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Everything I wanted for this ending❤️
I'm going to miss all the characters and their banter, this is such an amazingly complex series i love it to bits
I'm going to miss all the characters and their banter, this is such an amazingly complex series i love it to bits
What a way to finish the series! Loyal fans will (hopefully) not be disappointed! All the characters were stunning, the dialogue is all you can hope for, and the plot was intense as hell! I'm going to set this review out in couples, favourite to least!
Cress X Thorne. These two will frustrate you, but they'll also make you hot, allow me to explain (no spoilers obviously). Thorne has a very hard time coming to terms with his love for, well, anything. The whole time you'll be screaming 'JUST KISS HER', it gets really frustrating. And then the hot stuff comes, but i can't get into that, just know you'll be satisfied. Cress KICKS ASS in this book, as she turns from shy hacker to full blown spy, she's like your baby sister who is not afraid to kick some but. Thorne is as always, Thorne. You wouldn't have him any other way.
Cinder X Kai. Kai... The poor man, seriously i feel like he had it the worst, getting close and personal with the enemy, our poor baby. Cinder, however, gets torn to shreds (despite this Kai still has it worse), but she still kicks ass, (i feel like we'll be using that term a lot during this review). They were our original couple, our first real ship in the Lunar Chronicles, and it's only fair that it begins with them, and ends with them too.
Winter X Jacin. Basically Han Solo and an innocent cinnamon role version of Leia. Not a lot of people liked this couple, but i thought it was insanely cute how Jacin took care of our Winter. I really enjoyed how we got inside Winter's head, and really got to see what's going on in there, this was so valuable, and opened her up as a more complex character. Jacin too was more complex than i originally thought, i don't know about anyone else but i HATED him during Cress, seriously i couldn't stand the guy, but his cute little nicknames and care for Winter really turned that around.
Scarlet X Ze'ev. I don't want to get into representation, but i would rather call Wolf, Ze'ev. That's his name, yes it's foreign, but it's a part of his culture, calling him 'Wolf' diminishes his culture, taking it away from him, and i do not want to do that. Rant over.
I've always liked this couple, but i've never been a huge shipper. However, their reunion was undeniably cute. We get to meet some more characters from Ze'evs life, people from his past, however i was disappointed as i feel like this was just a way to push along the narrative. There was really no point in meeting those people, as it had literally no effect on the climax of the book. It didn't even create a more complex character. Ze'ev is exactly the same after the ordeal, and so is everyone else. Scarlet is also badass, but in this novel she just did nothing that stuck with me, right now i can think of a number of things everyone else did, but i can't even remember what role she played in this book.
As an ending to a series, Meyer did wonderfully, enough was left open for the reader to decide, but it was still wrapped up in a way that made us feel safe, and i am thankful! I hope this book makes you smile and cry at the same time!
Cress X Thorne. These two will frustrate you, but they'll also make you hot, allow me to explain (no spoilers obviously). Thorne has a very hard time coming to terms with his love for, well, anything. The whole time you'll be screaming 'JUST KISS HER', it gets really frustrating. And then the hot stuff comes, but i can't get into that, just know you'll be satisfied. Cress KICKS ASS in this book, as she turns from shy hacker to full blown spy, she's like your baby sister who is not afraid to kick some but. Thorne is as always, Thorne. You wouldn't have him any other way.
Cinder X Kai. Kai... The poor man, seriously i feel like he had it the worst, getting close and personal with the enemy, our poor baby. Cinder, however, gets torn to shreds (despite this Kai still has it worse), but she still kicks ass, (i feel like we'll be using that term a lot during this review). They were our original couple, our first real ship in the Lunar Chronicles, and it's only fair that it begins with them, and ends with them too.
Winter X Jacin. Basically Han Solo
Spoiler
STAR WARS SPOILER: but aliveScarlet X Ze'ev. I don't want to get into representation, but i would rather call Wolf, Ze'ev. That's his name, yes it's foreign, but it's a part of his culture, calling him 'Wolf' diminishes his culture, taking it away from him, and i do not want to do that. Rant over.
I've always liked this couple, but i've never been a huge shipper. However, their reunion was undeniably cute. We get to meet some more characters from Ze'evs life, people from his past, however i was disappointed as i feel like this was just a way to push along the narrative. There was really no point in meeting those people, as it had literally no effect on the climax of the book. It didn't even create a more complex character. Ze'ev is exactly the same after the ordeal, and so is everyone else. Scarlet is also badass, but in this novel she just did nothing that stuck with me, right now i can think of a number of things everyone else did, but i can't even remember what role she played in this book.
