I was able to catch up to Marissa Meyer's fabulous and highly addictive the Lunar Chronicles series. I remember waiting in line for half an hour at the ALA Conference in 2013 just to see if I can get an ARC of Cress. Luckily, I had and it was well worth the wait. All of these book are currently out and published. If you haven't read this series yet and like fairy tales, I highly recommend them!


Description: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review: Scarlet is probably my favorite of the Lunar Chronicles so far. While I liked the original science fiction spin on the fairy tales, I thought Cinder was a bit predictable. Scarlet, however, kept me on my toes with more intrigue and romance. Meyer does an excellent job of subtly using the tale of Red Riding Hood to move the plot along and even gives readers some things to contemplate. I absolutely loved Scarlet, a heroine who is fiery as her name and just as passionate. She guards her heart and finds it hard to trust anyone, which is how she has survived for so long. Wolf stole my heart and I was completely disinterested in Kai. While Wolf has the big physique and intimidating persona at first, he isn't the same bad guy we are use to in the Little Red Riding Hood story. There are many questions surrounding his past and one that I wanted to know in particular is whether or not he can overcome his past? There are plenty of viewpoints in the book and the story of Cinder and Emperor Kai are still present, but I think Scarlet and Wolf stole the show. While there are many transitions in the story, they are seamless and the plot elements meld together well. This novel has enough back story to stand on its own, but is much better after reading Cinder. Cress is introduced in a teasing chapter and I can't wait to learn more.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence but most of it happens off the page. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFever, Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay, Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen



Description: Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had 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 of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Review: As you probably guessed from the cover of the third book in Meyer's Lunar Chronicles that the heroine of this book is connected to the Rapunzel fairy tale. Cress has a different feel than the other books in that it doesn't just feature one fairy tale, but also continues two other continuing stories along with introducing two more leading ladies in the series. Meyer juggles all of the story lines well as there is no shortage of humor, action, or romance.
 Unlike the other heroines before her Cress is a self-proclaimed "damsel in distress" and an expert computer hacker. She has been imprisoned in an orbiting satellite for more than seven years, and has never been allowed to cut her hair, which has grown to Rapunzel-like lengths. Her only knowledge of the outside world is what she sees from her computer. Though Cress is supposed to be tracking down the fugitive Cinder for Lunar Queen Levana, Cress has been secretly aiding her. Cress's relationship with Captain Thorne is sweet and amusing as Thorne is constantly not living up to Cress's version of him that she has fantasized in her head. It was nice watching Cress become her own person and slowly but steady standing on her own two feet. The plan for Cinder and her crew to try to rescue Cress goes awry in more ways than one, leaving Cinder's group scattered and fighting for survival. My minor complaint of this book is that there isn't much romance between the other couples, particularly of my favorite couple Scarlet and Wolf. The plot involving warring governments and a fast-spreading plague leaves a desire for the next book while not being a complete cliffhanger. Winter, the heroine for the last book in the Lunar Chronicles is nothing like what I expected and I am very excited and curious to meet her.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence that mostly take place off the page. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale, Golden by Cameron Dokey



Description: Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the Fairest of them all?

Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her "glamour" to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story—a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Review: Like many fans of the Lunar Chronicles, I was disappointed to find out that the publication of Winter, the last book in the series, has been pushed back but was glad to know that Meyer released a novella that will help with the wait for her readers. Though considered a prequel of sorts, I would recommended reading Fairest after reading Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.
 Fairest does not have a strong story arc, but it works best as a character sketch of Queen Levana, who is more than a beautiful villain. We get an inside glimpse in the evolving character of Levana and get answers to lots of questions about her such as: how did she come to power? Where did the animosity for Cinder come from? How are Cinder and Winter connected? In this prequel, Meyer plays with our sympathies and emotions towards Levana. At times I felt sorry for her as I learned of the environment she was raised and of the childhood "accident" which forces her to permanently assume a glamour, or altered physical appearance. Her desperation of wanting to love is deep and makes her human, but the lengths of her actions as well as her justification for her actions is what repelled me. Even if readers despise her, it is worth reading Fairest to gain insight into Levana's complex character.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, most of which happen off the page and are alluded to. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

   I'm on a roll with reading fairy tale retellings this year. So far I've read four books and I do have my eye on reading Enchanted by Alethea Kontis and The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. I also hope to finally read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine at some point this year too. There is something magical about fairy tales that keeps us coming back to them and adapting them to either modern day or a completely different setting altogether.

