I love a good fairy-tale retelling, so I was so very excited to get my hands on this novel. In this version of the classic, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic working on the plague-ridden streets of East Beijing. She crosses paths with Prince Kai when he asks her to repair a broken android, and finds herself caught in the middle an inter-galactic struggle that involves many well-kept secrets. Oh, and she may or may not fall in love in the process. 
 I rather liked Cinder. She is tough and determined and a bit sarcastic. Her relationship with her youngest stepsister is endearing and it is hard to not root for her and Prince Kai. There were a few things I wanted more of in this novel though. Cinder herself is a cyborg, and I really wanted to hear more of her internal thoughts on what this means. Does she think of herself as human? What does being a cyborg mean to her? These topics were touched on lightly, but I guess I was holding out for some JENNA FOX-esque internal battles. And New Beijing. This city was so fascinating that I just wanted to lose myself in it, but I never felt like I saw enough of it to make this possible. Of course, there is a sequel coming out. Actually, CINDER is the first of four novels, so there is plenty of time to spend in this world and better get to know Cinder. Perhaps all my questions will be answered in due time. Definitely pick this one up if you dig sci-fi and fairytales! 
 Originally reviewed here.