Cinder by Marissa Meyer

It's late, I'm tired, so bare with me. I'm already way behind on this thing though, and with four kids, if I don't do it when the chance arises then I don't do it all. So anyway, down to business.

This is the fourth book club installment, and we will actually get to meet and discuss this one. It's also the first book in The Lunar Chronicles series.

This is yet another take on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. It's set in a very futuristic dystopian society in China. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic, abhorred for being a cyborg, but revered for her mad mechanic skills. The world is being ravaged by a fast killing virus, and New Beijing's emperor is one of the infected. As if that isn't enough to keep society on edge, there's also unsuccessful peace treaty talks with the cruel Lunar queen going on. In a world where hope is hard to find, they find an unlikely heroine who is their only hope.

I'm a sucker for fairy tales, and I absolutely adored this take. Meyer's story was so well written and thought out. I love her characters and how even though the book could have easily had no Cinderella association, managed to incorporate it, and do it well. If you like dystopian sci-fi and fairy tales, please do yourself a favor, and read this one.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

This was the third book for the book club I'm participating in. We ended up never meeting to discuss it, due to all of our busy summer schedules. Which is disappointing, because this was a really good read!

This book is about a Louisianan gal by the name of Rory Deveaux, and her journey to a London boarding school. Upon her arrival in England,  a Jack the Ripper copycat killer start piling up the bodies. Of course, Rippermania spreads throughout England, both terrifying and exciting everyone. Rory ends up finding herself in the middle of it when she becomes a witness after talking to a mysterious man on school grounds the night of one of the copycat murders. He just so happens to be a man no one else has seen, and since there are no other leads, he ends up becoming the prime suspect of the crimes. As the story unfolds, Rory finds herself with a special ability and in deep doo-doo thanks to it!

I enjoyed this book a lot. I've only read one other book by Johnson, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, which was also a good book. I liked this one more, but that's just because it's a little more my niche. I highly suggest you give this a whirl, especially if you enjoy a good murder mystery like I do.