Now Reading (Catch up): Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

As much as I love retellings of fairy tales, I needed a little break. So I decided to go back to a little espionage. However, this is another series coming to an end for me. Let’s see how this one plays out…

The Blurb (mild spoilers):

IF ONE MUST FLIRT… FLIRT WITH DANGER.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Madameoiselle Geraldine’s floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia’s sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she’s not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster – in a decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing school series!

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Oh my gosh… This book gave me the feels! Each story tugged at my heartstrings. Well, some more than others. I will try my best to explain.

6 out of the 9 stories in this collection were all prequels.

First is “The Keeper”. It was about Michelle Benoit, Scarlet’s grandmother. The story starts off with how she got into a relationship with Scarlet’s grandfather. If you read Fairest, you would’ve already come across his name. He was the person who brought Cinder to Michelle and asked for her help. The story also told of how Scarlet came to live with her grandmother. It wasn’t under good circumstances and I felt sad for Scarlet to have to experience that at such a young age. By the end of the story, you will find out how Scarlet got her beloved red hoodie and how Cinder got her name. The last line of the story nearly made me tear up.

Next is “Glitches”. If I am not mistaken, this short story has been released beforehand. I don’t remember anymore how long ago but as I was reading it, I felt like I have read it before. Anyway, this short story was about Cinder and her arrival in New Beijing. It was definitely reminiscent of Cinderella. She was not really a welcome addition to the family but Cinder still wanted to prove her worth. How did she do that? Iko. But that little attempt went unnoticed because Linh Garan contracted letumosis. So many instances in this short story tugged at my heart. I really felt for Cinder.

Next is” The Queen’s Army”. This story focused on Ze’ev Kesley aka Wolf and how he ended up being chosen to be part of Her Majesty’s special forces. What got me about this story was that Wolf never lost his humanity. He may have been tampered with but he never really let his wolf instincts get the better of him. He became a smart fighter and didn’t just rely on rage and aggression. By the end of the story, you will find out how he became the Alpha of his pack.

Next up is “Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky”. Obviously, this is about the charming Carswell Thorne. This one did not tug at my heartstrings so much but it made me understand Thorne better. This kid was a charmer! He’s that kid at school who could get away with almost anything and charm nearly anyone. The story did show that he had a heart to help people, most especially if it helped him in the end, and he had a mind for scheming and dreaming. No wonder he ended up being a thief when we first met him. But he isn’t all bad.

Next is “After the Sunshine Passes By”. This one is about Cress and how she ended up in her satellite. This story tugged at my heart again. Cress was a smart kid and was able to learn how to hack at a very young age. Since she was a shell, she also wanted to prove to both Sybil Mira and Queen Levana that she was an asset more than a danger. She would do any assignment that Mira gave her with no question and that led to Cress boarding a ship and leaving her shell barracks for good. She didn’t know that of course. She thought she was going to be brought to Earth to be a spy until they pulled up to the satellite. Little 9 year old Cress was left there to do what she did best but the only consequence was that she was left alone.

Last of the prequels is “The Princess and the Guard”. No surprise who this one is about: Winter and Jacin. This story tells of many things about Winter and Jacin. You find out how Winter ended up with the Lunar sickness and her scars. You also find out how Jacin became part of the royal guard. But most importantly, you get to see how their relationship evolved from just a simple friendship. This is one of the more heart-wrenching prequels but it ended with how we know Winter and Jacin: as the princess and the guard.

The next story in line is Marissa Meyer’s version of The Little Mermaid called “The Little Android”. I actually thought at first that it was about Iko but it wasn’t. It was about a completely different android, a Mech6.0 who worked in a shipyard. She was different from the other androids she worked with because she started to have a personality of her own, kind of like Iko. She also started to have feelings for this young engineer and as a result, she put her life in danger just to save him. When the mechanic said she couldn’t be fixed, she went out to look for someone who could help her. Guess who? Cinder. She got a new body and a new identity. However, much like the original story, she didn’t get a guy in the end. But she did get to live among the stars. It was a pretty good retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson story.

The next story is entitled “The Mechanic”. It is the story of when Cinder and Kai first met but this time it is told from Kai’s perspective. I liked reading this scene from Kai’s point of view. It was nice to know what was going through his head as he made his way to Cinder’s booth and it was also nice to see how flustered he was when he actually met Cinder. It was so cute. It made me giddy. But the last line was pretty epic: “The mechanic was going to change everything.” Little did he know how true that statement was.

