Fairest: Levana's Story (The Lunar Chronicles #0.1) by Marissa Meyer - Paul's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Fairest: Levana's Story
Author: Marissa Meyer
Recent Release Date: January 27, 2015

My Fairest Pre Reading
My Cress (#3) Review
My The Little Android (#2.5) Review
My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Review

Ashley's Cress (#3) Review
Ashley's The Little Android (#2.5) Review
Ashley's Scarlet (#2) Review
Ashley's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Ashley's Cinder (#1) Review



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. 

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Review: I cannot get enough of Marissa Meyer's writing! Fairest may look like a fullsized book, but it's more like a hardback novella, being only 220 pages. The chapters are not numbered, but just breaks in the text. Cinder, the first book in the series, is 390 pages. And with each subsequent book, the length has increased. 

This was an originally unplanned book and although it is very enjoyable, it just adds some background to the main series. Fairest follows Levana's whole story from when her parents first passed until she rules over the moon as Queen. Seeing a villain's story is always interesting. 

I liked seeing how much of the Queen Levana in Cinder came from her environment and how much was just her. There's definitely a combination. I was prepared for a contrived sympathy-inducing story, but Levana's background matched her character very well. 

There are many references to the many characters of The Lunar Chronicles. It is cool to see them younger and to learn more about their origins. This book got me really hyped for Winter, which won't be out until November. 

The evolution of Levana's glamour was probably my favorite part of this book. 

I give this book a 4.5/5, only because I wanted more. The story seemed so short compared to the other books in the series. I didn't feel as close to Levana as I felt to each of the protagonists of the other books after reading them. I highly recommend this to fans of The Lunar Chronicles series, especially for those waiting for Winter so anxiously like I am. 


--PAUL

Fairest: Levana's Story (The Lunar Chronicles #0.1) by Marissa Meyer - Paul's Pre-reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Fairest: Levana's Story
Author: Marissa Meyer
Recent Release Date: January 27, 2015

My Cress (#3) Review
My The Little Android (#2.5) Review
My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Review

Ashley's Cress (#3) Review
Ashley's The Little Android (#2.5) Review
Ashley's Scarlet (#2) Review
Ashley's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Ashley's Cinder (#1) Review



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. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Why?: I have ABSOLUTELY LOVED every book in The Lunar Chronicles! An ensemble sci-fi YA series based on fairytales! There is nothing about that I dislike. This book follows Queen Levana. I'm super excited to discover her origin. Even though she is super villainous, I'm sure by the end of this book I'll be at least somewhat sympathetic. I think this will really contribute to the emotions of the last book Winter. 

Expectations:   I'm expecting a tragic origin story that lead Levana to who she is in the rest of The Lunar Chronicles. I'm sure I'll see Levana become more villainous from the events in this book. 

Judging a book by its cover: I love this cover. It is perfect. The inside flap is also perfect. 


--PAUL

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer - Paul's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Year Published: 2014

My Cress (#3) Pre-ReadingMy 
The Little Android (#2.5) Review
My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Review

Ashley's Cress (#3) Review
Ashley's The Little Android (#2.5) Review
Ashley's Scarlet (#2) Review
Ashley's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Ashley's Cinder (#1) Review


Synopsis: Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard. 

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, 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.

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Review: This series just keeps getting better. I really like how much of an ensemble story it has become. The main cast each have their own stories that take place in different locations, but everything connects in such a wonderful way. There really isn't a main character anymore. Cress of course takes the center stage for this book, but Cinder and Scarlet are still right there. I love how quirky the characters are. They're very Whedon-esque. Iko, Cress, and Thorne are three of my favorite when it comes to quirks. And I bet Winter is going to be even more unique!

I can't separate my love for Joss Whedon from what I love about this series. Everything I love about Whedon's works is present in this series. I always imagine the Rampion's insides as that of a Firefly-class starship. 

This is a retelling of the Rapunzel story. There are many very obvious references, but there are also subtle references to the original story. If you aren't familiar with the fairy tale and only Disney's version you may want to find a telling of it first. I think knowing the original story adds to this one, but it is not necessary. The story is its own, especially since all the other characters don't necessarily follow the retelling. But, some characters from past books take on unexpected roles in this book. I also love how Winter is being set up.

