Cinder was a good start to a series that -so far- has grown a lot. Though I'm taking this over the course of two books. It has it's rough points in execution, but I really enjoyed the book overall. It's sequel fixes all of my problems with this book, so its a series to stick with. 
 Marissa Meyer gets the award for best Cinderella adaptation. The trouble with Cinderella is the moral of her story is to suffer through all the shit people put you through and you will eventually be rewarded for your martyrdom. Cinderella is not active in the pursuit of her happiness. Everything is handed to her. So goddamnit, everyone had tried to make her an active, dynamic character. It is really tough to do that effectively with its source mythos. 
 Cinder succeeds at this because of the world Cinder lives in. She is not regarded as a full human being and is enslaved to her legal guardian. Her status as a Cyborg limits her freedom, and effectively portrays her entrapment in a relatable way. 
 Setting was almost a deal-breaker for me, at least in the beginning. I was confused; They live in New Beijing, but everyone is given Japanese names along with streets called "Sakura" (Japanese). Cinder is European, that's her race; just...European, until wait! No, she's this elitist alien-ish master race from the moon? Okay! The lunar queen seems Asian, so is Cinder Asian again? Um...okay. I forget what's going on now. The world needed a bit more explanation. 
 Kai and Cinder's relationship is the selling point. I mean, Prince Charming is another aspect that is so flat and boring. His name is a character trait. It really surprises me how writers are never on top of this. Anyway, Kai is Peeta from the Hunger Games (pre- arena) if he was a bit ballsier about asking Katniss out. They have fun scenes together and they have good chemistry, and if the series is centered around an inter-galactic "Will they, won't they?" you need to like the characters together. They fit well. They are torn apart for justified reasons and don't let their love dictate their actions. The conflict isn't about them not being into each other; it's about Cinder as a second-class citizen and a liar, then eventually a wanted fugitive. 
 Cinder is a good, solid character. Her plight is believable and you don't blame her for being a pushover, which is tough in a Cinderella narrative. She fights back whenever she can, but is smart enough to grit her teeth and let the step-family win if she has to. She's tough, focused, caring, and has a good sense of humor. She has great sarcasm and wit, which gives her a much needed edge. She arrives to the ball looking like hell. Yes. She is a grease-monkey at the ball. I like her focus in her scenes where she works as a mechanic. I like that her skill is often utilized in the plot. 
 This book isn't about beauty and astounding us with breathtaking "shiny things". It's about plague, space-politics and war negotiations. Seriously. The plot is mostly political meetings with Kai or Cinder getting operated on. The medical side of the war sucks up a huge chunk of this book. It can be tedious, but a well placed Kai/Cinder scene picks it right back up. 
 There is also an excellent villain whose depravity is sickeningly fun to read. This woman is an evil space-geisha with underlying anger problems. She's composed and beautiful until she loses her shit, then it's terrifying and compelling. When she is in control of the characters around her, it's unpleasant in a way a well written villain should be. 
 However, the "Big Twist" at the end was mind-numbingly predictable. The whole book was just waiting for it to be revealed, and it stays hidden until the last few pages. Though I'd guess most people figured it out that the girl who has no idea who she is and where she came from is the same mysterious missing princess from the moon who died the same time Cinder had her life threatening accident that made her a cyborg. The cliff-hanger was too severe. 
 This book is really enjoyable Sci-Fi with Gail Carson Levine's adaptive genius. If you happened to have a problem with it, read the sequel, Scarlet, anyway. It's course has smoothed out and is on steadier footing. It is a blast.