--- product_id: 114295303 title: "Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1)" price: "969 kr" currency: ISK in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/114295303-cinder-the-lunar-chronicles-book-1 store_origin: IS region: Iceland --- # Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1) **Price:** 969 kr **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1) - **How much does it cost?** 969 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/114295303-cinder-the-lunar-chronicles-book-1) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Soon to be adapted into major motion picture! The first book in the #1 New York Times- and USA Today-Bestselling Lunar Chronicles series by the “Queen of fairytale retellings,” Marissa Meyer! See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space. "An interesting mash up of fairy tales and science fiction . . . a cross between Cinderella, Terminator , and Star Wars ." — Entertainment Weekly The prince straightened, forcing her gaze to follow him. “You’re not quite what I was expecting.” 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. With high-stakes action and a smart, resourceful heroine, Cinder is a Cinderella retelling that is at once classic and strikingly original. Don't miss the other books in The Lunar Chronicles series: Cinder Scarlet Cress Winter Stars Above Fairest Wires and Nerve Vol. 1 Wires and Nerve Vol. 2: Gone Rogue Review: Cinderella + Sci-Fi = LOVE IT - I read this book a while ago and it still has stuck with me as one of my favorite reads. Marissa Meyer creates this world that is somewhere between Star Wars and a modern fairy tale with a twist. I absolutely love Sci-Fi and this mash up was certainly not a disappointment. Cinderella + Sci-Fi = LOVE IT Taking place in futuristic Beijing, Cinder has a very unique and different setting from anything I have read before. Many countries throughout the world have formed into new alliances and empires. And the moon also has inhabitants. There is something called the plague. It’s an infectious disease that kills thousands of people. It is sort of the equivalent to cancer except more….vicious in its rapid development. And of course, there is not cure. The main character is Cinder Linh, or in the book it is properly Linh Cinder. Names are said backwards in Japanese and Chinese cultures; where the last name is said first, and then the first name. Cinder is a cyborg. Which means she is half human and half robot. She is a mechanic, who works for her stepmother and lives in the city fixing robots and other technology in the city. People fear her because she is different. A robot is not considered a being with emotions. Cyborgs are not really considered people because they are half machine. Well, they are, they are just sort of….frowned upon. Cinder is not happy with her life but she tries to make the best of it. She is a very strong character and I found I liked her right away. In most YA books the heroine is an idiot and unrelatable. But Cinder is a character most readers will be able to identify with. She is real and has real feelings. Her actions and decisions also make sense with the story. And with who she is as a person. Cinder does follow the main themes of Cinderella. But it is not super predicable in how it is portrayed. Cinder does meet Prince Kai, and instead of hiding she is a commoner, like in the real Cinderella story, she hides her cyborg foot and hand from him so he does not know she is half machine. There is a ball but everything is so different from the original story that this retelling is so unique on its own. Although, all the elements of a Cinderella story are there. Prince Kai has his own issues to deal with. His father is sick with the plague and a Queen wants to make an alliance with him. There is a good amount of politics and manipulation that goes on in his side of the story. Prince Kai is definitely charming. I think he needs to be a bit stronger of a character. He is learning how to run a country and I understand that. He is a bit young and naive like most young apprentice rulers are; I just hope he becomes more confident and strong as the books progress. And I’m sure he will be. Not ganna lie, I am a “judge a book by the cover” person. Which can be a good and bad thing. This is one of those stories where the plot has great potential and you can see that before you read it. The cover art is also just lovely and really captures the eye. I was like “What is this?!?!?!?!” Combining the summery and the cover and you got a trap for a reader. Which can be scary because most of the time it does not meet up to the expectations of the reader at all. But this book surpassed my expectations. I had put off reading it because I was afraid it would suck. But it turns out to now be one of my absolute favorite stories I have ever read. SO, WE HAVE A WINNER! If you are a Sailor Moon fan this book is also for you! There are some loose similarities between Sailor Moon and Cinder and after googling, it I did in fact find Meyer was in love with the Sailor Moon series. Marissa Meyer even says she was inspired by her when writing Cinder! Cinder is also rumored to become a movie SO I am really excited and keeping my fingers crossed! If you like the combination of drama, romance, secrets, and adventure, you have to read Cinder! It is one of my favorite retellings! Actually, it is because of this book I even LIKE retellings! It’s the first one I have read that I actually have been interested in! this book proves retellings can be good and fun to read! Go to the store and get this book! Marissa Meyer Answering Questions on Her Books Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men…. Which of your characters is most like you? I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no--I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side--things that could be said about me too--although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it. Where do you write? I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch. If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you? Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued. The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book? Scarlet is awesome--she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.) Review: Wonderfully unique story...one downfall - I wanted to purchase "Cinder" for the longest time. I couldn't believe the hardcover price so I ended up buying it used through desertcart Marketplace. I just noticed that at the time of this review, a new hardcover is down to about $10.00. This book is so worth that amount. I breezed through this fairly thick novel in just a couple of hours of reading time. The story spins a new 'twist' on the Cinderella storyline. That in itself isn't all that tunique however what the author does with the story is definitely one of a kind. Our heroine is Cinder, a cyborg. She is mostly human but has robotic parts for as long as she can remember. But she can't remember anything before her 11th birthday. She was brought into her family by a man who died shortly after she arrived. Her stepmother Adri resent having to care for the cyborg, and sends Cinder out to the marketplace to work as a mechanic. Of course all that revenue goes right back into Adri's pocket. She also, naturally, has two step-sisters. Pearl is nasty and hateful. But young Peony is sweet and she is Cinder's one true human friend. Iko, the family android, is Cinder's other best friend. The setting is a future New Beijing after World War IV. The planet is mostly at peace as they have a new concern in the Lunars. The Lunars are the people who live on the moon. They are believed to be an evil, soulless race that is ruled by evil Queen Levana. Levana wants to marry New Beijing's young Prince Kai. She says she wants to use the marriage as a form or peace treaty or alliance with New Beijing but really she has more nefarious plans. Queen Levana also might have something to aid them in fighting the deadly letumosis plague that is killing off a large portion of the population. One day Kai comes to the marketplace needing his android fixed and meets Cinder but doesn't realize she is cyborg as she keeps those parts of herself covered. The meeting starts sparks a chain of events that you have to read to believe. I keep wanting to write down more of the details but I don't want to spoil anything. I was worried at the beginning of the book because so much was going on. We have the cyborg issue making Cinder feel like an outcast. We have this deadly plague which causes heartache for Cinder. We have the evil stepmother out for Cinder. The friendship with a Prince and his secret. The worry over the Lunar people and the impending effect of Queen Levana on the New Beijing people. But all those plots really weave together quite seamlessly. Cinder is a really great heroine, very believable in her worries and loneliness. Yes, due to the nature of the Cinderella connection, there are several events or twists you can see coming. That is just fine because its so much fun reading to get to those points. Also there is a fairy big twist that I think is supposed to be a surprise but the minute the idea is introduced everyone who reads it will figure out what will happen. Maybe this should have been cloaked a little more for suspense purposes. Even that didn't really bother me. I thought this book was a five star book for the majority of the story. Once I closed the book though it started to sink in as to what was bothering me so much. The story is part of a series so we know going in that there are issues that will be unresolved. However, I really felt like everything just stopped. Not really a cliffhanger as we know it, but just boom...the book was over. I didn't like how incomplete everything felt. I am giving the book four stars because I think the ending could have been better written. We want to be left on the edge of our seats, but something out of all those storylines should have been resolved. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #5,959 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #1 in Teen & Young Adult Alien Science Fiction #2 in Children's Dystopian Sci-Fi Books #3 in Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tales & Folklore Adaptations eBooks | ## Images ![Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81yRkqJBYXL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cinderella + Sci-Fi = LOVE IT *by R***L on September 12, 2015* I read this book a while ago and it still has stuck with me as one of my favorite reads. Marissa Meyer creates this world that is somewhere between Star Wars and a modern fairy tale with a twist. I absolutely love Sci-Fi and this mash up was certainly not a disappointment. Cinderella + Sci-Fi = LOVE IT Taking place in futuristic Beijing, Cinder has a very unique and different setting from anything I have read before. Many countries throughout the world have formed into new alliances and empires. And the moon also has inhabitants. There is something called the plague. It’s an infectious disease that kills thousands of people. It is sort of the equivalent to cancer except more….vicious in its rapid development. And of course, there is not cure. The main character is