"Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles Book 1" by Marissa Meyer

Cinder works as a mechanic out of a small booth in the market, usually with the assistance of the family’s android Iko. Her stepmother and legal guardian Adri has two daughters that she favors and spoils, excluding Cinder from virtually anything and everything that she can, believing Cinder to be the cause of all her troubles.

Besides being an exceptional mechanic, Cinder is a cyborg. She hates this fact as it seems to be source of all the hardships in her life. Most people don’t seem to even think of cyborgs as people. Shortly after she is hired to fix Prince Kai’s non-functioning android, Cinder’s younger sister Peony comes down the the plague that has been tormenting the empire. There is no known cure for this fatal disease, and upon learning that Peony has been diagnosed with it, Adri volunteers Cinder to be a test subject for the doctor searching for a cure. Thus far, none of the cyborgs used as test subjects have survived, so Cinder expects this to be her ending as well.

This was a very unique retelling of the Cinderella story. I enjoyed it well enough that I only put the book down to sleep at night. Virtually everything in this story is completely unique, from the setting to the fact that the main character is a cyborg. It was well written, well edited, and very fun to read. If you like unique twists on familiar fairy tales, try this one. I know I really enjoyed it.