Review: Cinder

Title: Cinder, The Lunar Chronicles
Author(s): Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Okay, I kept on seeing this in libraries or in bookstores. It looked pretty cool, but something about it made me cautious to buy it. That was a huge mistake. I don't know why I hesitated for so long to read it. Cinder is easily one of my favorite books. Based off of the classic fairy-tale, Cinderella, this book captures the beauty and enchantment of the original tale, while also adding its own unique futuristic twist. The book had a wonderful pacing and an stunning narrator. I'm pretty sure I didn't put the book down, even to sleep. Cinder's voice was funny and realistic, and paints vividly beautiful pictures in your mind. Cinder also contains very diverse plot details, with bits of action, laughs, romance, and even a few more awkward moments you can relate to.

Honestly, I have very few complaints about the book, except for the next one, Winter, needs to come out sooner. You can find a copy of Cinder and the rest of the series at a local bookstore, or here at Amazon.com.

Bibliophile Quote: Place Between Sleep and Awake

   I love Peter Pan so much. This is probably one of my favorite quotes from the book.
Hope you like it!

Book Humor: Stories

Okay, so this isn't really book humor, but I saw this and loved it and there was no way I wasn't posting this, so I'm just calling it book humor so I have something to file it under.
Okay? Okay. (There's your book humor!) I loved this.

Book-(ish) Creations: Book Machine

I have no words to describe it Here's the actual description:

A new vending machine has been released which can print any book within minutes.

The Espresso Book Machine has access to 500,000 different books - the same as 23.6 miles of shelf 

space - and can even churn out a fresh copy of Crime and Punishment in just nine minutes.

Pages are printed at a rate of over 100 per minute and are then pressed, glued and cut to produce a 

pristine book.

Users simply pick the book they would like on a screen and wait for it to be printed … it certainly is 

a novel way of getting a new book.

Video Here

Book Humor: Patronus

Funny. Dementor patronuses would be cool. Would they work, or would they strike up a conversation with the dementor? How horrible would you have to be to have that patronus? Sorry. I read into this too much.

Book Humor: Good Day...

Laughed so much at this. I'm a huge fan of everything Oz. (Especially Wicked, but that's off-topic). Hope you like this!

Book-(ish) Creations: Book Maze

     This is the most amazing thing ever. Made in 2012 for the London Festival, aMazeme is a 500 square meter large maze made entirely from books.

   I've heard that the maze was designed after the creator's fingerprint, though I am not sure if this true. Wherever the layout originated, this is a beautifully creative little library. What's more, the 250,000 books used to build this will be donated to raise funds for good causes. For more photos, go here.

Bibliophile Quote: Reading is Dreaming

I love this quote so much! True for me. Books play out in my mind like that.

Book Trailer: The Iron Trial

For anyone interested in Holly Black and Cassandra Clare's new book, The Iron Trial, (review below) here's the trailer:

Review: The Iron Trial

Title: The Iron Trial
Author(s):Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 4/5

     The book is centered on 12-year-old outcast, Callum Hunt. Callum knows both his parents were mages who attended a school called the Magisterium. His father has always told him to beware the danger of magic, as it is responsible for his mother's death. Callum knows he must never use his magic, so when it becomes time for him to be tested to go to the Magisterium, (this is quoting the summary-one of my favorite lines) 'he tries his best to do his worst, and fails at failing'. Cal ends up being accepted as an apprentice, and is suddenly thrust into the world of the Magisterium. There he will face many challenges, the greatest of which dealing with his own identity.

     Personally, I am a huge fan of both Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. This book was pretty great. The writing flowed smoothly and kept my attention. Unlike most co-authored books, this did a great job of keeping a clear voice, and the little sarcastic remarks added in kept me smiling. Callum's character is complex, with both many flaws and strengths. He differs from many modern protagonists in the fact that he is actually very rude to the other characters. That being said, he does have endearing little quirks and a soft side that is brought out as the book goes on.
     The plot was perfect, and although there are a few awkward spots and places where you can guess ahead, there are many jaw-dropping plot twists, and the ending is completely unexpected and different from most things I have recently read.
     I loved the quirky side characters, both human and animal. They were creative and complex, and added a cute touch to Callum's adventures. The fantastical imagery also masks some deep lessons learned by the characters.

     My one complaint is the underdevelopment of the side characters. The story goes deeply into Callum's head, and you do even get a bit of back story on his close friends, but most of the other characters are a bit undefined.
     Besides that, this was a beautiful story that any Harry Potter lovers will enjoy. The book is aimed at young people, but teen readers might get a kick out of this too.


     If you are interested in reading this, you can pick it up at a local bookstore or here, at Amazon.com


Thanks for reading!

Hello

Hi everyone! This is my new blog. I will be posting reviews on books I've read, as well as book-inspired outfits of nails. If anyone has any requests or ideas for me, just let me know through comments! Stay tuned.