What to Expect

MARCH

Last month was all about the Lunar Chronicles. I took some time to reread the first three books in the series: Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress; and shared my original reviews of the stories! I did not reread the fourth book, Fairest, a prequel novel, despite sharing the original review.

March is dedicated to finishing the last two books in the series, Winter and Stars Above. You can also expect a couple of reblogged reviews of Lunar Chronicles short stories.

But don’t worry; it will not be another month of just YA Science Fiction. I have a back log of audiobooks that also need to be shared!

I also decided to work on my towering stack of writing books. I am staring Writer with a Day Job today! I don’t plan to have it finished and reviewed this month but you never know!

What do you have planned for March? Are you reading nonfiction? Fiction? Are you obsessed with YA Science Fiction too?

Happy Reading!

Lindsay

Fairest

Now for the review of the Lunar Chronicles prequel, Fairest! I will not be rereading Fairest this month. It’s my least favorite of the series but I still recommend reading it at least once! Enjoy the review and have a great Saturday!

History and Mystery

by Marissa Meyer

 

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.

Fairest is the story of the evil Queen Levana, and the prequel story for Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series.  For those not familiar with the series it contains three full length…

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Cress

Sorry it took all week to get you this review! I am currently rereading Cress and, once again, caught up in the race to save Emperor Kia from Queen Levana. Happy a great Friday fellow readers!

History and Mystery

Cress by Marissa Meyer

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.

Cress is the third installment of…

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Scarlet

Last week I announced that February would be the month of YA Science Fiction. I will be revisiting all novels in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles and today we have my review of the second book in the series, Scarlet! Enjoy and let me know what you think of the series!

History and Mystery

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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.

Readers…

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Cinder

Last week I announced that February would be the month of YA Science Fiction. I will be revisiting all novels in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles and today we have my review of the book that started it all, Cinder! Enjoy and let me know what you think of the series!

History and Mystery

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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.

I re-read Cinder this weekend as I have decided to read Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles Series this month.

Cinder, which is set five years after the events in the short story Glitches, relates the tale of Lihn Cinder, a young…

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YA Science Fiction

I FINALLY know what you should expect this month!

YA SCIENCE FICTION!

I’m sure some of you are groaning at that announcement. But I’m also quite sure there are a number of you who are just as excited as I am! Why young adult science fiction you ask? Well, Stars Above was released yesterday, marking the conclusion of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles.  

  February will be full or rereading, and reblogging my reviews of the series. Plus, new reviews of other YA science fiction novels and the last two books in the Lunar Chronicles, Winter and Stars Above. 

So happy YA SCI-FI February! Any ony else reading the Lunar Chronicles this month?
Lindsay

Fairest

by Marissa Meyer

 

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.

Fairest is the story of the evil Queen Levana, and the prequel story for Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series.  For those not familiar with the series it contains three full length novels (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress), two short stories (Glitches, The Queen’s Army) and now a short novel with Fairest.  The final novel, Winter, is scheduled to come out the Fall of 2015.  The Lunar Chronicles is a science fiction re-telling of the classic fairytales Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White.

I received Fairest as a birthday gift and initially began reading it in February.  You may be surprised it took me so long to finish the novel considering how much I love the other books in the series, but I just couldn’t get into the story.  This has nothing to do with Meyer’s writing and story development.  Her writing is good and the story moves well.  It has everything to do with Levana as a character.  I just don’t like her because I have never been fond of the Evil Queen despite her many reincarnations over the last ten years.  Charlize Theron’s portrayal is by far my favorite, though I was less than impressed by the Snow White and the Huntsman film.

Anyways, a story about the Evil Lunar Queen wasn’t going to be my favorite of the series, but I still wanted to read it.  It should have been half the length, a novella instead of novel, because we spend far too much time delving in to the frantic, and often childish thoughts of Levant, resulting in her seeming more whiny instead of powerful and terrifying.  I loved the glimpse into her psyche; how lost and confused she was, how desperate in her love, and how much she hated herself.  I just wish the power of the final scene with the mirror resounded through the entire story.

I still recommend it to fans of the series.  Fairest adds depth to the Queen, and provides a wonderful view on the early lives of some well known characters from the other stories.  We get to see Cinder and Winter as children and even a few hints of Dr. Erland’s life on the moon.  Plus, its always fun to learn a character’s backstory and Levana’s is interesting…

Have you ready Fairest?  What is your favorite story in the Lunar Chronicles?

