Book Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Book #4 of the Lunar Chronicles
Genre: YA Sci-fi Fantasy
Publication: November 2015 by Feiwel and Friends
Acquisition: bought

Synopsis:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

I can't imagine a scenario in which someone would read books 1-3 of The Lunar Chronicles but decide not to finish the series with book 4.

Ok - I guess it could happen. I'm actually terrible at finishing up series.

You know what, I change my mind -- I totally can imagine a scenario in which someone reads books 1-3 of The Lunar Chronicles but doesn't read book 4.

But you know what?

You need to NOT be that person and you totally need to read book 4! (or books 1-3 and then book 4 if you haven't read any of the series yet) (or books 2-3 and then 4 if you only read Cinder and then for reasons we have already established exists, didn't continue with the series) (OR you need to....you're picking up what I'm throwing down here right?)

Bottom line - It's a fabulous series and Winter is a fabulous end to the aforementioned fabulous series.

:)

I really do love this series and I couldn't have been happier with Winter.

It's not a perfect story - maybe a little unrealistic on the happily ever after front? But you know what? It all really worked for me.

There were some surprises. Some things didn't turn out the way I thought they would. But it made sense and it nothing felt rushed or out of the blue.

I've have strong feelings for these characters and with a lot of characters spread over 4 books, that's A LOT of feelings.

The Lunar Chronicles is a series I'm always recommending to folks. I'm sad that it's over but I'm so happy I stuck with this one to the end!

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.

Book Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Book #3 in The Lunar Chronicles
Genre: YA Fantasy Sci-fi Fairy tale
Publication: February 2014 from Feiwel and Friends
Acquisition: received a free ARC from the publisher

Synopsis:

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

This was re-read for me but I never posted my review the first time around. (*bad Emily*)

The short and sweet version -- if you read books 1 and 2 I can't imagine any scenario in which you wouldn't also read book 3. It is so ridiculously easy to fall in love with these characters. If you haven't started this series yet -- what are you waiting for? Do it!

Seriously, this is a good series.

Everything I loved about books 1 and 2 were amplified in book 3. I think it's because we pretty much get to see all the characters - both interacting with each other and on their own. There are many point of views in this book and I know that can be off putting to some but I personally love it.

The story gets more complex but doesn't loose itself. The characters are tried and true but far from boring. The tension is intense but not overwhelming.

I love all of it.

And you should to ;)

Book Re-Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

As part of The Lunar Chronicles Read Along (#TLCReadAlong) hosted by Brittany at The Book Addict's Guide, I re-read Cinder in August, and Scarlet this past month.

My re-review of Cinder can be found here.

In the same fashion, I've pulled up my first review of Scarlet, which posted in February 2013, and added in my (new) thoughts.

I don't often re-read book, so this was a bit of a treat for me!

How often do you guys re-read books?

Do you find that your feelings change after a second read?

Let's see how my 2013 thoughts compare to today's!

Book #2 of the Lunar Chronicles

Genre: YA Sci-fi Fantasy Fairy Tale
Publication: February 2013 by Feiwel and Friends
Acquisition: received an ARC for review from the publisher

Synopsis:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars
(Still a 5 star read!)
Intense and overwhelming LOVE!
(Yep! I sill love it!)

OMG this was a good book!
(Yep again!)

The combination of sci-fi, fantasy and fairy tale retelling that made Cinder such a great read is no less fantastic in Scarlet.
(Not many books can pull off this trifecta of awesome. Scarlet does it with style.)

After leaving Cinder in a less then desirable situation at the end of book 1, I was really curious as to where she would find herself next. And I really wanted to know what was up with those Lunars!
(Ug! Lunars are the worst!)

I love the relationships in this book - and not just the romantic kind. All the characters in this world are so varied and different and the connections are just as different and complex.
(This is still the main reason I love this series so much. There are romantic relationships but they are done well AND the platonic relationships are awesome - I particularly love how Cinder and Thorne interact with each other.)

With the introduction of a new set a characters and the fabulous way Meyer meshed them together with my old favorites, Scarlet was a fantastic read for me.
I could go on and on with reasons why I loved this book but I don't want to give too much away.
If you read Cinder, Scarlet is a must read. And if you haven't started this series I highly recommend you do! Don't let the premise crazy you off. Marissa has weaved a magical world full of cyborgs, androids and fairy tales that does not disappoint!
(All of this - still true. Years later, I still recommend this series! It's one of my all time favorites.)

