Cinder

by

Marissa Meyer

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Cinder makes teaching easy.

Cinder/Princess Selene

Cinder is the protagonist of the novel. She is a 16-year-old cyborg (human/robot hybrid) mechanic who lives in the futuristic city of New Beijing, in the Eastern Commonwealth. Cinder was severely injured in a… read analysis of Cinder/Princess Selene

Prince Kai

Eighteen-year-old Prince Kai is the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, where Cinder lives. Prince Kai is handsome and charming, so most of the girls in the Eastern Commonwealth fawn over him—including Cinder’s stepsister Peonyread analysis of Prince Kai

Queen Levana

Queen Levana is the novel’s antagonist and the queen of Luna, the society on the moon. She uses her glamour (the power to telepathically manipulate other people’s thoughts and actions) to appear beautiful all… read analysis of Queen Levana

Dr. Erland

Dr. Erland is the head of New Beijing’s letumosis research team. Dr. Erland reveals much of his backstory to Cinder as the novel goes on: he is actually a Lunar fugitive. He fled Luna after… read analysis of Dr. Erland

Adri

Adri is Cinder’s stepmother, Garan’s widow, and Pearl and Peony’s mother. Adri is exceptionally cruel and abusive toward Cinder, particularly because Cinder is a cyborg (human/robot hybrid) and Adri therefore views her… read analysis of Adri
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Sybil Mira

Sybil Mira is Queen Levana’s head thaumaturge (advisor). Like Queen Levana, Sybil is Lunar and keeps up her glamour all the time to make it seem as though she is beautiful. She also brainwashes… read analysis of Sybil Mira

Peony

Peony is Cinder’s 14-year-old stepsister, Pearl’s younger sister, and Adri’s daughter. Unlike Pearl, Peony is kind to Cinder, but she is powerless to stop her mother and sister from abusing Cinder. Peony… read analysis of Peony

Iko

Iko is Cinder’s android and her best friend. Iko has a faulty personality chip, which makes her seem much more human than most androids. She assists Cinder in her mechanic booth and helps Cinder… read analysis of Iko

Garan

Garan was Cinder’s stepfather, Adri’s husband, and Pearl and Peony’s father. He adopted Cinder when she was 11 years old in Europe, and shortly after returning to the Eastern Commonwealth, he… read analysis of Garan

Chang Sacha

Chang Sacha is the baker in the market where Cinder works. She discriminates against Cinder, telling her son Sunto not to play near Cinder’s booth because she is a cyborg. But when Sacha comes… read analysis of Chang Sacha

Sunto

Sunto is Chang Sacha’s son. When Cinder spots Sacha in the quarantines, she pleads with Cinder to bring her son to her just before she dies. As a result, when Cinder visits the… read analysis of Sunto

Queen Channary

Queen Channary is Queen Levana’s older sister and Princess Selene’s mother. Like Levana, Channary was power-hungry and cruel: she instituted a policy to kill shells on Luna, believing that they were dangerous… read analysis of Queen Channary
Minor Characters
Pearl
Pearl is Cinder’s 17-year-old stepsister, Peony’s older sister, and Adri’s daughter. Like Adri, Pearl is cruel to Cinder and treats her like a servant rather than a part of the family.
Emperor Rikan
Emperor Rikan is Kai’s father. At the beginning of the book, he is ill with letumosis. He dies shortly after, leaving Kai to take up the mantle as emperor.
Konn Torin
Torin is Emperor Rikan’s advisor. After Rikan’s death, he advises Kai on his negotiations with Queen Levana as well.
Nainsi
Nainsi is Prince Kai’s android. Cinder fixes Nainsi and discovers that Prince Kai has been using the android to search for Princess Selene.
Fateen
Fateen is one of Dr. Erland’s assistants at the letumosis research lab, along with Li.
Li
Li is one of Dr. Erland’s assistants at the letumosis research lab, along with Fateen.