Lindsay

Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer

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.

Cress is the third installment of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series and readers dive in to the tale of Queen Levana’s satellite spy, Crescent ‘Cress’ Moon.  The story opens with the fugitive crew slipping through the stars to save Cress and Meyer takes us to Africa, Luna, and Back to New Beijing on an exciting journey to piece together Cinder’s team and stop the royal wedding.

Cress was a fun, fast-paced story that I could not put down; I had my husband laughing as I jumped up and down on the bed in excitement as plotlines fit together perfectly.  But, I had expected a tad more from Cress and my slight frustration resulted from the lack of character development that stemmed from the characters constantly being on the run.  I was disappointed in Wolf’s meltdown, I expected a little more from Cress as the story progressed, and I was disappointed at Cinder’s lack of leadership throughout the entire story.

I still loved it!  I enjoy the world that Meyer has created and she has a talent for re-telling the classic fairytales (Thorne’s lost eyesight is a quirky example).  Cress and Thorne develop a unique and real relationship as they survive the African deserts together and it is entertaining watching Cress react to her new friends.  Readers also get to spend more time with Kai, Dr. Erland, and Sybil Myra, who I just love to hate.  We even get a glimpse at the semi-sane Winter.  I love the fairytale romances and the intricate plotlines; Marissa Meyer is a master in her genre!  it is going to be difficult to wait for Fairest and Winter!

Let me know what you think about the review and Cress.

Lindsay

Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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.

Readers Beware: Here there be spoilers!
(Its just so hard not to have spoilers with a series like this.)

Last weekend we went kayaking out along the beach and of course my copy of Scarlet went with me! Scarlet is the second installment in Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series and it is jam packed with an exciting ensemble of characters. Cinder, Thorne, Iko, Scarlet, Wolf, Queen Levana, and the list just goes on and on! Meyer takes her readers from New Beijing to France as the storylines of Cinder and Scarlet merge. Cinder searches for the truth about her past and Scarlet hunts for her missing grandmother.

Cinder is determined, strong, and much more confidant than the girl we met in Cinder. I was thrilled at her growth and the grudging friendship that she develops with Thorne; the American Captain pushes Cinder to open up through his annoying comments and playful jabs. She was just a stronger character which made reading her storyline more enjoyable than expected.

We get to meet the fiery Scarlet, a French farmer who is desperate to find her missing grandmother. Scarlet takes up with the mysterious Wolf (my favorite character) after she discovers he may know where to find her Grand-mere. She convinces him to help in her search, and the two develop an interesting relationship during their trials. I can’t wait to see where Meyer takes the two in the next installment.

I had hoped to see more ‘telling instead of showing’ with Scarlet. Meyer does take more time describing the setting, especially the Paris icons, but it was still a tad lacking. The story may be somewhat predictable because it is a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. My suggestion is to embrace Meyer’s theme and enjoy the ride!

I couldn’t put Scarlet down and the last third of the book had me holding my breath as I turned the pages. Meyer’s writing is just enjoyable for me to read and I hope you find the story as enthralling. Let me know what you thought about Scarlet!

Lindsay

Lunar Chronicles Update!

So it may be obvious by my  reading over the last month, but I wanted to officially announce that I am a big fan of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicle series.  And by fan I mean the goofy happy dance…fangirl squeal…first in line for the new book type of fan.

And I am totally ok with this!  I love how she has modernized classic fairytales with a science fiction twist.  I enjoy her quirky characters and ‘edge of the seat’ storyline.  So I just had to announce the exciting news!  The series was originally supposed to consist of:

Two Short Stories –

1. Glitches

2. The Queen’s Army

and Four Novels –

1. Cinder

2. Scarlet

3. Cress

4. Winter

But, Meyer has just reveled that a fifth novel has been added to the lineup.  Fairest occurs before Cinder takes place and tells the story of Queen Levana and her rise to power.  Meyer continues with her fairytale theme and has hinted at the story correlation with Snow White’s Evil Queen.  Fairest is scheduled to come out before Winter, which is the final installment of the series.

So follow the link and check out the article on Fairest which was posted on USA Today! Anyone else as excited as I am?

Lindsay