So, again, I'm gonna say:

Still all the same happy wonderful feelings!

After 2 months I'm still having a blast with this read along. I love the way Brittany formatted the read along - where we are all reading 1 book in the series a month, leading up to the release of the final book Winter. There is even time to get the companion novel, Fairest read between books 3 and 4.

I'm even going to go the extra mile and get all the mini in between short stories read - because I love this world so much so why not!

What do you guys think about read alongs?

How about re-reads?

I was never much fond of either but I'm loving the combo :)

Book Re-Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

As part of The Lunar Chronicles Read Along (#TLCReadAlong) hosted by Brittany at The Book Addict's Guide, I re-read Cinder this past month.

Instead of posting a new review, I've pulled up and pasted in my first review, which posted here in March 2012 (ga! that feels like so long ago!).

I've updated the format but kept all my original words - with new thoughts added in.

I don't often re-read book, so this was a bit of a treat for me!

How often do you guys re-read books?
Do you find that your feelings change after a second read?

Let's see how my 2012 thoughts compare to today's!

Book #1 in the Lunar Chronicles
Genre: YA Sci-fi, futuristic, mystery
Publication: January 2012 by Feiwel and Friends
Acquisition: NetGalley / ARC from Publisher

Synopsis:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

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. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars
(yep! still a 5 star book!)

Take the story of Cinderella, add in some androids and cyborgs, a plague and oh, evil moon people trying to take over the world. Doesn't sound like it would work? Wrong! Cinder is all of these things and more and it's fantastic! (I'm still impressed by the way Meyer was able to blend all these elements together. Any one of them could have easily overwhelmed the story but that isn't the case. Still love it!)

Somewhat dystopian, somewhat hard science fiction, Cinder tells the story of Cinder, a cyborg (part human part machine) living in New Beijing. (I honestly don't know where I was getting dystopian from - unless that's what it was toted as at the time since it was THE THING in YA books. I would call it more futuristic / fantasy retelling.) 

Her life is not entirely her own as she is under the control and ownership of her stepmother who in true Cinderella fashion, pretty much hates her.
(OMG I forgot how much I HATE her stepmother Ardi!)

I really loved this retelling. It's unlike anything I've read in a long time and reminds me of the science fiction stories my father use to feed me as a kid.
(Even now, this still holds true. Cinder really is a unique story.)

Cinder's world is amazing. The cyborgs and androids (fully robotic machines) were enough to keep me engaged but this story has so much more to it. There is tension and well done, not over the top romance.
(The romance is perfect!)

There's a scary as hell plague and a mysterious legacy that may hold the key to everything. And a lot more I'm not going to talk about because you should really just read it for yourself :)
(yep! Do it!)

I pretty much loved this story from beginning to end. The first of 4 books that I'm pretty sure I will be devouring as soon as they hit the shelves! Marissa Meyer's debut is a fantastic science fiction / fairy tale retelling / dystopian explosion of awesomeness! I highly recommend this book to fans of these YA genres.
(All of this! Except the dystopian part. And! I can say, that after reading the next 2 books in the series - it's still just as good.)

So yeah, pretty much still all the same happy wonderful feelings!

It was really fun to re-read this one and I love the way Brittany formatted the read along - where we are all reading 1 book in the series a month, leading up to the release of the final book Winter. There is even time to get the companion novel, Fairest read between books 3 and 4.

I'm even going to go the extra mile and get all the mini in between short stories read - because I love this world so much so why not!

What do you guys think about read alongs? 

How about re-reads?

I was never much fond of either but I'm loving the combo :)

Book Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

"The combination of sci-fi, fantasy and fairy tale retelling that made Cinder such a great read is no less fantastic in Scarlet. "

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: February 2013
Pages: 464
Series: #2
Format: ARC
Acquisition: received for review from the publisher

Synopsis:

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

(from Goodreads)

Overall Feelings:
Intense and overwhelming LOVE!

My Thoughts:
OMG this was a good book!

The combination of sci-fi, fantasy and fairy tale retelling that made Cinder such a great read is no less fantastic in Scarlet.

