Book Review: Cinder

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Let me preface this by saying that I love Young Adult literature, but that a lot of enjoyable YA is pretty much fluff, the literary equivalent of watching the Kardashians. So when I say I picked up Cinder by Marissa Meyer because it looked like some YA I would enjoy I didn't have astronomical expectations of this book. I was wrong. This is possibly one of the best YA books I've ever read and definitely the best in the past couple of years. AMAZING.

This is actually the first book I ever picked up based purely on a Goodreads recommendation, but the premise caught my attention: A retelling of Cinderella as a cyborg. 

This is genre mashup to rival Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

The book is set in a dystopian future more than 100 years after World War IV and is centered around a 16 year old cyborg mechanic named Cinder Linh (or Linh Cinder if you want to follow the Chinese-style name standard that the book uses) who has a chance run-in with the Imperial Prince that sets her world on end and starts an irreversible chain of events. There's a global plague, an impending war with the Lunars and an icy, evil stepmother to contend with if Cinder is going to make it to the ball on time, that is if she wants to even go.

You will be able to predict several plot events based on your knowledge of the classic fairy tale; but, if you're like me, you will revel at how seamlessly Marissa Meyer works all of the classic elements into her futuristic setting and story line. And, I'll admit, the major reveal in the last chapter was glaringly obvious to me within the first couple of chapters, but I didn't care. Watching the story weave towards the reveal was fascinating and beautiful. And Ms. Meyer, if you ever see this, Iko is so freakin' awesome! 

All in all, I am extremely excited to get my hands on Scarlet which is the the next book in this four book series, the Lunar Chronicles. If you like fantasy or scifi or both you will thoroughly enjoy this tale.

Book Review: Murder Below Montparnasse

My latest read, well at least the latest one that isn't for my book club or a kids book, is Murder Below Montparnasse by Cara Black. Aimée Leduc is recruited by an old Russian to recover a stolen painting, but his absolute refusal to provide her with any concrete details does not start her off with the best advantage. Set in Paris in 1999 this story delves into the Serbian underground and the art world's black market. I nice dose of Leninist history works to round out the plot.

This is actually the 13th in the Aimée’s Leduc Investigations series; a fact I was not aware of when I picked it off our preview shelf at work. I will say that it stood alone very well as far as the actual plot is concerned. It was a nicely paced thriller with a real feel for Paris. What I think I missed out on by missing out on the first twelve books is a real appreciation for the characters.

There are a ton of characters that are all very unique and some are only native to this particular volume, a lot are clearly introduced and developed in previous entries to the Leduc canon and I felt robbed only getting a taste of them. There is also an interesting but mostly irrelevant side plot that I would have been much more invested in if I was more familiar with the characters involved.

Despite being a bit of a francophile with a decent background in the French language, I did find the author's habit of making Aimée so stereotypically French was painful for me at points. The references to Chanel, Lolita Lempicka, agnès b., and Hermès did seem a bit forced and and very non-essential. Just my silly complaint. Probably.

Long story short, if you like mysteries and thrillers and you've been looking for a decent female lead, this is a great choice for you. And if you like to travel via your books, this easy read will definitely transport you to Paris. Enjoy.