This is a retelling of the Cinderella tale which takes place in a far future on Earth in a place called “New Beijing”.
Cinder is a Cyborg; a brilliant mechanic who works in the marketplace as the (apparently) sole source of income for her stepmother and sisters. She was adopted into her family by the father, who had the misfortune (of course) to die immediately afterward of a very fatal plague. Of course the family falls upon hard times and of course the stepmother and at least one of the sisters resents Cinder for this. Life is tough for poor Cinder; most people resent Cyborgs, humans modified with mechanical parts to fix broken/damaged/diseased limbs/organs.
Cinder is working in the market one day when Crown Prince Kai comes to her (on the basis of her reputation as a mechanic) with the request to repair his droid. Although he is very circumspect, it’s clear that this droid has something very special in its memory that needs to be recovered in a very confidential manner. Of course Cinder is smitten by the fact that the Prince has come to her shop, but this is quickly overwhelmed when a sudden outbreak of the plague hits the market and results in the destruction of the bakery and the quarantine of the baker.
The plague has a horrifically high fatality rate; it’s 100% after you get it and once you are diagnosed, you are taken to the “Quarantines” where you die in pretty awful conditions tended only by “med-droids”. The Plague is a source of overwhelming fear for New Beijing citizens, to the extent that the government has setup a program to conscript Cyborgs for “plague testing “. It’s well known that no one survives the testing, but as families are well compensated, some actually even volunteer.
Cinder goes home where her “evil” stepmother and step sisters are having their gowns made for the Prince’s ball (of course there is a Prince’s ball….) But of course Cinder can’t go….she is too busy, fixing the mag lev drive or de-fragging the house computer or….well you get the picture. One of the sisters – Peony – is actually very nice to her and they go out together to find some spare parts for repairs. While out – Peony comes down with the tell-tale signs of the plague. Cinder is forced to call it in and Peony is immediately taken to the Quarantines. Needless to say, this doesn’t go over well at home with the rest of the family.
Cinder is blamed as the source of the plague (even though testing proves her uninfected) and she finds herself “volunteered” by her step mother for the testing program, to “help Peony”. However, the testing program is understood to be a death sentence; Cinder calls out her step mother on this, and accuses her of doing it for the money. Nevertheless, Cinder is dragged off to the Palace labs and subjected to the testing but…miracle of miracles…she doesn’t die. In fact, she appears to be immune to the plague. She is also identified as an exceptionally finely made Cyborg, especially for an orphan and finally, she is found to not actually be from Earth – she is actually “Lunar”.
Earth’s enemy/rival are the inhabitants of the moon (“Luna”) . Referred to as Lunars, both Earthers and Lunars despise one another. Lunars possess the capability (through an electromagnetic ability) to cast a “glamour” to affect how they are perceived visually and emotionally. Their Queen “Livania” is both beautiful and despicably manipulative and she has her eyes on the New Beijing throne. There are also tales of a mysterious heir “Selene” who was murdered by the Queen some years back. Or was she…hmmm.
The Emperor dies of the plague, Prince Kai is due to take the throne, our hero Cinder unlocks a secret in the droid, but she keeps her “Cyborginess” a secret from the prince… Let’s see…Evil Stepmothers, secret lost heirs, mysterious plagues, Palace intrigue, Balls, Ballgowns and the fact that Cinder has a metal foot. Hmm. I think you can see where this is going. But thats ok. Its a fun ride. Well written, great characters, strong women, yes, there is a prince, but Cinder is taking charge. I am definitely going to look for more titles by this author.