After leaving Cinder in a less then desirable situation at the end of book 1, I was really curious as to where she would find herself next. And I really wanted to know what was up with those Lunars!

I love the relationships in this book - and not just the romantic kind. All the characters in this world are so varied and different and the connections are just as different and complex.

With the introduction of a new set a characters and the fabulous way Meyer meshed them together with my old favorites, Scarlet was a fantastic read for me.

I could go on and on with reasons why I loved this book but I don't want to give too much away.

If you read Cinder, Scarlet is a must read. And if you haven't started this series I highly recommend you do! Don't let the premise crazy you off. Marissa has weaved a magical world full of cyborgs, androids and fairy tales that does not disappoint!

Will I continue the series?: YES!

Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

The Lunar Chronicles:
#0.5 Glitches
#1 Cinder
#1.5 The Queen's Army
#2 Scarlet
#3 Cress (2014)
#4 Winter (2015)

FREE E-Book Alerts!

Guys!

In case you didn't know, I am completely addicted to short story e-novellas! You know, all those #0.5 and #2.5s of a series? 

I EAT THEM UP!

I love them so much I started a Goodreads List just to keep track of them all. (Anyone can add to it so it's a little wonky but my Personal List is a little more organized.)

Today I found something awesome which maybe you are all already aware of but it's all new to me and it's fabulous!

The Fierce Reads Anthology Volume 1

Kindle / Nook / Kobo

Also available from iBooks

Contains

Legacy Lost (Of Poseidon #0.5) by Anna Banks

The Witch of Duva (The Grisha #0.5) by Leigh Bardugo

Prophet (Struck #0.5) by Jennifer Bosworth

Dress Your Marines in White (Monument 14 #0.5) by Emmy Laybourne

Glitches (Lunar Chronicles #0.5) by Marissa Meyer

The Fierce Reads Anthology Volume 2

Kindle / Nook / Kobo

Also available from iBooks

Contains

Foundation (Razorland #0.5) by Ann Aquirre

The Department of Alterations (Crewel World #0.5) by Gennifer Albin

Men Who Wish to Drown (Companion story to Monstrous Beauty) by Elizabeth Fama

Heads Will Roll (Necromancer #0.1) by Lish McBride

Ruled (Birthmarked #2.5) by Carah M. O'Brien

Jacks and Queens at the Green Mill (Companion story to The Shadow Society) by Marie Rutkoski

(Also contains The Witch of Duva and Glitches from the first volume)

Not 1 but 2 Fierce Reads Anthologies with a combined total of 11 short stories from some awesome series.

Thank you Tor Books :)

EEEK!

Some of these I've already downloaded / read / reviewed, some were on my radar already and some are completely new to me. How exciting!

Best part? Both Anthologies are FREE!

I'm so excited :)

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

***2012 Debut Author***
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 2012
Publisher: Macmillan / Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 387
Series: 1st in a 4 book series
Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... 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. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Take the story of Cinderella, add in some androids and cyborgs, a plague and oh, evil moon people trying to take over the world. Doesn't sound like it would work? Wrong! Cinder is all of these things and more and it's fantastic!

Somewhat dystopian, somewhat hard science fiction, Cinder tells the story of Cinder, a cyborg (part human part machine) living in New Beijing. Her life is not entirely her own as she is under the control and ownership of her stepmother who in true Cinderella fashion, pretty much hates her.

I really loved this retelling. It's unlike anything I've read in a long time and reminds me of the science fiction stories my father use to feed me as a kid. Cinder's world is amazing. The cyborgs and androids (fully robotic machines) were enough to keep me engaged but this story has so much more to it. There is tension and well done, not over the top romance. There's a scary as hell plague and a mysterious legacy that may hold the key to everything. And a lot more I'm not going to talk about because you should really just read it for yourself :)

Final verdict:
I pretty much loved this story from beginning to end. The first of 4 books that I'm pretty sure I will be devouring as soon as they hit the shelves! Marissa Meyer's debut is a fantastic science fiction / fairy tale retelling / dystopian explosion of awesomeness! I highly recommend this book to fans of these YA genres.

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Books in the Lunar Chronicles:
#.5 Glitches - online prequel you can read HERE
#1 Cinder
#2 Scarlet (2013)
#3 Cress (2014)
#4 Winter (2015)

Linkage Love:
Author's blog
Goodreads
IndieBound