Winter by Marissa Meyer

Winter 
by Marissa Meyer

Read: May 23-24, 2016
Published: November 10, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction, Fairy Tale

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? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series. (Amazon)

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Why did you read this book?
*Finishing the series*

What did you like about this book?
This book really built up the action and suspense. The others had their fair share of action, but they also had a lot of backstory to contend with. However, this fourth and final installment was able to go forward full force with the story because almost all of the main characters have been established. Speaking of established characters, I was much more fond of Kai this time around. He definitely grew as a character. I'm having a hard time thinking of things that I liked that I haven't already written in reviews for the first three books in the series. Regardless of my short 'like' paragraph, this book was a thrilling conclusion to the series and I liked so many things that I can't even write about it.

What didn't you like about this book?
My only complaint was Jacin and Winter. I just didn't really like them and I found most of their scenes to be boring, or at least less captivating than the others. I think I'll attribute my dislike of Winter to her only being in this book. I mean, it took me more than one book to really like Cinder and Kai. I don't really have an excuse for Jacin. I just don't like him.

A note on the series:
There will be spoilers if you read this. So if you haven't read them yet, I suggest not reading this paragraph. This is your last chance to stop reading before I jump into the spoilers. Okay...3...2...1...go!
There are so many things I loved about this series. I loved that they just got better and better with each book. I loved the fleshed out characters that were unique in their own right. I loved how funny and entertaining and intense and action-packed and swoon-worthy it was. Seriously, this series really packed in a lot of feelings. However, my absolute favorite thing? "And they all lived happily ever after to the end of their days," (Winter by Marissa Meyer). This book had a freaking happy ending and all of the characters I've grown to love got to live. I went through the series thinking "Oh crap, who's going to die? Someone's got to die!" But they don't. They really don't. Young adult fiction has just got us trained to think that in order to have an emotional book, we've got to lose a beloved character. Most of the more successful YA books end and leave you with an empty feeling in your gut because it's over, but the characters aren't resolved yet. They aren't happy, not really, but their conflict is over. (I'm thinking of Mockingjay and Allegiant in particular). Whew. I'm sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant. Anyway, that's my favorite part about this series. They're based on fairy tales and there's actually a fairy tale ending where the guy gets the girl, the good guys win, the bad guy loses, and everyone (except Queen Levana) lives happily ever after. I just really appreciated that and I thank you, Marissa Meyer, for the gift of a truly happy ending when anything rarely ends that way. I needed it.

Bottom-Line:
I strongly recommend this series. I know I was thrown of by the cyborgs and living on the moon (which is strange, because I normally love science fiction). I promise, though, this series is worth it. Keep in mind, Cinder can be kind of slow, but the rest are amazing. I will definitely be buying these books soon. I returned them to the library today and I already miss having them in my possession.



"...broken isn't the same as unfixable." -Winter by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress
by Marissa Meyer

Read: May 20-22, 2016
Published: January 27, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction, Fairy Tale

Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only 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 goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can. (Amazon)



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Why did you read this book?
Finishing the series...

What did you like about this book?
I know I've already mentioned this in past reviews for the Lunar Chronicles, but I just love the characters. We got a lot more Thorne in this book, which I was excited about. Cress was also introduced and she is such a precious, awkward, yet insanely intelligent character you can't help but love her. We were also introduced to Jacin, but I'll talk about him later. Again, I love how Marissa Meyer can take this fairy tales and you can obviously tell that they are these fairy tells, and yet, they are still unique. Plus, she just improves her writing with every book. I'm not sure if I like this one or Scarlet better yet, but they are both massive improvements from Cinder.

What didn't you like about this book?
I only have two minor complaints about this book. First, is Jacin. He is the first character that I just don't like. He doesn't breathe out of the pages like the other characters do. He has zero personality. Now, Kai doesn't really have a personality either, but at least I like him. Jacin doesn't have anything I can relate to. Even the awful, evil Queen Levana has at least one trait I can connect with (she just wants to be loved!). Second, while I love Thorne and Cress to death, they seem like almost exact copies of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled. This is a hard thing to complain about, because I love Flynn/Thorne and Rapunzel/Cress, but usually Marissa Meyer has more originality than that and I guess I expected more from her than to read about these characters that I've already meant from a different source. You know what I mean?

Bottom-Line:
Yes. Please read it.



"Maybe there isn't such a thing as fate. Maybe it's just the opportunities we're given, and what we do with them. I'm beginning to think that maybe great, epic romances don't just happen. We have to make them ourselves." -Cress by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer

Read: May 18-19
Published: February 4, 2014
Genre: Science Fiction, Fairy Tale

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison--even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does--in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.