Next is my favorite and most awaited part of the book: “Something Old, Something New”. This is an epilogue! The setting is a few years after Cinder reclaimed her throne and a lot has happened since then. Cinder had already abdicated and was an ambassador like Winter, Throne and Cress were the primary distributors of the letumosis antidote and Wolf and Scarlet were getting married! You can only imagine how happy I was when they were all reunited, especially Kai and Cinder. I don’t want to ruin it for y’all but let’s just say that everyone is living happily ever after! This gave me a lot of closure in regard to the series but I still want a little more. Say maybe another wedding? *Wink*

Lastly, my copy included a bonus excerpt from Ms. Meyer’s upcoming novel: Heartless. I read it and it seemed interesting enough. It’s a backstory of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. I am curious to see what she does with this one.

My last thoughts on this book… If you are a fan of the Lunar Chronicles, YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS BOOK AND READ IT!  As it said in the blurb, it is an essential for any fan of the series.

That’s all from me for this post. HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

Now Reading: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Since I am still not over Winter, I have decided to read this collection of short stories and the funny thing is, I just got it last week.

The Blurb:

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories – and secrets – that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories – five of which have never before been published – and a special bonus excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel. Heartless, about the Queen of Heart from Alice in Wonderland. Stars Above  is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING EVERYONE! 🙂

Book Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Another series close to my heart has come to an end and I am still trying to wrap my head around it…

Let me start off with this. Winter is obviously Meyer’s re-telling of Snow White. The first book, Cinder, may have had some similarities to Snow White but Princess Winter is her “real” Snow White. For those of us who have read Fairest, we know that Levana married Winter’s father and he was killed. So Levana, aka evil queen/stepmother, was left with poor little Winter, who grew up to be so sweet and kind and even had the beauty that rivaled her stepmother’s. Very much like the Snow White we are all familiar with and that theme pretty much carried throughout the book in regards to Winter. Was there a huntsman sent to kill her? Yes, there was and I will keep his identity a secret because that was one of the major plot twists for me. Was there an old woman with a poisoned apple? Yes, there was. With the Lunars’ gift, it would be easy to glamour one’s self as anybody so y’all should know who the old lady was. For the poisoned apple, it was more like a special Lunar confection and it was poisoned with something worse than a sleeping draft. Again another plot twist that made me freak out. But all in all, Winter was a very endearing character. There was a bit of madness with her because she had the Lunar sickness. She refused to use her gift so that caused her mental instability. However, regardless of her illness, she was also a very strong character much like the others we have been introduced to over the course of 4 books. She even had a vital role in the battle. If she wasn’t there, Cinder might have lost.

Now, on with the rest of the book. This is where everything will come to an end. This is where the final battle begins. But before that there was a moment of calm at the start. This is where we finally meet Princess Winter and get reacquainted with Sir Jacin Clay. We also get to see Winter and Jacin’s relationship which was very sweet and pretty consistent through the rest of the book. Then we are brought aboard the Rampion where Cinder and her crew were about to get the ball rolling and once the ball started rolling, it didn’t stop. Of course the crew had a plan but certain circumstances caused those initial plans to change. Honestly, if all 9 characters didn’t lend a hand in dealing with those changes, I’m not sure if they would’ve succeeded. There were so many instances throughout the story that made me question if Cinder was going to succeed or not. This book sent me on a roller coaster of emotions from giddy to sad to worried to curious to angry, annoyed. It was pretty intense and I was feeling anxious for the entire book. That’s what I get for reading a sci-fi dystopian fairy tale. However, I can say that everything ended well. There were casualties on both sides so expect quite a lot of bloodshed especially in the latter part of the story. There were also a lot of shocking moments so be prepared. There were also a lot of tender moments that tugged at my heartstrings. Again, let me remind y’all that this series is not a happy one. It has happy and giddy moments but there is also a lot of anxiety that comes with it. Just reinstating a fact.

I really wish that this series would continue. I’ve fallen in love with these characters and I just want to know how their stories will continue. Luckily, Marissa Meyer came out with a collection of short stories and there is one in particular that I am looking forward to reading. I also read online that she is working on graphic novels that focus on events that happen after The Lunar Chronicles. I am super excited for that but I will have to wait.

So if you are interested in this kind of world, I suggest you check it out. Trust me, you will either not want to put it down and/or not want it to end.

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING EVERYONE!