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Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. In Glitches, a short prequel story to Cinder, we see the results of that illness play out, and the emotional toll that takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch…

Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2011

About the author

Marissa Meyer

84 books128k followers
I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,463 reviews
Profile Image for Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥.
601 reviews35.2k followers
October 21, 2023
”Girls, don’t suffocate your father. He’s had a long trip.”
“Don’t listen to your mother, just this once. You can suffocate me all you like.” He kissed his daughters on the tops of their heads, then stood, keeping a firm grip on their hands.


I really enjoyed reading a little bit more about Garan even though I’ve to admit that he’s still one big question mark. I got the distinct feeling that he knew a lot about Cinder’s past but that he kept it from Adri and the girls in order to keep them from trouble? I can only guess here because we never really gain insight into his thoughts.

It’s plain that he loved his family though and it broke my heart that he had to die. T_T I loved that Peony was so welcoming to Cinder and it’s really no surprise that they bonded over the years. As it seems she came more after her father than her mother though, because seriously, Adri and her couldn’t have been any more different even if they tried. XD

”I have a glitch, too. Sometimes I forget that I’m not human. I don’t think that happens to most androids.”

AND I loved Iko’s first appearance and the way Prince Kai was introduced. So much to love at first sight. *lol* All told this was a really great short story and I’m so looking forward to read the rest of the series soon! XD
June 28, 2018
A superb, sharply memorable cyborg story.

Q:
She was already sick of the snow and the cold. They made her bones ache where her fleshy parts were connected to her steel prosthetics. (c)
Q:
She couldn’t even compare him with her real father, as her memory had been reduced to a blank slate during the intrusive surgeries and all she had left of her parents was their sterile identity profiles, with plain photos that held no recognition and a tag at the top labeling them as DECEASED. They’d been killed in the hover crash that had also claimed her leg and hand. (c)
Q:
Something familiar stirred inside her, like she already knew this android. How its parts fit together, how its mechanics and programming all functioned as a whole. Or no, this wasn’t familiarity, but…a connectedness. Like she knew the android intimately. Like it was an extension of her. (c)
Q:
Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying.(c)
Profile Image for Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora).
1,009 reviews42.4k followers
July 7, 2020
”Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying”.

Uf, este relato lo leí hace siglos porque, si no me equivoco, está incluido en mi edición de Cinder en inglés y, vaya, no recordaba lo terrible que tratan a Cinder cuando llega a su nueva casa en New Beijing.

Glitches se centra básicamente en el momento en el que Cinder llega con Garan desde Europa y se instala con su nueva “familia”. Y lo pongo entre comillas porque realmente en este momento es cuando más vibras de Cenicienta he notado en todo el relato. Adri Linh trata como una basura a Cinder, es horrible ver eso porque lo único que quiere ella es pertenecer a algún lugar. Lo que ella recuerda es que perdió a toda su familia, que nadie la quiso adoptar en Europa y que ahora es un cyborg porque su cuerpo quedó destrozado en el accidente. Ay, mi niña…

Algo que no recordaba de Glitches, y de la saga en general, es que Peony, la hermana menor de la familia Linh, sí me caía bien porque, a diferencia de Pearl (la mayor), ella sí que era simpática y linda con Cinder. Es una pena el final que tuvo esta otra pobre niña en la saga.

¡Y de aquello que le sucede a Garan tampoco me acordaba! Definitivamente creo que leer estos relatos me va a refrescar muchísimo la memoria y, de paso, me va a recordar lo mucho que amé estos libros en su momento.
Profile Image for Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ .
1,286 reviews8,904 followers
November 7, 2015
I think this is the third time I've read GLITCHES. But it's the first time I've read it since I've read SCARLET and FAIREST, so it's the first time I've understood exactly what Cinder has lost. Why she doesn't have clear memories of her past, and how that lack contributes to her overall sense of uselessness.

B/c that's how she feels. Useless. And alone.

