Re-tellings. I don't usually like them. Why? Because as I've experienced with different books (also movies) sometimes authors want to make sure their story really follows the original, and they end up messing it up; making it feel too forceful, losing that natural flow and sometimes making them plain ridiculous. That is part of the reason why I didn't want to read Cinder. I remember when it just came out and it was on Netgalley, I just thought 'NO, I'm not reading that, I mean, Cyborg Cinderella? What?.... um NO.' Yeah... I would just love to slap old me for thinking that. 
 The thing that made Cinder so so incredibly good was that Marissa Meyer took the story of Cinderella and really made it her own, avoiding what I just previously mentioned. She took liberties, she wasn't afraid to change things, she basically took the essence of Cinderella's story and applied it to her book, which worked out perfectly. 
 Cinder was such a fun story to read - Note: Fun, not funny, though of course there were some amusing parts, but it was all just so much fun: thrilling, interesting and also predictable but I really liked watching things unravel. I just really enjoyed Cinder, it had been a while since I liked a book this much - without it being emotionally draining or a simple chick-lit. This book was just the perfect balance of everything and I would not hesitate in recommending it to anyone, a must read :D!