Description: When their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out as teens, they are invited to stay with Sophia Kelly at her sweet shop. Life seems idyllic--until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel, and learns that girls have been vanishing at Sophia's annual chocolate festival, taken by the insatiable witch of Gretchen's nightmares.

Review: As you can probably tell from the names of the characters, Sweetly is a dark, contemporary take on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. In this retelling, Gretchen's twin sister disappears in the dark woods. Flash forward, 18-year-old Gretchen and her 19-year-old brother, Ansel, still struggle to understand who—or what—took Gretchen’s twin sister that night. After their father dies and their stepmother kicks them out, they travel cross-county till their car breaks down in Live Oak, South Carolina. There they meet Sophia, a beautiful, young chocolatier whose enchanting cottage-shoppe outside town becomes their new home. But both Sophia and the town hold secrets, and when Gretchen ventures into the nearby forest, she realizes things and people are not as they seem—and her childhood terror is real. For the most part, I enjoyed Sweetly. I liked the brother/sister relationship between Ansel and Gretchen. The plot and mythology was a bit slow and dragged for me, but I did like how Pearce tackled the issues of loss, grief, and survivor's guilt. I also thought the climax was a bit gory for my taste, but I'm sure those who like their fairy tales dark won't mind as much. I was, however, completely lost when the Fenris (werewolves) that come out of nowhere in the book. I know they played a big part in Sisters Red, but I really didn't understand what purpose they had in this book. Overall, it was pretty good but not great.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images including gory violence and some language. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce, Fathomless by Jackson Pearce, A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz


Description: Bewitching can be a beast. . . . Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn't. I go to a new school now-one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I'm not still here because I'm stupid; I just don't age. You see, I'm immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years-except for when to take my powers and butt out. I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don't even want to think about it. Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn't get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl-and it isn't an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Review: I was very excited to read Bewitching as I found Kendra to be a really intriguing character in Beastly. I wanted to know more about her story and Bewitching fulfills that desire and more. In 1666, teenage Kendra relates the horror of watching her family die from a plague, halted only when she becomes aware of her own magic and heals her remaining brother. Though the spotlight is on Kendra, she generously shares the stage with other fairy tales as she reflects on helping and/or harming those around her. We are taken across the years as we revisit the sinister gingerbread house, the Little Mermaid rescues a Titanic passenger, and the Princess and the Pea takes which takes place at Versailles. My favorite fairy tale out of all of these is amazing rendition of Cinderella. Though I knew the fairy tale, I was still turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I flipped back and forth on identifying the heroine and the evil stepsister. Despite the jumpy transitions between the fairy tales, I thought Bewitching was a fun read. I'm curious to see where Kendra is headed next in her chronicles.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and strong sensuality. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Beastly or Cloaked or A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn, Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman, 



Description: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that's enthralling.

Review: I never thought a science fiction rendition of the Cinderella story with blending androids, hovercrafts, and netscreens with royalty, a ball, and an evil stepmother would work, but Meyer's inventive and vivid world makes it plausible and enjoyable. I was a bit hesitant that the technological aspect of Cinder's world would be a bit much, but I was worried for nothing. Cinder is the perfect read for those who want an enjoyable book with science fiction elements without reading a heavy science fiction book.
  I loved the characters, especially Linh Cinder who is our sassy heroine that stands on her own. Though she is treated as a subhuman due to being a cyborg and forced to earn the family's living as a mechanic, she stands on her own and isn't afraid to speak her mind.
  While I did learn about the plot twists a bit prematurely with the book's early foreshadowing, I was still enthralled by this book. I wanted to learn more about Prince Kai and see how his and Cinder's relationship become closer. I also wanted to learn more about the Lunar throne. Though there is still quite a lot of world building to create, I think Meyer has a great start with Cinder. I'm eagerly awaiting to see what happens next as Cinder's story continues in four other books. Just a heads up, the book does end a cliffhanger of sorts, but I was actually okay with leaving the story there.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images and some language. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer coming in 2013, Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott, Ash by Malinda Lo, Ella Enchated by Gail Carson Levine, and for 'readable' science fiction try Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld or The Host by Stephanie Meyer