Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer, 2012 Feiwel & Friends

     In the distant future, after World War IV, Linh Cinder is a young woman-cyborg working as a mechanic in New Beijing when Crown Prince Kai brings her an android which will not function. He hopes to retrieve information from the metal servant before the mysterious Blue Fever spreads across his country.
     Cinder is surprised at the urgency with which Kai makes his request, but works to complete the task. In the meantime she returns home to her guardian and the woman's two teen daughters. The younger, Linh Peony, is a friend to Cinder while the older, Linh Pansy, follows their mother's example and treats her with as much disdain as a human can show to a cyborg. Life is not pleasant living with her 'stepmother', yet Cinder has no where to go.
     When Peony contracts the Blue Fever and is taken to quarantine the blame is foisted upon Cinder and she is volunteered by her stepmother to participate in the government's vaccine trials. The doctor leading the project is fascinated by the young woman and her genetics. With his technology Cinder discovers something about her past, beyond the nebulous memories of her time with the Linh family, that turns not just her personal world, but the balance between Earth and the Lunar civilization on the Moon.
     Cinder is a completely new tale nurtured out of the story of the little Cinder Girl. With political intrigue, personal discovery, and a touch of romance the story is full-bodied and fascinating. Readers of all ages will enjoy it, though younger readers may require guidance through the text.