And monstrous. *rubs fist over heart*

READ IT for FREE here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/1053565...

My other reviews for this series:

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
The Queen's Army (Lunar Chronicles, #1.5)
Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)
Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)
Profile Image for Daiane.
179 reviews211 followers
December 23, 2015
She raised the pad of her finger to the corner of her right eye, searching for wetness that wasn’t there.
“Right. A glitch.” She feigned a nonchalant smile, hoping the android couldn’t detect the grimace that came with it. “Maybe that’s all it is.”


It's a lovely novella of how Cinder got to her new home without remembering anything and adapting to her new cyborg body. She was just so poor...



And how Adri was always bitchy

371 reviews442 followers
January 21, 2021
~ 2.5 stars ~

I got nothing from this. It was in the back of my copy of Cinder, so I thought I might as well read it. It was a fast read, and for super fans of this series, I would recommend. It didn't really do it for me, but I lost nothing from reading it. The best part of this book was when Cinder saw Kai for the first time (a photo) and her first thought was that his arms were too long and not proportional. Clearly a match made in heaven. I feel a bit weird rating this, as there wasn't enough content to judge it on, but I think rating it halfway on the rating scale will suffice, to represent my nuteral feelings.


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Profile Image for Gerasimos Reads .
326 reviews167 followers
August 30, 2015
What an enjoyable short story! I loved Cinder so, when I was done, I needed more of this beautiful world and these amazing characters. And this is what this short story gives!

It adds to the backstory of many characters. We get to meet Cinder as a child during her first days as a cyborg. We get to see how she gets used to her new life. If you love Cinder you have to read this as well. You will get to know more about many characters such as Cinder's step-father, her step-mother, Iko, Peony and Pearl.

For me this should be a part of the book. Like a prologue or something. However I believe it is better to read it after you are done with Cinder. In some editions of the book it is actually in the back of it as a bonus story but even if your copy doesn't have it you should try to find it and read it.
December 22, 2011
Review:Cinder

“I have a glitch, too. Sometimes I forget that I’m not human. I don’t think that happens to most androids.”

Wow, All I'm saying is, you have to freaking read this before reading the first book Cinder.

I dunno why Marissa Meyer didnt put this as a prologue of her debut. Surely I'll enjoy more reading that book if I read this first.

It have the full description of what Cinder really looks like (You dint have to wait reading 200 pages to get the full idea) and I love how Pearl, one of Cinders stepsister make in this book as not that bad person. Also Cinders first experience of being a part cyborg -the own Google search in her head, adjustment of her hearing and all is totally cool. I like how authors make the readers part of their new world. Especially how it feels like. That's why I really enjoy this short prequel. win, win.


read here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/12/gl...
Profile Image for Adita ✨The Slumbering Insomniac✨.
145 reviews298 followers
July 21, 2016
★★★★★★★☆☆☆[7/10]

As a follow-up to The Keeper, where Michelle Benoit is seen harboring the fugitive Princess Selene in the bomb shelter underneath the hangar of her farmhouse and trying to bring her back to life with the help of the lunar doctor Logan Tanner.. pfft.. that was more interesting than Cinder's first few weeks at the Garan house which makes up this story.

This is also where Cinder reboots and befriends Iko.

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Profile Image for [S] Bibliophage.
950 reviews872 followers
April 10, 2018
I read all of the books in the Lunar Chronicles Series and I was looking for a flashback of what happened to the moment when Cinder was adopted by her new family. I was happy that the author wrote this short novella so we could have a glimpse of what happened and this is really a perfect companion to the series.
Profile Image for isabelle.
164 reviews175 followers
January 23, 2015
You know you're in a reading slump when it takes you a week to read a novella.

I know, I know. I'm totally lagging. It's school.

But let's not focus on Isabelle's lovely life. Let's talk about glitches.

A glitch is a malfunction. An irregularity. A flaw.

Yet, doesn't everybody have flaws?

