Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

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Student Question

Who is Princess Selene in Cinder?

Quick answer:

Princess Selene, in Cinder, is the rightful heir to the Lunar throne, but she is unaware of her identity for most of the story. Rescued from a fire set by her aunt, Queen Levana, Selene is taken to Earth and transformed into a cyborg by Dr. Logan Tanner and Linh Garan. Renamed Linh Cinder, she grows up believing this is her true identity until she discovers her royal heritage.

Expert Answers

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The Lunar Chronicles are a YA book series that are futuristic retellings of classic fairy tales. In the first book of the series, Cinder, readers are introduced to Princess Selene, who has a wicked stepmother, rebels against an evil queen, and falls for a handsome prince. And she’s the only rightful heir to the Lunar throne. It’s basically Cinderella on the moon. Dr. Logan Tanner rescues an unconscious 3-yr old (hint: it’s Princess Selene) nearly killed in a nursery fire set by her wicked aunt Queen Levana, who wants the crown of the Lunar kingdom for herself. Tanner takes Princess Selene to earth where he holds her in suspended animation for 8 years until, with the help of Linh Garan, a cybernetics surgeon, they turn her into a cyborg, and Garan adopts Princess Selene. They rename her Linh Cinder, and this is the only identity by which Cinder knows herself. Until she is 16, she has no idea that she is royal heir to the throne of a kingdom far, far away. To recap, then, Princess Selene, which means ‘moon’ in Greek, is the rightful heir to the Lunar throne. Only in the first novel of the series, Cinder, she has no idea that this is her identity and is known instead by Linh Cinder.

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