Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Yes, this is a sci-fi twist on Cinderella! And yes, I'm reading a fairy tale! (Well, kind of!) Cinder's more like a creepy cyborg novel with a bit of Cinderella than a Cinderella with a bit of creepiness. Since I'm all for the creepy, I definitely liked this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
4 out of 5 stars
Published in 2012
Summary from Goodreads: 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.


Today's rant, or rather, review, is called "In Which Valerie Is Crazily Obsessed With A Girl Named Cinder." In short, Cinder is epically epic! I like Cinder. She's kind of insecure, kind of strong, kind of smart and kind of average, except for the fact that she's this amazing mechanic and cyborg. However, by the end of the book, she's a bit stronger and definitely twice as awesome! I like how she can actually talk to Kai without getting too shy at the end of the book. I also like how the author was not afraid to make the main character a cyborg. That's a huge risk, and if you ask me, it paid off.

Yes, this is kind of a retelling of Cinderella, but it's also so much more exciting. You see, there's also a lot of other side plots that revolve around the ball and around cyborgs and this species known as Lunars. Not only is included, but there's also a lot about the this epidemic that has spread like crazy throughout the world, adding to the long list of chaos! It's crazily scarily exciting with tons of action! However, the reason why I had to take away a point is because I could guess the most important twist. Most people probably won't be able to, but I did. I guess that just makes me an obsessed reader or a very critical reviewer.

I absolutely love the supporting characters. You have Iko, this bubbly, amazing android! I love how positive and opitimistic she is! She is so happy and inspiring and helpful and loyal to Cinder. You have Kai, the prince and our love interest. He happens to be pretty charming and handsome and swoon-inducing, at least for Cinder. I like how friendly he is! I am surprised with Peony. I like how nice she is, especially for a stepsister! You don't normally find nice stepsisters! (Not in the Disney Cinderella, at least.) I love how Cinder's side characters are just as cool as our main character and how I can relate with all of them. They never, ever break character! I can kind of predict them, and that's what I LOVE about this book. You think you can predict a character, but then something happens and your thoughts change again! Exploding diagrams, people! It's crazily crazy and totally amazing!

As for the cover, let's just say the whole shoe thing has made me crazy. I've stuck this book under my cover-lust shelf, and I've got to say that I'm so not regretting it. This cover is just as amazing as the book itself, which, if you ask me, is pretty hard to do. It's even harder to drool over this book, but I did it anyways! SWOON, SWOON, SWOON!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I normally don't review a book until at least two days have past. Time to break that tradition! Today I finished the Goose Girl, and today I will review it! People might wonder why, but all I will say is why not? It's a definite 5 out of 5 stars!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
5 out of 5 stars
Published in 2005
Summary from Goodreads: She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm.

I don't know how Shannon Hale does it. She conquers that problem that most authors writing in third-person have- the dreaded problem in which the reader can not relate to the main character. However, Shannon Hale totally gets rid of that problem! I felt as if I could totally relate to Ani without being bogged down by the third-person. Also, with third-person tends to come something called flowers. I absolutely loathe flowers, so it's a good thing the Goose Girl was not overflowery! I was so glad that the writing was UNDERSTANDABLE and great!

Ani is a great example of a believable character. In the beginning, she is a plain, boring girl. She follows everyone's directions and orders. She worries constantly about what others think of her. She is weak, and she knows it as well. However, throughout the story, she really develops. She learns to speak her mind (at least a little bit), become a bit braver and trust people. She becomes less shy and more amazing! She gets a bit bolder and more humorous. She's not afraid to be herself.

I thought fairy tales were boring and full of romance and mushiness. I thought wrong. While the Goose Girl has a bit of romance, it's not entirely centered around that. It's also about speaking and talking to animals and loving animals and truly caring for them with all your heart. It's about that special feeling you feel when caring for a pet or looking at the cutest animal ever. It's also full of action and a bit of fantasy! I liked how I could get interested in the fights just as quickly as I got into talking with Falada! I loved it all!
One thing I will say is that this plot, the flow and ease of it all, is totally unexpected. There are characters that aren't your average villains. There are some who you will fall in love with and others you will hate with passion. Everyone is created with a purpose, and it's either to make you hate them or love them. There really is no in between, which is what I love even more.

As for this cover, I will just say to judge the Goose Girl by its cover. The girl on the cover is so pretty! I just love her dress and the geese in the background. If possible, the cover is just as good as the writing itself! Which is kind of impossible, but it's totally theoretical!

So, just keep in mind that the Goose Girl is not entirely your light, average, fairy tale read! It's that and so much more! Just read it and find out how epic it is for yourself!

East by Edith Pattou

I've always been that girl who has loved fairy tales and princesses and happy endings. So when I stumbled across East, which is a retelling of a fairy tale, I couldn't help myself. I just had to read a book about a polar bear and an explorer. But I didn't regret it! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

East by Edith Pattou
4.5 out of 5 stars
Published, Out, Buy it
Summary from Goodreads: Rose has always been different.
Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.

So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it-- in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family-- she readily agrees.

Rose travels on the bear's broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger. In discovering his identity, she loses her heart-- and finds her purpose-- and realizes her journey has only just begun.

To begin, I absolutely loved Rose. She's strong, beautiful, kind-hearted, smart, daring, couragous and anything you'd expect in a hero. I love how she has the heart of an explorer and knows it. I love how she tries anything and everything. She is truly an awesome main character, and she's definitely on my list for admired characters. I liked her bravery the most. It definitely affects a lot of people, especially me.

Then there was the writing. I loved how it was first-person, but it went from Rose to Neddy to White Bear to Rose's father. I experienced the thoughts of tons of people, so I got to know what everyone was thinking as I got through the book. It was nice to know how the Troll Queen felt at the same time Rose went through it. And very interesting as well...
Not only that, but it flowed really really well. I thought it would be choppy to have so many narrators, but it was the exact opposite. The writing was smooth, beckoning and wonderfully marvelous.

I can't say much about the plot because it's a retelling, but I still thought it was really cool. I loved the idea of a polar bear asking for a girl to journey with. When you find out the reason why, you literally will have a dropped jaw, with drool and all. Well maybe not...
But still.

I loved the settings! They all made me want to visit them, even though they probably don't exist. I loved the whole idea with the castle and the beautiful loom, the ice village with all its awesome food, and the Troll Queen's domain. (Okay the Troll Queen's domain was cruelly beautiful, but that's beyond the point. I still want to visit it!)

I had a problem with the insta-love though. I absolutely did not get it. For me, I did not see why you fall in love with a stranger at night, if you don't even meet them. What's the point? Or rather, why bother? It makes no sense how someone can fall in love if you only hear the rise and fall of their body. What's the reasoning behind it all?

Still, I absolutely loved this book! It's even better than another one of my favorite retellings, Ella Enchanted. You absolutely must read it. Even if you have to go to the extremes to get it, just read this book! I guarantee it's worth the effort!