I know I do. I have a speech problem. It's nothing crucial, don't worry. I just have trouble reading out loud. I stumble over my words.

I'm socially awkward. The words won't leave my mouth as I want them to. I try to speak normally and it often comes out as a whisper.

I have trouble making friends. I just try to say, "Hi, what are you reading?" but nothing comes out of mouth.

Those are my glitches.

And I'm proud of them. That's what makes me special.

I wasn't bullied. People are just curious, I guess. People ask me why I don't talk much and my answer is always why not? People ask me why do I read so much and my answer is always why not? It's simple reason. I'm a very introverted person.

Cinder's glitches are not, in any way, flawless. A cyborg has its consequences. You can't cry. You have a computer in your head. Your hand is not flesh and bone. It's tough.

What I learned from this novella is that your glitches effect those around you. People judge you. People stare at you. People don't like you. Or maybe it's just their curiosity.

All you have to do is keep your chin up high. And that's what Cinder did throughout her life. This novella is the start of it all.

_____________________________

(I just previewed this review and I totally sound like a motivational speaker.)
September 29, 2014
I am a girl!!!



And I do have some really nerd-girl moments sometimes. I adore this series.... kickass cyborgs are us.... and I love all our made over fairytale "princesses"!! Also, FREE!! I just can't help but want Glitches to be Winter.....

This is just a quick little insight into Cinder's introduction to her foster family. It doesn't really hand out any new information but it's a nice little moment in that world..... however:

Seriously?! Gimme Winter, all ready!!

Profile Image for Karla.
1,247 reviews333 followers
July 17, 2016
This was great short novella, where we learn a bit more of cinder when she was adopted by Garan her stepfather. How he brings her home for the first time to meet her stepmother and stepsisters. In cinder I really disliked Adri (stepmother) but in this novella I couldn't help feeling a bit bad for her. Pheony, as always was funny and caring to cinder, it was sweet to see how they connected from the beginning. Great addition to the series, loved the cover!
Profile Image for Robin (Bridge Four).
1,796 reviews1,603 followers
February 23, 2014
Well that explains how Cinder came to live with Adri and the girls and how she didn't remember anything of her previous life. Interesting to see how Cinder gets used to her synthetic parts at the beginning. Adri is so easy to dislike from the beginning, she is the epitome of evil stepmother.
February 3, 2015
Thanks to the fabulous Anne for showing me the path toward this little shorty.

I liked this short and I can definitely understand the appeal of this series. I can't really rate this one higher than a 3 since it was just basically backstory to Cinder which I have not yet read. But it was engaging and fun, and the writing was decent, and I can understand how if it were expanded, the novel would definitely draw readers in.

As I only got glimpses of characters, I didn't really have enough time to really connect with any of them, but in the context of a larger, deeper work, I can definitely see myself connecting with Cinder. I love the idea of a Cinderella cyborg, and the alienation and embarrassment she must feel due to her condition. My mom has a very severe form of scoliosis, and when she was a kid, she was that girl who was in a debilitating back brace for the first ten years of her life. While reading I couldn't help but compare Cinder to my mom, and by extension, to all of those who are in situations that they don't want to be, whether it be an illness, a deformity, a birth defect, or whatever. Cinder (like Cinderella) does her part in teaching all of us that beauty is so much more than just skin deep, and I applaud Marissa Meyer for creating a flawed heroine. Cinder is different from everyone else, and sometimes those differences make her hate herself, but its those differences that make her special. Cinder is a very gifted mechanic, and can make and fix things with her hands quite well. I love this side to her, and can't wait to read the first novel so that her character will develop and grow for me. I love the idea of a young adult female character being a bit of a grease monkey, and kind of using this gift to make a rather unorthodox mark. I read about too many YA heroines who are just damsels in distress, who are pretty, and all-too-ready to lend themselves out as eternal loves to larger-than-life, beautiful, mysterious boys who are ready to defend them at all costs. (Miss Bella Swan….I am looking at you, my dear) Having a heroine be independent and have gifts and skills that are not usually associated with females was just a breath of fresh air.

