Cinder

3.2/5 stars

Lihn Cinder is a cyborg and a mechanic in New Beijing, the capital of the Eastern Commonwealth, a country ravaged by plague outbreaks. Her life changes when the heir to the throne of the Commonwealth, Prince Kai, steps into Cinder's shop to get his android fixed.

I really liked this book, but it lacks details in different areas. For example, the politics aren't explained. We are just thrown into a situation we are supposed to understand. The Lunar Queen is visiting and is doing as she pleases, with no intervention from the royal family. I understand they're not trying to offend her because they need her help, but it doesn't make sense to just leave her actions unchallenged.

Another is character details. We know that Cinder is a cyborg, but we rarely see how it is different to function as one from being a regular human. This is mentioned a few times, but it's rarely explained, and it's typically to help plot-wise.

Spoilers Ahead:
We see this being used to see past the glamour of Queen Levana. At the same time, Queen Levana saw who Cinder truly was.

This didn't really make sense to me because I don't remember them mentioning that her eyes helped her identify what was real and what was fake. Also, as much as I like Prince Kai, I feel like he needs more character development. We mainly see him kind of fade into the background, especially in the presence of Queen Levana. Otherwise, I don't really have any other problems with this book. It's an enjoyable read, but there are some parts where it's better to not overthink them.