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. (Amazon)



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Why did you read this book?
....that freaking cliffhanger. I actually put off reading this one for a few days because Cinder wasn't all that exciting...but I'm so happy I finally read it!

What did you like about this book?
          I don't even really know where to start with all of the things I liked. This book was 20x better than the first one. It was just so exciting to read! I'll start first with the characters, I suppose. I really liked Cinder in this book, even though she didn't feature in it as much as she did in the first one. Despite her limited page time, I felt like she evolved as a character. And then she met Thorne, who I adore. I thought there was going to be a possible love triangle between Cinder, Thorne, and Kai, but after finishing Scarlet I don't think that will happen. Cinder and Thorne's relationship is hilarious to read and I love their instant love-hate relationship. Then, of course, there was Scarlet, the focus character of this book. She is easily my favorite character so far. She kicks butt and grows delicious tomatoes. What more could you ask for? The other character introduced in Scarlet was Wolfe. I loved him. I hated him. I loved him again. I even kind of still loved him when I hated him. I'm excited to see where the next book takes him as a character as well as his relationship with Scarlet (I ship it).
         Anyway, aside from the wonderful characters, I love that this book continued Cinder's story as well as introducing Scarlet's. I was worried that each book would be a different fairy tale with different characters. While it does essentially do that, it doesn't leave the previous characters behind. Instead, the story grows and evolves, each character finding their place within the folds of it.
         On top of all that, I am super excited to read the next book.

What didn't you like about this book?
          I don't have many complaints about this book. However, there is always something. And Scarlet's something is Kai. I really want to like him because he's supposed to be Cinder's prince charming, but he doesn't have a personality other than being stressed out and/or lashing out immaturely to the Queen Levana. You'd think being raised as a prince would have taught him a bit of diplomacy, but he doesn't seem to have much of it. Maybe it's because his character reminds me too much of Maxon from The Selection by Kiera Cass. Actually, you know...that is it. All of the other characters feel pretty original, Kai feels like a copy of Maxon with a different name.

Bottom-Line:
          This book is excellent and I would definitely recommend it. I'd recommend reading Cinder just so you could read this book. High marks from me.




"I think I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, than live because I betrayed you." -Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder
by Marissa Meyer

Read: May 11-12, 2016
Published: January 8, 2013
Genre: Science Fiction, Fairy Tale

Human 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. (Amazon)




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Why did you read this book?
I've been meaning to read it for awhile based on recommendations from friends and family. Plus, I'm still feeling the fractured fairy tale books.

What do you like about this book?
I really liked the idea of this book. I'm a big fan of sci-fi and fairy tales, so stick them together and I am a happy camper. I liked that it had the bones of a Cinderella story, but it was fleshed out completely different. What really got me through the book was my interest in the Lunars. I was dying to find out more about them (and the evil Queen Levana, of course), but there wasn't much information in this first book. And yes, I actually liked that. With 4-5 books, I think Marissa Meyer started with just enough information to get the reader through the first book, but enough left as a mystery to entice them to read more.

What don't you like about this book?
As much as I was intrigued by the Lunars, I had a really hard time getting through the book. I finally finished, on my third try, on the assurances that the second one was much better. It wasn't that this was a bad book, it was just kind of boring. The pacing felt very off to me. The first two-thirds of the book dragged and not much really happened, but then the end of the book happened and everything hit the fan. There was too much condensed into the last few chapters. I understand that Marissa Meyer was going for an exciting finish (and she succeeded), but I would have liked the book much more if the rest of the book was written as well as the end. Also, I know I'm supposed to ship Cinder and Kai together, and I could tell that they liked each other because the pages said so, but I didn't feel it. Cinder's response to Kai I could relate to, but it was Kai that I didn't understand. He doesn't have much of a personality, so I'm hoping Meyer will build on his character in future books. I really want to like him, but he's just kind of...blah.

Notes on the ending:
Holy freaking cliffhanger. Cliff. Hanger. Hanger to the cliff. As much as I was bored throughout the book, that ending had me dying to read Scarlet (book 2). I had to know what happened, but I had to wait two whole days to get to the library. TWO DAYS. So, if you do read this book, make sure you've got the second one on hand for when you finish.

Bottom-Line:
This book, as a whole, was okay. Read it if you want to, but it's not something that I will always be telling everyone to read (like The Book Thief or The Night Circus). It was solid, but not amazing. If it wasn't for that fantastic ending, I might not even recommend it at all.  I'll let you know how the next one goes.




"But if there was one thing she knew from years as a mechanic, it was that some stains never come out." -Cinder by Marissa Meyer