So I liked this story for what it was, it just didn't have enough meat on its bones to elevate it to a four. But you can read it for free here, and see what you think!
Profile Image for Carmen de la Rosa.
560 reviews367 followers
April 17, 2018
Una historia muy linda, el saber como lo paso Cinder después de la operación y su vinculo con Peony, fue muy adorable. Amo cada historia de las Crónicas Lunares.
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,465 reviews511 followers
January 27, 2023
3 Stars

This shows how Cinder came to live with her new family. Despite this being a fairy tale retelling, I just can’t get over evil stepmother Adri’s cold cruel heart that doesn’t have a millimeter of compassion for an orphan, and this was just too much depressing gloom.
Profile Image for Anne.
4,433 reviews70.3k followers
September 29, 2014
Just in time to pad your Reading Challenge!

This is the free online prequel to Cinder.
If you're interesting in reading it, you can click this Link, and check it out.
I know, I know! I'm awesome!

This shorty tells the story of the first little bit of Cinder's life with her step-family. Starting with the train ride over from Europe, and ending with her stepfather's death.
You get a peek at her beginnings as a mechanic, her budding relationship with Peony, and her stepmother's feelings from the beginning.
No, it certainly isn't a must-read, but for fans of the The Lunar Chronicles, it might take the edge off of the long wait for Winter.
Profile Image for Lazaros.
271 reviews598 followers
February 19, 2015
What an amazing cute short-story. It gives us a glimpse to the past of Cinder when she had first came to Adri's house. We see her struggling to fit in, doing something to make these people who are strangers to her believe in her, believe that she's worth something and that she's not useless and worthless of their attention and care. It's heartbreaking reading this. She is just a little girl and she's in so much pain and she's so alone and she cannot remember a thing before the surgery that turned her into a cyborg. If you've read Cinder then I suggest that you read this immediately, it's a good way to establish a deeper connection with our lovely protagonist.
Profile Image for Azbaqiyah.
888 reviews54 followers
July 3, 2019
Plot - 4/5
Character - 4/5
World Building - 4/5
Writing Style - 4/5
Cover - 4/5

Rating - 4 / 5
Profile Image for Melanie.
1,254 reviews102k followers
February 10, 2016
You can read this for free on Wattpad.

I know I'm terribly late to this party, but with all the hype surrounding Winter I thought I would give this series a try.

“I have a glitch, too. Sometimes I forget that I’m not human. I don’t think that happens to most androids.”

I'm not sure if you guys play video games, but holy moly I couldn't stop thinking of Soma while reading this. The whole concept of being a human trapped in a robot's body, or even thinking you're human when you are actually just a robot/trapped in a robots body. Yeah, lots of parallels.

It's easy to see the Cinderella set up that's about to take place. Adri seems pretty horrible, along with her daughter Pearl, but Peony seems like a little sweetheart so that will be a unique twist. I can also tell I'm going to love Iko.

Overall, I think this was a pretty good prequel that definitely makes me excited to read Cinder. I go into most retellings a little apprehensive, but I love the cyborg element to this retelling and I have very hype hopes for the series.

Profile Image for Aya.
451 reviews586 followers
August 12, 2016
This one was so helpful.
It should be read before Cinder because I started Cinder first and couldn't get into the world of it.
It is about the 11-year-old Cinder and her first days with her new family.
I felt heartbroken by this story.
Profile Image for Elena Rodríguez.
946 reviews480 followers
July 3, 2024
“Yo también tengo una falla. A veces se me olvida que no soy humana. No creo que eso les suceda a muchos androides”.

Segundo relato que sirve de precuela de Crónicas Lunares. Aquí conocemos los primeros pasos de Cinder antes de los acontecimientos de la historia principal. La verdad es que ha sido un acierto empezar por estas novelas antes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,463 reviews

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