As an ending to a series, Meyer did wonderfully, enough was left open for the reader to decide, but it was still wrapped up in a way that made us feel safe, and i am thankful! I hope this book makes you smile and cry at the same time!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A bit long to read, my least favourite book from the Lunar Chronicles. Princess Winter is very boring character.
You can also see the full review on my blog here.
---
Wow.
That was…
Wow.
How do I even express my feelings after reading this gigantic book? If you stalked my Goodreads page last December, you’re probably aware of how Winter brought me LOADS and LOADS of feels. Like, LOADS. Jaw-opening-and-heart-thumping kind of loads.
And since I basically liked 98% of this book and have been wondering for days on how I will write this review, I have decided to pick out snippets from Winter and add commentaries right after.
Oh, and don’t worry – there won’t be any major spoilers found in those quotes. Just ones that might make you want to read Winter already if you haven’t yet. ;)
Thorne. THORNE STRIKES AGAIN. Oh, how I always love reading the Lunar Chronicles whenever he’s in it. Everything just goes from serious and suspenseful to comedic and awkward. I also love how he’s willing to change just so he can prove Cress that he deserves her, even though Cress isn’t even asking him to do it.
AND THAT SCENE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CINDER AND LEVANA BATTLE WITH THORNE AND CRESS. Oh my God. I don’t even— I can’t— How do I— IT WAS SO PAINFUL.
That’s it, I’m adding Thorne to my long list of fictional boyfriends.
As I have said in my last progress update on Winter in my Goodreads account, I am officially rooting for Jacin x Winter. (I don’t even know if they have a ship name. Do they?!??)
Think about it: Jacin loves Winter no matter how crazy she is or how many times she sees stuff that would make other people want to stay away from her. He truly loves her in her worst. That’s just so sweet. I’m a sucker for these kinds of romances.
Speaking of Scarlet, I have also come to love her more than I did when I was introduced to her in Scarlet. The way she fights for what she wants and does her best to survive didn’t annoy me anymore than it did in the second book, which really made me happy.
Plus, I love Scarlet and Winter’s friendship. It’s snappy, it’s hilarious, and it’s just plain entertaining.
I also love this “wolf cub” nickname and I don’t even know why. It’s like they’re teasing Wolf and I’m liking it. Wolf isn’t even complaining about it.
I also liked the touch of humor from Marissa Meyer all throughout the book. It gave me something to laugh at after I’ve been reading pages and pages of serious stuff happening in Luna.
Oh, Iko. She definitely comes right after Thorne on my favorite characters list. She’s basically like Thorne’s sidekick in making things funny without even trying.
Also, I liked how she trusts Cinder so much she’d risk destroying her android body so much as long as she can protect her best friend. Iko is confident enough that Cinder can fix her back again anyway (as long as her personality chip is safe, of course).
Ah, Winter. I love this girl. She’s crazy, she’s weird, she’s out-of-the-ordinary, but she is still so smart. She doesn’t let her Lunar sickness stop her (at least, not when she’s incredibly dedicated to do something), and makes the best out of the things she lacks. And at the end of the book, she technically becomes a badass.
Even though I did have a lot of things I liked about Winter, it still had a few parts where I didn’t. For the most part, the battle scene. I thought the way it ended lacked something. Like it was all too easy. The scene was picking up so much pace and I was gripping on my phone so hard in excitement (I was reading it as an eBook), and then that. I don’t know. I think I was looking for more in that one-on-one battle scene.
Also, I wasn’t too fond of the crew’s “Assassinate Levana” plan. It had so many loopholes that I knew something would go wrong before it even happened (because if nothing went wrong, then that’s just not realistic). I wanted a concrete plan. One that would really want me to hope that the crew would succeed. But I think everyone was just hoping for luck to happen 70% of the time.
***
All in all, I definitely loved Winter. In all honesty, I would have given this book 5 stars in total, but I had to deduct at least a .5 because, like I said, I really did feel a wee bit disappointed of how Cinder and Levana’s one-on-one battle ended (even though it was still cool). Sorry.
P.S.: Did I mention that THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLY THICK? It took me two weeks to finish this book when I normally finish one in around a week or less. I have no regrets, though. Definitely. But I still couldn’t help but fidget while reading Winter because I just wanted to read about the epic battle already.
---
“We think that if we choose to do only good, then we are only good. We can make people happy. We can offer tranquility or contentment or love, and that must be good. We do not see the falsehood becoming its own brad of cruelty.”
