I love fairy tale adaptations, whether they're just fleshing out the original story (Robin McKinley's "Beauty") or spinning the bare concept off in a totally different direction (the anime "Pretear"). 
 And Marissa Meyer's "Cinder" is actually quite clever in its dystopian/futuristic-steampunk reimagining of the famed Cinderella story. While it cleaves to the basic storyline of the fairy tale, Meyer weaves in a conspiracy, a brewing war, a plague and a secret identity into the story. In short, she allows the story to stand on its own two feet... or rather, one foot of its own and one robot foot. 
 In the futuristic city of New Beijing, Cinder is a cyborg -- a second class citizen who toils away as a mechanic for her cruel stepmother Adri. Her only friends are her kind stepsister Peony and her quirky robot Iko. 
 Then one day, crown prince Kai secretly hires her to repair an old robot for him, even as New Beijing prepares for the arrival of the cruel, powerful Lunar queen Levana (who wants to conquer Earth, possibly by marrying Kai). But Cinder's whole life is thrown upside down when Peony contracts letumosis -- a deadly plague with no cure -- and an enraged Adri sells Cinder for medical testing. 
 The twist: Cinder is immune to the plague. The eccentric Dr. Erland takes an interest in her, even as Peony's condition worsens and Kai desperately searches for a way to avoid marrying Levana. But as Cinder struggles to stop the plague and save the man she's falling in love with, she begins to learn more about her own mysterious past -- and why she might be the only hope for Earth. 
 "Cinder" is a brilliant example of how an author can take a well-worn fairy tale and breathe new life into it. It's a pretty decent retelling in its own right -- complete with sci-fi versions of the fairy godmother, glass slipper and evil stepmother. But it also stands on its own as a solid science-fiction story with unique subplots, characters and backstory. THAT is a truly good retelling. 
 Meyer has a strong, smooth writing style, splattered with grease, disease and squalor as well as white silk, silver and gleaming laboratories. She neatly twines together several subplots (Levana's schemes, Kai's search for the lost Lunar princess, the damaged robot, Peony's deathly illness), although I was left wondering what was going on with the crying Lunar girl. Perhaps that will be answered in the next book. 
 What was the book's biggest problem? Probably the huge TO BE CONTINUED ending, and the fact that it's pretty easy to figure out Cinder's true identity. It could have used a teeny bit more mystery. 
 But the strongest part of the story is our Cinderella herself. Cinder is a strong, selfless heroine who has a genuinely horrible life -- everyone looks down on her because of her cyborg parts, and she struggles with telling Prince Kai about her true nature for fear that he will be repulsed by her. At the same time, she's also struggling with the discoveries about her own past. 
 Kai is also an excellent character, and quite different from your usual fairy tale prince -- he's trapped in a no-win scenario that may enslave the Earth no matter what he does. And the cast is nicely rounded out by the malevolent, vain Levana, the adorably quirky Iko, and the mysterious Dr. Erland (who is far more than he appears). 
 Marissa Meyer does not disappoint in "Cinder," the first of a series that seems to be made up of dystopian/sci-fi fairy tale adaptations. And even if the ending is a bit abrupt, it definitely leaves you craving more.