Due to issues with my eyes, I’ve had to be very careful recently about the pace of my reading. I try not to read too much at one sitting, and I try not to read too much over the course of a single day. My vision gets blurry if I push too hard, and if I go way overboard, my eyes start to hurt.
This became a real problem when I picked up Cinder by Marissa Meyer, as it was the first book I’ve read in the last year or so, that I could just not put down. The last hundred pages kept me up well past my bedtime, and violated my self-imposed reading limit by a good hour. But it was completely worth it. And I’m not the only one who thinks this book is good. My wife initially bought this book on Kindle, and then went out and bought it again in hardback. It’s that great. Spectacular even.
Cinder is a cyborg, living with her stepmother, and her stepsisters, Pearl and Peony, in a future where the Earth has seen multiple world wars. A pandemic, with no cure, is devastating the population. In this world, Cinder is a gifted mechanic with a reputation of being able to fix just about anything. When the Emperor’s son, Prince Kai, stops by her shop to see if she can fix his android, Cinder unwittingly becomes embroiled in world of treason and espionage, where no one can be trusted.
If this story sounds familiar, it should be. There are plenty of references to that famous folk tale from the 1600’s. But this is also science-fiction and also YA. The setting is so well done, and the characters developed as impeccably as any I have read recently—that the fairy tale behind the plot becomes secondary. The execution of this iteration just hits the mark flawlessly. The cover is beautiful. Even the font used in the hardcover edition is perfect for the story. I never knew font in books could really be anything but Times New Roman and be so dang effective.
Perhaps it sounds like I’m being a bit obsequious here, but I’ll stand by my earlier statement that this is just a great, great book. Add this one to your reading list. You won’t regret it.
And if anyone knows the name of the font used in the hardcover, please let me know. I’m interested in trying it with some of my writing to see if it makes a difference in how my stories of the future feel.