Wow.
That was…
Wow.
How do I even express my feelings after reading this gigantic book? If you stalked my Goodreads page last December, you’re probably aware of how Winter brought me LOADS and LOADS of feels. Like, LOADS. Jaw-opening-and-heart-thumping kind of loads.
And since I basically liked 98% of this book and have been wondering for days on how I will write this review, I have decided to pick out snippets from Winter and add commentaries right after.
Oh, and don’t worry – there won’t be any major spoilers found in those quotes. Just ones that might make you want to read Winter already if you haven’t yet. ;)
Thorne guffawed. “My crew? Let me tell you what’s going to become of my crew when this is over.” He ticked off on his fingers. “Cinder will be the ruling monarch of a big rock in the sky. Iko will go wherever Cinder goes, so let’s assume she becomes the queen’s hairdresser or something. You – are you part of the crew now? Doesn’t matter, we both know where you’re going to end up. And once we get Scarlet back, she and Wolf are going to some farm in France and have a litter of baby wolf cubs. That’s what’s going to become of my crew when this is done.”
Thorne. THORNE STRIKES AGAIN. Oh, how I always love reading the Lunar Chronicles whenever he’s in it. Everything just goes from serious and suspenseful to comedic and awkward. I also love how he’s willing to change just so he can prove Cress that he deserves her, even though Cress isn’t even asking him to do it.
AND THAT SCENE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CINDER AND LEVANA BATTLE WITH THORNE AND CRESS. Oh my God. I don’t even— I can’t— How do I— IT WAS SO PAINFUL.
That’s it, I’m adding Thorne to my long list of fictional boyfriends.
Rather than reaching for her again, Jacin took a step back and pinched the bridge of his nose. He cursed. “Princess, you have got to stop collecting these rebels.”
As I have said in my last progress update on Winter in my Goodreads account, I am officially rooting for Jacin x Winter. (I don’t even know if they have a ship name. Do they?!??)
Think about it: Jacin loves Winter no matter how crazy she is or how many times she sees stuff that would make other people want to stay away from her. He truly loves her in her worst. That’s just so sweet. I’m a sucker for these kinds of romances.
“This is Winter,” said Scarlet. “Princess Winter.”
Thorne guffawed and pushed a hand into his hair. “Are we running a boardinghouse for misplaced royalty around here, or what?”
Speaking of Scarlet, I have also come to love her more than I did when I was introduced to her in Scarlet. The way she fights for what she wants and does her best to survive didn’t annoy me anymore than it did in the second book, which really made me happy.
Plus, I love Scarlet and Winter’s friendship. It’s snappy, it’s hilarious, and it’s just plain entertaining.
“I hope you don’t mind our intrusion into your hospitality. Your wolf cub welcomed us. He’s surprisingly tender, given the teeth. And the muscles.”
I also love this “wolf cub” nickname and I don’t even know why. It’s like they’re teasing Wolf and I’m liking it. Wolf isn’t even complaining about it.
When she had tied this, she had practically given him a wrist massage that had made him squirm on the inside.
I also liked the touch of humor from Marissa Meyer all throughout the book. It gave me something to laugh at after I’ve been reading pages and pages of serious stuff happening in Luna.
“It’s like this is ‘Pick on Iko’ day or something.”
Oh, Iko. She definitely comes right after Thorne on my favorite characters list. She’s basically like Thorne’s sidekick in making things funny without even trying.
Also, I liked how she trusts Cinder so much she’d risk destroying her android body so much as long as she can protect her best friend. Iko is confident enough that Cinder can fix her back again anyway (as long as her personality chip is safe, of course).
“There was also a time when I could come visit you without feeling like I was supposed to toss bread crumbs to earn your favor.”
“Bread crumbs? Do I look like a goose?”
“You don’t look like an arctic wolf, either, but that’s what the plaque tells me I’m looking at.”
Ah, Winter. I love this girl. She’s crazy, she’s weird, she’s out-of-the-ordinary, but she is still so smart. She doesn’t let her Lunar sickness stop her (at least, not when she’s incredibly dedicated to do something), and makes the best out of the things she lacks. And at the end of the book, she technically becomes a badass.
How lovely it would have been to live in a world where she didn’t have to pretend.
Even though I did have a lot of things I liked about Winter, it still had a few parts where I didn’t. For the most part, the battle scene. I thought the way it ended lacked something. Like it was all too easy. The scene was picking up so much pace and I was gripping on my phone so hard in excitement (I was reading it as an eBook), and then that. I don’t know. I think I was looking for more in that one-on-one battle scene.
