The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Time for Series Saturday! This is one of the new features I'm going to start including on my blog, where I review a series as a whole, rather than just the individual books within it.
The Lunar Chronicles is a series that I’ve been hearing about for years. I knew it was a retelling of various fairytales and for some reason, it just really didn’t catch my interest. However, the first book, "Cinder", was on sale one day for Kindle and I bought it on the fly. It then sat in my "To Read" folder for over a year and a half.
One day, I was in a book funk where none of the current books I had out from the library were really satisying the mood and feel I was angling for (I think avid book readers know what I’m talking about). As I scrolled through my "To Read" folder, I saw "Cinder" and thought, "Well, might as well see how this is."
Instantly hooked.
Set in a somewhat distant future (around 1000 years or so), Cinder is a teenage cyborg in New Beijing who works as a mechanic. Talk about a cool premise. Her personality alone in the first few pages had me sucked in. As I was drawn more into the world, I knew this was going to be a book that I wouldn’t be able to put down.
The overall plot is the same as Cinderella… Kind of. There’s the prince and the ball, but there is so much more going on. There’s the Lunar people, who colonized the moon (now called Luna) centuries ago and now have the ability to manipulate people's “bioenergy”, essentially controlling people's minds and bodies. There’s also a dangerous plague that is spreading throughout Earth that has a 100% kill rate and there is no cure. When the old Emperor dies from the Plague, the handsome Prince Kai must step up and fill his father's shoes at one of the most critical points of Earth’s history. Queen Levina, the queen of Luna has her sights set on him for marriage in order to bring about an alliance between Earth and the Moon. But obviously, there’s more to it than that, as Levina is a vicious, proud, and power hungry woman who will stop at nothing until she has total control. (She’s the wicked queen from Snow White).
The first book tells Cinder’s story and, of the books, most closely follows the plot of the original fairy tale.
The following books focus on new characters that are introduced, though each character's plot line gradually becomes intertwined with the others. These multiple characters, viewpoints, and stories only add to the richness of the world.
Time for Series Saturday! This is one of the new features I'm going to start including on my blog, where I review a series as a whole, rather than just the individual books within it.
The Lunar Chronicles is a series that I’ve been hearing about for years. I knew it was a retelling of various fairytales and for some reason, it just really didn’t catch my interest. However, the first book, "Cinder", was on sale one day for Kindle and I bought it on the fly. It then sat in my "To Read" folder for over a year and a half.
One day, I was in a book funk where none of the current books I had out from the library were really satisying the mood and feel I was angling for (I think avid book readers know what I’m talking about). As I scrolled through my "To Read" folder, I saw "Cinder" and thought, "Well, might as well see how this is."
Instantly hooked.
Set in a somewhat distant future (around 1000 years or so), Cinder is a teenage cyborg in New Beijing who works as a mechanic. Talk about a cool premise. Her personality alone in the first few pages had me sucked in. As I was drawn more into the world, I knew this was going to be a book that I wouldn’t be able to put down.
The overall plot is the same as Cinderella… Kind of. There’s the prince and the ball, but there is so much more going on. There’s the Lunar people, who colonized the moon (now called Luna) centuries ago and now have the ability to manipulate people's “bioenergy”, essentially controlling people's minds and bodies. There’s also a dangerous plague that is spreading throughout Earth that has a 100% kill rate and there is no cure. When the old Emperor dies from the Plague, the handsome Prince Kai must step up and fill his father's shoes at one of the most critical points of Earth’s history. Queen Levina, the queen of Luna has her sights set on him for marriage in order to bring about an alliance between Earth and the Moon. But obviously, there’s more to it than that, as Levina is a vicious, proud, and power hungry woman who will stop at nothing until she has total control. (She’s the wicked queen from Snow White).
The first book tells Cinder’s story and, of the books, most closely follows the plot of the original fairy tale.
The following books focus on new characters that are introduced, though each character's plot line gradually becomes intertwined with the others. These multiple characters, viewpoints, and stories only add to the richness of the world.
The second book in the series is "Scarlet", which is obviously based off Little Red Riding Hood. Her grandmother, who was an ex-military pilot and showed Scarlet a few tricks, has disappeared and Scarlet goes to look for her, teaming up with a street fighter named Wolf. The third book is "Cress", a brilliant computer hacker who has been trapped in a small satellite orbiting earth for the last seven years, without a haircut (Rapunzel). And the last book, "Winter", tells the story of Queen Levina's beautiful and slightly insane step-daughter (Snow White). The little elements of each story that make it into these books are so subtly and wonderfully placed.
Each book has its own contained plot, but there is also an overarching plot for the four books. The gang manages to get themselves into messes that honestly had me wondering how they were going to get out. And yet the solutions, when they came, weren't easy and neat. I liked how the characters struggled and came through in the end.
The character development was amazing, perfectly paced and realistic. Each character had their flaws and unique personality that you really come to love. The banter that happens between different characters is fun and entertaining. And of course the romances were just perfect. The men are also fully-fledged characters with charms and faults and take action. I love how the men and women worked together. Plus you have a super lovable and hilarious android named Iko. But I liked how the stars of the show were the girls. While they each have a romantic plot line, it's not the main point of the story. I love how kick-ass each of the main girls is, especially Cinder and Scarlet. They take charge, go out and get things done, and make their own destiny.
I'll definitely read this series again. I enjoyed it immensely.
I'll definitely read this series again. I enjoyed it immensely.
Overall, I give the series 5 stars and highly recommend!
Details:
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/YA
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/YA
Language: One or two words here or there.
Violence: Lots of fighting and injuries, but no graphic details.
Sex: Lots of kissing but that's it.
I agree! I reread Cinder all the time! I enjoyed the following novels a bit less and less with every release, but the first two were awesome. I like what you said about the characters having flaws and being real people, although I never was 100% sold on Thorne and Cress. :)
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