Cinder Linh, or in the book it is properly Linh Cinder. Names are said backwards in Japanese and Chinese cultures; where the last name is said first, and then the first name. Cinder is a cyborg. Which means she is half human and half robot. She is a mechanic, who works for her stepmother and lives in the city fixing robots and other technology in the city. People fear her because she is different. A robot is not considered a being with emotions. Cyborgs are not really considered people because they are half machine. Well, they are, they are just sort of….frowned upon. Cinder is not happy with her life but she tries to make the best of it. She is a very strong character and I found I liked her right away. In most YA books the heroine is an idiot and unrelatable. But Cinder is a character most readers will be able to identify with. She is real and has real feelings. Her actions and decisions also make sense with the story. And with who she is as a person. Cinder does follow the main themes of Cinderella. But it is not super predicable in how it is portrayed. Cinder does meet Prince Kai, and instead of hiding she is a commoner, like in the real Cinderella story, she hides her cyborg foot and hand from him so he does not know she is half machine. There is a ball but everything is so different from the original story that this retelling is so unique on its own. Although, all the elements of a Cinderella story are there. Prince Kai has his own issues to deal with. His father is sick with the plague and a Queen wants to make an alliance with him. There is a good amount of politics and manipulation that goes on in his side of the story. Prince Kai is definitely charming. I think he needs to be a bit stronger of a character. He is learning how to run a country and I understand that. He is a bit young and naive like most young apprentice rulers are; I just hope he becomes more confident and strong as the books progress. And I’m sure he will be. Not ganna lie, I am a “judge a book by the cover” person. Which can be a good and bad thing. This is one of those stories where the plot has great potential and you can see that before you read it. The cover art is also just lovely and really captures the eye. I was like “What is this?!?!?!?!” Combining the summery and the cover and you got a trap for a reader. Which can be scary because most of the time it does not meet up to the expectations of the reader at all. But this book surpassed my expectations. I had put off reading it because I was afraid it would suck. But it turns out to now be one of my absolute favorite stories I have ever read. SO, WE HAVE A WINNER! If you are a Sailor Moon fan this book is also for you! There are some loose similarities between Sailor Moon and Cinder and after googling, it I did in fact find Meyer was in love with the Sailor Moon series. Marissa Meyer even says she was inspired by her when writing Cinder! Cinder is also rumored to become a movie SO I am really excited and keeping my fingers crossed! If you like the combination of drama, romance, secrets, and adventure, you have to read Cinder! It is one of my favorite retellings! Actually, it is because of this book I even LIKE retellings! It’s the first one I have read that I actually have been interested in! this book proves retellings can be good and fun to read! Go to the store and get this book! Marissa Meyer Answering Questions on Her Books Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men…. Which of your characters is most like you? I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no--I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side--things that could be said about me too--although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it. Where do you write? I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch. If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you? Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued. The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book? Scarlet is awesome--she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderfully unique story...one downfall *by P***7 on April 15, 2012* I wanted to purchase "Cinder" for the longest time. I couldn't believe the hardcover price so I ended up buying it used through Amazon Marketplace. I just noticed that at the time of this review, a new hardcover is down to about $10.00. This book is so worth that amount. I breezed through this fairly thick novel in just a couple of hours of reading time. The story spins a new 'twist' on the Cinderella storyline. That in itself isn't all that tunique however what the author does with the story is definitely one of a kind. Our heroine is Cinder, a cyborg. She is mostly human but has robotic parts for as long as she can remember. But she can't remember anything before her 11th birthday. She was brought into her family by a man who died shortly after she arrived. Her stepmother Adri resent having to care for the cyborg, and sends Cinder out to the marketplace to work as a mechanic. Of course all that revenue goes right back into Adri's pocket. She also, naturally, has two step-sisters. Pearl is nasty and hateful. But young Peony is sweet and she is Cinder's one true human friend. Iko, the family android, is Cinder's other best friend. The setting is a future New Beijing after World War IV. The planet is mostly at peace as they have a new concern in the Lunars. The Lunars are the people who live on the moon. They are believed to be an evil, soulless race that is ruled by evil Queen Levana. Levana wants to marry New Beijing's young Prince Kai. She says she wants to use the marriage as a form or peace treaty