Book Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Book #3.5 of The Lunar Chronicles
Genre: YA Sci-fi Fantasy
Publication: January 2015 by Feiwel and Friends
Acquisition: bought

Synopsis:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

So - who loves The Lunar Chronicles!

"I do! I do!"

A few pages into book one, Cinder and I was hooked. It's just THAT GOOD.

With that said, I wasn't rushing to get my hands on a copy of Fairest. Possibly because I absolutely hate Levana and I was worried that in knowing her backstory I might actually start to feel sorry for her and possibly because I saw it as a fluff book that was only standing in the way of Winter coming!

I was wrong.

On both counts.

Because - OMG No! My hate for Levana was stronger then ever after finishing Fairest.

And because - not only was it a perfect story to read before delving into the 800+ page massiveness that is Winter, it gives some really good background to Winter as a character and some pretty cool insight into the Lunar world.

Do you need to read Fairest before reading Winter? No.

Do you need to read Fairest at all to still enjoy the series as a whole? No.

Should you read Fairest because Meyer is word magician and you love the world she has created so much you just want ALL OF IT? Yes.

Also, on it's own, it's a pretty great story. The backstory of Levena and her family seems to be one that existed all along and not something thrown together or created solely for the purpose of another book to add to the chronicles. It felt, to me, like the details of this story were always there, lurking beneath the surface of books one, two and three.

In essence, it's a pretty perfect backstory -- one where all the pieces fit.

I highly recommend Fairest to fans of The Lunar Chronicles and I highly recommend reading it as book 3.5 - after Cress and before Winter.