I am back! After my two month hiatus, I am returning to running my blog. My two month-long research job has come to end and so I now have the time to not write these posts, but also read the books that I plan on reviewing. I appreciate all of my follower’s patience and I hope that everyone continues to enjoy. My first post back will conclude an excellent series that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles combine classic fairy tales with a science fiction flavor and they have been an absolute treat to read. And in the past week, I have completed the final two books, Cress and Winter.
Book three in the series, Cress, continues where Scarlet left off and also continues many of the same themes. As with the first two books, the book continues the strong fairy tale overtures as well as introducing yet another female protagonist. In this particular book, the new character is a hacker named Cress. And right away, she takes on a Rapunzel theme. Cress is a very interesting character, just like Scarlet and Cinder before her. After having lived a sheltered life for most of life, Cress has to very quickly adapt to her new surroundings. While at first, she struggles with it, she begins to adapt with the help of Captain Carswell Throne, who takes on a more prominent role in this book than he did in the previous book. Cress and Throne form an interesting, though awkward at times, duo. What is interesting with these two, is much like in the previous books, you can tell right away that there is going to be some form of romantic partnership. In each book, there is the damsel in distress and there is a knight in shining armor.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the fact that we get more of an insight into Queen Levana’s personality. We see how determined she is to eliminate Cinder and she will do anything to protect her throne. I really feel like Levana is a really interesting figure and she is finally explored a little bit in this book. We also get some great back story with Dr. Erland and Cress which his fate even more heartbreaking.
The story itself is a roller coaster which follows Cress and Thorne, Cinder and her group, as well as the ever-present wedding threat between Kai and Levana. The story keeps you on your toes and easily switches the points so well. Each story line is different and unique and I think that is what really makes this book.
This book really does have it all. It continues the great stories from the two previous books as well as introducing great new characters. As with the other books, this book is an easy five-star review for me.
Verdict- 5 stars. As with the other books, a great read and one that I highly recommend.
The final book of the excellent Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer delivers an excellent conclusion while also introducing probably the most interesting female protagonist in the entire series.
While this book was the longest by far, but it never felt like it dragged. The plot was a definite ride that kept you on your toes and shifts between story lines so well. Each story is tied up fairly well, even though the ending seemed a little flat. Although the story lines where very neatly tied up and I liked each ending, there was something about the overall ending that rubbed me the wrong way. Not enough for to really impact my verdict or judgement of the book, but enough that it leaves me wondering.
The newest character to be introduced in this book is the excellent and very intriguing Princess Winter. We were given a very brief glimpse of Winter at the end of Cress. Although, her fairy tale aspect isn’t abundantly clear in the book, (even though the cover gives it away), her story takes on a Snow White aspect. Princess Winter to me is by far the most interesting of all the female protagonists in the series. Her mental state is a big subject in this book but the reasoning for her mental state is fascinating to me. Known as “Lunar Sickness”, Winter’s decreased mental state is due the fact that she refuses to use her Lunar Glamour. Although this is the first time this has been mentioned, it is well thought out, creative and is a great plot device. Winter is loved by her people, but because she can not be queen, she helps Cinder in other ways despite her mental state. And when the Snow White aspect does hit, it is well done in terms of the story. Although her story ends open-ended, I feel like she really steals the show in this particular book.
Levana continues to be expanded upon in this book, which I really did like to see. Her motives are made more clear towards the end of the book and you almost feel a sense of guilt for her. She continues to relentlessly hunt Cinder and her party, all while managing her step daughter Winter and the wedding to emperor Kai. She is a very good villain for the series and a part of me would love to see a full novel on just her.
The story telling is once again top-notch here. It switches between the many story lines so well that you are never confused at where you are in the story. Each character is given plenty of time to shine and each gets a beautiful wrap up even if they are a little open-ended for my taste.
Overall, this is a series that I LOVED. I had received many recommendations and the series did not disappoint. There was so much more I could have talked about here, but I want to avoid spoilers. Much like the other three books, this final entry was fantastic and a definite treat to read.
Verdict- 5 Stars. An outstanding conclusion to an outstanding series.
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