MARISSA MEYER REVIEWS
CINDER
The Lunar Chronicles book 1
by Marissa Meyer
fairy tale retelling // young adult // sci-fi
A futuristic cyborg mechanic Cinderella? Why did it take me so long to find this?
I have a love/hate relationship with sci-fi. Sometimes it’s fantastic, sometimes it makes my brain hurt. But this was one of the fantastic ones. It reminded me of the old Disney Channel Zenon movies (as well as Cinderella of course) but it was also new and unique enough that it kept me hooked.
Cinder is human but after she suffered an accident as a child that claimed a couple of her limbs, she underwent surgery that left her with robotic parts throughout half of her body. Cyborgs like Cinder are considered second-class in this society. She is looked down upon by those who know what she is, and forced to hide herself from those who don’t.
Cinder was a wonderful character. She was intelligent, witty, compassionate, and extremely independent. I love how the “evil stepfamily” wasn’t a caricature. One of the step-siblings was actually Cinder’s best friend. The mother was materialistic and cruel— but she was allowed real emotion as well. She wasn’t just completely evil without a cause. She was human and she was portrayed as such.
There is a lot going on in this book. On top of the fairy tale foundation, Meyer built a truly rich and intriguing world. A mutation of the plague is running rampant through this futuristic society, claiming a vast majority of the population. On top of trying to outrun the deadly disease, these characters also face the threat of evil Lunar Queen Levana destroying them.
Highly enjoyable, fast-paced, and unique. I did not give it 5 stars because I personally didn’t have any truly wow moments— nothing in particular that struck me, stayed with me, or shocked me. I think this is likely due to my indifference toward the Cinderella story in general. But this was a great read and I'm super excited for the rest of the series!
SCARLET
The Lunar Chronicles book 2
by Marissa Meyer
fairy tale retelling // young adult // sci-fi
Cinder’s story is carried through in this second Lunar Chronicles book, but Scarlet introduces us to a new cast of characters. We leave New Beijing for France where we meet Scarlet, a young farmer whose only family, her grandmother, is missing. She meets mysterious street-fighter nicknamed Wolf one day during her regular produce deliveries to a local pub. Now, I’m sure we’ve all figured out what fairytale is being reimagined here, and the wolf is supposed to be the bad guy, right? But I was so intrigued by polite, soft-spoken, ravenously hungry Wolf who just happened to be a deadly powerful street fighter.
From the start, I could tell Scarlet was going to surpass Cinder. I believe part of this is simply because the Cinderella story doesn’t do much for me. This Red Riding Hood twist felt more fresh and exciting. I was more invested in the characters and their journeys— including Cinder now that she broke free of the Cinderella story.
I love how the two story lines grow and develop on their own but come together seamlessly. Sometimes it can be tedious to read parallel stories in the same book because one may capture your attention more than the other, or they seem awkward and unfitting to be told side-by-side, but this was beautifully done. Wolf is my favorite, so I was a little sad when I came to a Cinder chapter just because I didn’t want to part with Wolf, but I’d quickly remember how enticing Cinder’s story was as well and get sucked right back in. The world-building and technological elements were well thought out and exciting. About halfway through the book I was thrown. I thought I had every aspect of this certain character figured out and then… nothing was as I expected. Now that I think about it, there was definitely some foreshadowing in Cinder that could have helped me figure this out, but I didn’t remember at the time. I’m glad I didn’t, because that was a fantastic WTF moment.
Wolf reminds me of hijacked Peeta. If you’ve read Mockingjay and Scarlet, you’ll know where I'm coming from. I just want to hug them both and love them forever.
Scarlet is a fast-paced, exciting installment of this futuristic thrill ride. I can’t wait for the rest of this series!
CRESS
The Lunar Chronicles book 3
by Marissa Meyer
fairy tale retelling // young adult // sci-fi
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CINDER AND SCARLET
Cress is a futuristic sci-fi retelling of the Grimm fairy tale, Rapunzel. While the Disney version most likely comes to mind when you hear that name, it’s worth taking a look at the original fairy tale to fully appreciate the details in Cress.
But first. I have a big complaint that's going to include some spoilers if you haven't read this book yet.
My babies were utterly tormented throughout this entire book and their story did not advance at all. Wolf broke my heart (when he was conscious, anyway). He was like a lost puppy without his owner/best friend and he suffered this emotional torture for the entirety of the book. And poor Scarlet had approximately 2.5 scenes in the whole novel, and she was being physically tortured in all of them. I love all three girls, but Scarlet is still my favorite. I love the way her mind works— the way she thinks and acts and treats other people. Wolf is fighting so hard to regain control of his body and mind, of his whole life after being scientifically altered by pure evil, and then the one person who is able to help him gets ripped away from him. NOPE! Not okay!!
That said, I loved this book a lot. This series is getting better and better with each installment and I cannot wait for Winter. The stakes and tension are continuously rising. The worst possible things that could have happened to these characters, usually did. It kept me up reading all night because I just couldn’t leave them there with their lives in imminent danger. This is definitely the biggest page-turner of the three.
The characters were wonderful. It was fantastic how much Thorne was fleshed out, because I grew to love him much more than I did in Scarlet— Kai as well. Cress (the character) was adorable. She was shy and sweet but wickedly intelligent and able to problem-solve under pressure. The relationship built between her and her Captain was so endearing. I enjoyed how it explored what happens when you hold someone on a pedestal from afar, then question everything you thought you knew when you get to know the real person.
The continued world-building is fascinating. This futuristic cyborg/andriod/Lunar/human world is so tangible for me, which really grounds me in the story. I’m never questioning why or how, I just believe it.
And then there’s the fairy tale aspect, which was so well done. As with the first two books, there are so many details from the original Grimm fairy tale incorporated here, but it remains its own strong story. I love the inclusion of the Rampion— even Thorne’s name possibly links to the thorn bush from the original. SO GOOD.
WINTER, WHY ARE YOU SO FAR AWAY?