The ensemble cast is handled so well and I really enjoy how the characters interact with eachother. The couples don't only interact with their potential love interest, but with all the characters in unique and interesting ways. Cress and Wolf is one example. 

This was one of those books I couldn't put down, but never wanted it to end. I am glad these books are getting thicker. I hope Winter is even longer! I give this third book in The Lunar Chronicles a 5/5. I highly recommend this series.     


--Paul

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer - Paul's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Year Published: 2014

My The Little Android (#2.5) Review
My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Review

Ashley's The Little Android (#2.5) Review
Ashley's Scarlet (#2) Review
Ashley's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Ashley's Cinder (#1) Review


Synopsis: Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard. 

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, 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.

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Why?: I have absolutely loved this series so far. It always reminds me of a Joss Whedon production. There are so many interesting characters and I'm loving how the main cast keeps increasing. I pre-ordered this book and because of work am only getting around to it now. I am so ready for this book. 

Expectations: I'm expecting a more ensemble feel in this book since a third main character is going to be introduced. I'm hoping for a very interesting retelling that plays off of the fairy tale, but in a completely original way. There's only one more book after this one so I am expecting the ending to leave me with so much momentum. I'm excited to see Thorne's interactions with Cress and I think we meet Winter in this one as well. 

Judging a book by its cover: I love how simple these covers are. There's always a red element that relates to the original fairy tale. I also am still a fan of the title font. 


--Paul

The Little Android (The Lunar Chronicles #2.5) by Marissa Meyer - Paul's REVIEW

Goodreads | Wattpad

Title: The Little Android (The Lunar Chronicles #2.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Year Published: 2014

My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Review

Ashley's Scarlet (#2) Review
Ashley's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Ashley's Cinder (#1) Review



Synopsis: The Little Android is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles by New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

When android Mech6.0, saves the life of a handsome hardware engineer, her body is destroyed and her mechanics discover a glitch in her programing. Androids are not meant to develop unpractical reasoning or near-emotional responses… let alone fall in love.

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Review: Unlike the other short stories in Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, this story doesn't give us a new glimpse into a character we already know's life. I liked seeing a different part of the world. The story followed the original The Little Mermaid in a really cool way substituting the mermaid for an android. This is no Disney story. 

I liked seeing references to the world that we already know and love, but I wanted a stronger connection to the main story. Maybe these characters will appear later in the series. 

I give this short story a 4/5. I really enjoyed it and highly suggest it to anyone who has read the main books in the series. It is even free to read on wattpad. 

--Paul

The Little Android (The Lunar Chronicles #2.5) by Marissa Meyer - Ashley's Review

Goodreads | Wattpad

Title: The Little Android (The Lunar Chronicles #2.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Year Published: 2014

My Scarlet (#2) Pre-Reading
My Scarlet (#2) Review
My The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
My Cinder (#1) Pre-Reading
My Cinder (#1) Review

Paul's Scarlet (#2) Pre-Reading
Paul's Scarlet (#2) Review
Paul's The Queen's Army (#1.5) Review
Paul's Cinder (#1) Pre-Reading
Paul's Cinder (#1) Review

Synopsis: The Little Android is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles by New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

When android Mech6.0, saves the life of a handsome hardware engineer, her body is destroyed and her mechanics discover a glitch in her programing. Androids are not meant to develop unpractical reasoning or near-emotional responses… let alone fall in love.

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Review: This story is very short, but there's so much packed into it. Unlike the other short stories in The Lunar Chronicles, this one does not focus on a character we already know and love. Instead, we get to see a whole new side of the world, complete with new characters and new situations. Seeing a malfunctioning android and how they are dealt with was actually really interesting, and I enjoyed watching Mech6.0 grow and become more human-like as time passes.

I think my favorite part of this story was how closely it parallels the original Hans Christian Andersen The Little Mermaid fairytale. This is no Disney version, and things don't always have a happily ever after in the way that you might hope. I loved how so many details from the original story were reworked and reimagined for an android instead of a mermaid.

We mostly see new characters in this story, but some old favorites are there and have minor roles, and that was pretty fun to see. I enjoyed seeing how this story takes place in the timeline of the main series! If you've read any of the other books in The Lunar Chronicles, you won't want to miss this story. And it's free to read on Wattpad! 5/5.

--Ashley