Also, I wasn’t too fond of the crew’s “Assassinate Levana” plan. It had so many loopholes that I knew something would go wrong before it even happened (because if nothing went wrong, then that’s just not realistic). I wanted a concrete plan. One that would really want me to hope that the crew would succeed. But I think everyone was just hoping for luck to happen 70% of the time.
***
All in all, I definitely loved Winter. In all honesty, I would have given this book 5 stars in total, but I had to deduct at least a .5 because, like I said, I really did feel a wee bit disappointed of how Cinder and Levana’s one-on-one battle ended (even though it was still cool). Sorry.
P.S.: Did I mention that THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLY THICK? It took me two weeks to finish this book when I normally finish one in around a week or less. I have no regrets, though. Definitely. But I still couldn’t help but fidget while reading Winter because I just wanted to read about the epic battle already.
YAY! I loved it.
This book was a SLOG and so much happened I'm sure I don't even remember half the twists of the plot but I loved this-I was endlessly gripped, my attention was held through all 830ish pages and I fell deeper in love with this series and the characters and everything in it.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars. Like I said, this book is LONG and part of me feels like it could've been condensed somehow. In saying that, although this is long, I feel like some of the storylines were a bit rushed and sometimes things would happen out of nowhere with little explanation. I think the sheer number of main characters in this book and the fact that they were all spread out all over Luna for most of the book meant that it was a very difficult task to give each storyline proper development, timing, explanation and stead.
Those (very few) complaints aside, I loved this deeply and I had a blast reading it. The length of it was a feat to overcome and a welcome distraction during quarantine and I can't wait to read the last short story in Stars Above tomorrow and mark this as a completed series once and for all.
I love you and your writing and your characters and your world and your originality, Marissa Meyer. Good freaking job on this series. Now I guess it's time for me to go devour Renegades?
This book was a SLOG and so much happened I'm sure I don't even remember half the twists of the plot but I loved this-I was endlessly gripped, my attention was held through all 830ish pages and I fell deeper in love with this series and the characters and everything in it.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars. Like I said, this book is LONG and part of me feels like it could've been condensed somehow. In saying that, although this is long, I feel like some of the storylines were a bit rushed and sometimes things would happen out of nowhere with little explanation. I think the sheer number of main characters in this book and the fact that they were all spread out all over Luna for most of the book meant that it was a very difficult task to give each storyline proper development, timing, explanation and stead.
Those (very few) complaints aside, I loved this deeply and I had a blast reading it. The length of it was a feat to overcome and a welcome distraction during quarantine and I can't wait to read the last short story in Stars Above tomorrow and mark this as a completed series once and for all.
I love you and your writing and your characters and your world and your originality, Marissa Meyer. Good freaking job on this series. Now I guess it's time for me to go devour Renegades?
Reread Feb 2018:
Ok, so I have to bump this up to a 4* read.
I really enjoyed it this time and Winter wasn't as annoying. She is still my least favorite character, but if you don't pay to much attention to her, the rest of the story was really good!
I did feel everything ended a little too nicely, but overall... a good conclusion to a wonderful series :D
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This was my least favorite of the series.
I loved the conclusion of the story, but I just don't really like Winter... she's whiny and annoying, with no real depth of character.
I was glad this book focuses more on the epic conclusion than on her story.
Ok, so I have to bump this up to a 4* read.
I really enjoyed it this time and Winter wasn't as annoying. She is still my least favorite character, but if you don't pay to much attention to her, the rest of the story was really good!
I did feel everything ended a little too nicely, but overall... a good conclusion to a wonderful series :D
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This was my least favorite of the series.
I loved the conclusion of the story, but I just don't really like Winter... she's whiny and annoying, with no real depth of character.
I was glad this book focuses more on the epic conclusion than on her story.
Jamais je ne me lasse de cette saga, et encore moins de cette conclusion. Un vrai coup de cœur !
Feb 2020: Wow they go through some tough shit. I can't even remember how bad things got, but it was super believable. It always seems like they're making things up as they go, which they did. Of course people would be hurt along they way as well. You forget that they're basically kids still. I think it was very well written and thought out. Still one of the best series I've read in a while.
Nov 2015: I'm so happy. This was perfect. ☺️ Definitely one of my favorite series.
Nov 2015: I'm so happy. This was perfect. ☺️ Definitely one of my favorite series.