I was never one into young adult novels, as they tend to follow the same boring trope of a special snowflake girl in weird, boring love triangle, and the plot is all but non-existent. However, Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles blow all of that out of the proverbial spaceship window, and I have come to utterly adore this series so far.

Here we have an author who has turned literary fairy tale ladies into bad ass teens who can hold their own. So far, I've been most impressed with the characterization of both Cinder and Scarlet. I have a hard time believing Cinder is only 16 because she seems so much older than her age would describe. Even Scarlet, who is 18, doesn't act like a typical 18 year old. I like that although they appreciate the men in their lives, and don't shy away from the feelings they have, that isn't the only thing about them. They have a planet to save, and they're not going to let some silly school girl crush get in the way of that.

The world-building is phenomenal, and although there's nothing really original about an Evil Queen wanting to rule all of creation, it doesn't feel redundant. I love that she gave these characters a different spin, added a bunch of sci-fi stuff in there, and created her own world. I wish there was a bit more diversity, but I appreciated that the entire book of Cinder's took place in New Beijing. It's far from boring, and I found myself speeding through the series wanting to know what happens next.

I'd recommend this series to anyone, even if young adult isn't their cup of tea.