or alliance with New Beijing but really she has more nefarious plans. Queen Levana also might have something to aid them in fighting the deadly letumosis plague that is killing off a large portion of the population. One day Kai comes to the marketplace needing his android fixed and meets Cinder but doesn't realize she is cyborg as she keeps those parts of herself covered. The meeting starts sparks a chain of events that you have to read to believe. I keep wanting to write down more of the details but I don't want to spoil anything. I was worried at the beginning of the book because so much was going on. We have the cyborg issue making Cinder feel like an outcast. We have this deadly plague which causes heartache for Cinder. We have the evil stepmother out for Cinder. The friendship with a Prince and his secret. The worry over the Lunar people and the impending effect of Queen Levana on the New Beijing people. But all those plots really weave together quite seamlessly. Cinder is a really great heroine, very believable in her worries and loneliness. Yes, due to the nature of the Cinderella connection, there are several events or twists you can see coming. That is just fine because its so much fun reading to get to those points. Also there is a fairy big twist that I think is supposed to be a surprise but the minute the idea is introduced everyone who reads it will figure out what will happen. Maybe this should have been cloaked a little more for suspense purposes. Even that didn't really bother me. I thought this book was a five star book for the majority of the story. Once I closed the book though it started to sink in as to what was bothering me so much. The story is part of a series so we know going in that there are issues that will be unresolved. However, I really felt like everything just stopped. Not really a cliffhanger as we know it, but just boom...the book was over. I didn't like how incomplete everything felt. I am giving the book four stars because I think the ending could have been better written. We want to be left on the edge of our seats, but something out of all those storylines should have been resolved. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved this series *by C***R on December 28, 2013* Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a YA sci-fi novel and is the first in a series of four books based on classic fairytales. This first one is based on Perrault’s Cinderella. Many elements of the original are incorporated: the persecuted heroine, the wicked stepmother and stepsisters, Prince Charming, a ball at the palace, the protagonist’s desire to attend thwarted by her stepmother, the pumpkin turned coach, footwear left on the palace step. Cinderella is an interesting choice for the basis of a YA novel. Generally speaking, YA heroines tend to be strong, proactive heroines (we’ll try to forget Bella Swan for a moment). This fairytale princess is the epitome of a passive character. In part, that is why the tale is so beloved. The idea that a fairy godmother could suddenly whisk you away from your humdrum existence to a life of luxury and privilege is very appealing to many people. it’s the ultimate rags to riches story. As a character though Cinderella is, well, boring. She does very little to earn her happy ending other than to be generally nice. Fortunately, that is one aspect that Meyer did change for her novel. Her Cinder is strong, assertive and willing to go after what she wants. Having said that, just as Cinderella’s innate goodness leads to her life being changed, Meyer’s Cinder’s cyborg nature has a significant influence on her life. The one major aspect not carried over from the fairytale is the fairy godmother (or magic tree, depending on what version you’re looking at.) Meyer’s Cinder doesn’t hang around waiting for someone to come along to wave a magic wand to change her life. Certainly, she starts off the story in a comparatively powerless position, but she doesn’t sit around passively and wait for her fairy godmother to improve her life, she goes out and works for what she needs. She needs transport; she gets out and gets her hands dirty by fixing up a car. In essence, Cinder is her own fairy godmother. Like Cinder, Meyer’s Prince Charming has a lot more depth than the prince of the fairytale. We can see just what a difficult position he is in. I have the impression that things are only going to become more difficult for Kai as the series progresses. What I liked Sci-fi twists of the classic tropes of the tale. I just loved how Meyer incorporated all the favourite aspects of the original but gave them a wonderful sci-fi twist. I had such fun playing spot the original. Wonderful characters. As I have mentioned above, the protagonists of Cinder are such wonderful rich characters and I loved reading about them. The narration. Rebecca Soler performed the narration for Cinder – as she does for the other two released/soon to be released books in the series. I absolutely adored her reading of the book. She gave each of the characters unique voices which fit perfectly with my mental picture of them, and she brought out Cinder’s humour too. There was nothing I didn’t enjoy about Cinder – except that it wasn’t long enough! I’d have happily read a book twice as thick. As you might have guessed I gave Cinder five stars out of five. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.is/products/114295303-cinder-the-lunar-chronicles-book-1](https://www.desertcart.is/products/114295303-cinder-the-lunar-chronicles-book-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart Iceland* *Store origin: IS* *Last updated: 2026-05-24*