relate to this story. Trust me there is enough to keep you entertained though out the story and if you have any hesitation about whether this book is appropriate for the young adult audience it grabs for, have no fear.  The suggested audience is for 12+ but really as in everything else use your discretion. I appreciate the way both main characters were written because we see them both grow through experience. They are both scared but it didn’t stop them from trying to do what they thought to be right thing and that is something I want to share with my children. Good or bad, take what you can from each experience and learn from that.  I have no problem giving this to my daughter that is 13 or my son who is 10. There is obviously a love story in here but it’s so intertwined in the rest of the story it’s not the total focal point. Who knows he may be swayed by the aliens and cyborgs. I’ll make sure he writes a review if he does.

Cinder is a great start to what looks to be an awesomely creative series and I look forward to reading more of the Lunar Chronicles.
 

About the Book

 

Amazon ~ iBook ~ BN

Blurb

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.

About the Author

 

 

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER

 

Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Heartless and The Lunar Chronicles. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters. She’s a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, any occasion that requires a costume), and has been in love with fairy tales since she was a child. She may or may not be a cyborg.

 

 

 

 

 

Review Time!!

And so it begins!  So as I posted on the FB page a bit ago I was reading Black And Blue (Quentin Black Mystery #5; Quentin Black: Shadow Wars #1) by J.C. Andrijeski.  I have been a tad obsessed with her books lately because not only did I read this one but I read about 6 of her books. Like I said, obsessed. I am currently working on reviews for those books but here is the review for Black and Blue. If you want to check out my reviews for the other keep an eye on my Goodreads and Amazon profiles ;) 

So without further ado. My review.

Black And Blue (Quentin Black Mystery #5; Quentin Black: Shadow Wars #1)
Author:  J.C. Andrijeski
Reviewed by: MB
Rating: 3 Stars

All I can say is what a ride. This seer world is riddled with so much action, intrigue, and urgency that I've come to count on in JC Andrijeski's books.

In this story there was a literal bomb that dropped that it took my mind a minute to catch up to what my eyes just read. I didn't expect it one bit, but man did it work and made the story that much more robust.

One of my favorite parts of these stories in the interaction between Miri and Black. The two of them together are explosive and getting to follow along to see how they navigate the waters of their new bond and getting to know each other is great. This story sadly didn't have as much of them together as I've become accustomed too, but more of the fight to get back to each other.

I did feel a little bit like I was hanging there at the end wanting to read more about their reunion and how they worked through more of their issues, but I expect to see that in the novella and throughout the rest of the series so here's hoping.

As per usual, the writing is well done. This seer world is so fascinating and descriptive that I can't help but consume them to find out more, so on to the next adventure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book is available on Amazon and is part of Kindle Unlimited at http://amzn.to/2f3AlHN.

It feels good to be back and reviewing again so you will see them evolve some as I get back into the rhythm.

Here is the link to follow me on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vnq6T1 and Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2902544-mb

Check ya later!

~MB

Once Upon a Time

Hi All!

If you don't know me, I'm MB (Mary Beth for long). My friend Kris and I have been in this crazy book world for a lot of years now. We've done some blogging, reviewing, were beta readers, graphic desingers (Kris not me), worked for an awesome PR company, helped work an awesome Event called Penned con  and are even dabbling in some writing. What we realized through the years is that we missed the community aspect of the book world. 

With being behind the scenes we fell behind and got a little out of touch with the new authors and even some of our favorites. We'll that's going to change right not..... or well in the near future but we are starting the new page in a few days so whatever; STOP JUDGING ;) .   We are going back to our roots and decided to start a new blog called About The Story Book Blog. We will be reading not for the author, (not to say we don't have our favs), not for the genre, but for the story. We want to bring the fun back to blogging and not just be a promo mill. We will share things we like besides just books, like music because that tells a story and maybe movies or who knows what else. We'll have takeovers, games, contests, maybe a scavenger hunt or two but best of all you will get to know us and hopefully we will get to know you. 

We will accept review submission and sign up for blog tours but we will do so on a strategic basis. We do want to share these fabulous authors with you but we will be selective in doing so. 

We will also be starting an About The Story Book Blog Jr. Our children have somehow become readers as well and they want to share their love for books with you. They will also display their art and maybe some of the music they love.  

So stay tuned for the fun, who knows you might find something you love.

~MB & Kris