I'm finally back with another book review; it feels like ages since I last read a book for enjoyment, sadly.

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed from, you know, life (can I get an Amen). I needed to get lost in a different world and take my mind off things, so I dived into a book I've heard a lot about: Cinder.

I never had much interest in the book before, but after watching some reviews, I was intrigued by its setting of New Beijing. Very rarely do we get to see American YA novels take place in Asia. In fact, we hardly even see Asian characters in general. It was great to see some Asian representation in this book, especially a desirable Asian male lead (which are few and far between).

I'll try to keep this review spoiler free (there won't be anything major spoiled, but if you're sensitive to all spoilers, I suggest you finish this review later). First off,  let me discuss one element that was particularly strong about this book: the setting, which I briefly mentioned above. The world in which this story takes place is extremely interesting and very well-developed.I see a lot of YA novels lacking worlds that simply make sense and are explained thoroughly! The Lunars (moon people) are incredibly interesting; I hope we get to explore the colony in future books. :)

The story held my attention from the start to the finish; although, the start was a little slower. I finished this book in one day, so you know that means I was real hooked. I kept wanting to know what would happen next, especially near the end, when sh*t got real. I ended up frantically flipping through the last chapters, desperate to know what happens.

On a less positive note, I had a major issue with this novel's characters. By the end of the book, I feel as though I really didn't get to know Cinder (or Kai, or Adri, or anyone, really). Yes, I see that she's brave, persevering, blah blah blah, but I didn't see much of her personality shine through (other than the occasional sarcastic comment); to me, she's like any other run-of-the-mill YA female lead that just doesn't really have a "flavor" to her. The same applies to the other characters, namely Kai. I also found her relationships with other characters to be underdeveloped. For example, we know that Cinder and Peony share a very tender, sister-like bond. My question is why? We never get to see why is it that Cinder and Peony are so close, yet Pearl seems to hate Cinder. What makes Peony and Cinder so close? Is it that Cinder cared for Peony since she was young? We don't know. This is simply lazy writing; I feel as though Peony's purpose in the novel is only to kick Cinder in to "hero" mode. And this is a pattern I see reoccurring throughout many YA novels. Side (and main alike) characters aren't written with depth; relationships aren't explored deeply. We just need our protagonist to lose someone so she has the purpose she needs to embark on her journey.

I hope we get to see Cinder and Kai's relationship develop a bit more; at this point, I really don't understand why Kai was attracted to Cinder. I understand that Cinder was starstruck by Kai, but I hope their relationship grows to be built on something stronger. It's another common trope in YA fiction; heartthrob dream boy falls for not-so-average, average girl. If you read a lot of YA, you probably know what I mean.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and am already starting on Scarlet. Thankfully, I can already tell that our new character, Scarlet, has a bit more "flavor" to her; although, I'm not to thrilled about the SAME TROPE that is used to push Scarlet on her hero's mission. Can we at least get to understand the depth Scarlet's relationship with grandma? Jeez. It's hard to care about saving a character we hardly know.

Alright, that's all for me today. You can definitely expect to see the rest of the Lunar Chronicles books reviewed on my blog in the near future!

xx
Melanie