This series just keeps getting better and better. When I first read Cinder, I thought, "Huh. That was interesting." Then, when I read Scarlet, it was more "Whoa! That was great!" Now? I'm doing cartwheels (or at least I would if it was't so embarrassing) and yelling "WOOHOO!" I can't wait for Winter!!! 
 Looking back, Cinder almost felt like it had a simplistic cast, with only a couple major characters. Meyer knew that she would need to spend the extra time in world building. It is sci-fi at its best, making me believe that cyborgs are real, and aliens live on the moon. Then, once the story was set, Meyer began to add more characters, and with each one, the more detailed and in-depth the story became. And the more committed I became! She even fills in the gaps with short stories, mostly found free online. I have so much gratitude and respect that she doesn't charge for these. No money-grabbing here! 
 So if you haven't read any of the books in this series, and have been living under a rock for the past couple years and haven't heard of them, they are, at their most basic level, fairy tales reinvented. They have a sci-fi twist and they all begin to join together into this futuristic, dystopian mishmash of familiar bedtime stories. The way that Meyer interprets those fairy tales is pure genius. They are the same stories at their very core, but it's safe to say that I never cared about princesses more than I do right now. 
 There isn't a single helpless woman in this series. Cinderella doesn't need to wait for a prince to bring her a glass slipper. Little Red Riding Hood might not mind being eaten by the wolf (get your minds out of the gutter). Rapunzel saves her savior as often as she saves herself. These women are who I strive to be every day. They are the best kind of role models for today's young girls. I can't recommend this series enough.