A cyborg Cinderella in a futuristic Beijing and a stepmother and stepsisters who are portrayed as a family, not cardboard villains. A sexy prince who acts like a true ruler and a fairy godfather who's a scientist. And an evil queen from a race of terrifying, predatory people called Lunars. These are the clever elements of CINDER. The heroine of the title is a tough, practical young woman in a bad situation, which brings the story into fairy tale territory, even with the science fiction setting. In a world plagued by a virus which takes its toll, Prince Kai is dealing with his own escalating dangers, and this creates a bond between him and Cinder. It's Cinder's tenuous position in her world--and the Lunars--that drew me into the story. And, yes, you really root for her to go to that ball.