Marissa Meyer

“—Supongo que irás al baile, ¿no es así? —No... no lo sé. Es decir, no. No, lo siento, no voy a ir al baile. Kai retrocedió, desconcertado. —Ah. Bien... Pero... puede que ahora quieras pensártelo, porque soy... Bueno, ya sabes.—El príncipe.”

“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”

“Cinder twisted up her lips. "Do you think it could have a virus?""Maybe her programming was overwhelmed by Prince Kai's uncanny hotness.”

“Do your kind even know what love is? Can you feel anything at all, or is it just... programmed?”

“She was a cyborg, and she would never go to a ball.”

“Imagine there was a cure, but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would you do?”

“My only mistake was in waiting too long to be rid of you", Adri said, running the washcloth between her fingers. "Believe me, Cinder. You are a sacrifice I will never regret.”

“He was the fantasy of every girl in the country. He was so far out of realm, her world, that she should have stopped thinking about him the second the door had closed. Should stop thinking about him immediately. Should never think about him again, except maybe as a client--and her prince.And yet, the memory of his fingers against her skin refused to fade.”

“It looks more like a rotting pumpkin.”

“Lines drawn into his face suggested he had spent many years thinking very hard over very difficult problems.”

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

“Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying.”

“He wouldn't even dance with Levana at the stupid ball if he could help it—to hell with diplomacy.”

“Vanity is a factor, but it is more a question of control. It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth.”

“I don't know. I don't actually remember anything from before the surgery."His eyebrows rose, his blue eyes sucking in all the light of the room. "The cybernetic opetation?""No, the sex change."The doctor's smile faltered."I'm joking.”

“I'm sure I'll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.”

“Soon, the whole world would be searching for her--Linh Cinder.A deformed cyborg with a missing foot.A Lunar with a stolen identity.A mechanic with no one to run to, nowhere to go.But they will be looking for a ghost.”

“I know this is stupid, but part of me felt like if I could come see you today, if I could convince you to go with me tonight, then maybe I could still change things. It's dumb, I know. It's not like Levana cares if I, you know, might have actual feelings for someone.”

“Oh, my stars! Think about Prince Kai! You could dance with Prince Kai!”This made Cinder pause and squint into Iko’s blinding light. “Why would the prince dance with me?”Iko’s fan hummed as she sought an answer. “Because you won’t have grease on your face this time.”

“...but I’m trying to be inconspicuous.”Cinder considered telling him it wasn't working but thought better of it. The lack of a throng of screaming girls surrounding her booth was probably evidence that it was working better than she suspected. Instead of looking like a royal heartthrob, he just looked crazy.”

“Steadying herself with both hands on the table, she managed an awkward bow....'Your Highness,' she stammered, head lowered...The prince flinched and cast a glance over his shoulder before hunching toward her. 'Maybe, um...' - he pulled his fingers across his lips - 'on the Highness stuff?”