We all know the story of Cinderella – now imagine her as a cyborg in a world ravaged by a plague, set after World War IV in New Beijing. She still has an evil stepmother/guardian, two step-sisters, but one of them develops symptoms of the illness and Cinder is blamed for her exposure. This Cinder is a mechanic and meets the young Prince Kai in the marketplace when he brings his android to be fixed. And of course there is a ball, which her stepmother does not want her to attend.

Then add to this mix a Lunar Queen who visits unexpectedly after the Emperor dies, wanting to marry the Prince and ultimately rule Earth, a missing princess, and experiments to cure this plague and you get a very different Cinderella story.

I love fractured fairy tales and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It retains most of the traditional elements but is also a completely different story. This is the first of a quartet, it’s unusual, fun, and leaves you wanting the second installment NOW.

Reviewed by Angela Mann