Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
I dove right into Winter after finishing Cress and was so excited to see the conclusion of this series but ended up being somewhat disappointed after finishing it.
Things I liked:
- The cover. It's the best of the series for me, hands down. It's gorgeous!!!
- Cress and Thorne. There was not enough of them for me in this book, not even close.
- Finishing the series and finding out what happens to everyone, especially for Cress and Thorne (obviously!).
- Learning more about Levana's backstory.
Things I didn't like:
- World-building is definitely a weak spot. I really wanted to see/feel/experience Luna now that we finally get a whole book taking place there. Brief descriptions of rooms and a district or two (definitely had a Hunger Games/Panem vibe) were given but it came across as bare minimum. Just enough to get by.
- Pacing. Clocking in a 800+ pages, Winter is unnecessarily long. Don't get me wrong, I love chunky books but one of the things that's so amazing when it works, is that it doesn't FEEL long when you're in the thick of it. Not the case for the final installment. Winter felt so longgggggggg.
- Ending. While the majority of the book crawled at a snails pace, the ending zipped by far too quickly for me. It felt like Meyer woke up one day and said, "I'm so tired of writing this book, let's just end it today!" Also, the resolution for Winter's lunar sickness = HARD PASS.
- Levana's true form. The way her burn injuries were described was appalling. Is she a horrible person? Yes, 100%. Does her disfigurement need to be put on display for the whole planet and reveled in? NO. If Cinder had gone into what a terrible person Levana is (and she did somewhat) that would've been perfect. For a beat it just felt like Levana was brought down another peg because of her disfigurement alone. And when we eventually learn how it happened, it made me dislike Cinder's reaction even more.
- The lack of Cress in this book! I know this was Winter's book and had the gigantic task of closing out the series, but I wanted/needed more Cress and Thorne!!!
3 conflicted stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Things I liked:
- The cover. It's the best of the series for me, hands down. It's gorgeous!!!
- Cress and Thorne. There was not enough of them for me in this book, not even close.
- Finishing the series and finding out what happens to everyone, especially for Cress and Thorne (obviously!).
- Learning more about Levana's backstory.
Things I didn't like:
- World-building is definitely a weak spot. I really wanted to see/feel/experience Luna now that we finally get a whole book taking place there. Brief descriptions of rooms and a district or two (definitely had a Hunger Games/Panem vibe) were given but it came across as bare minimum. Just enough to get by.
- Pacing. Clocking in a 800+ pages, Winter is unnecessarily long. Don't get me wrong, I love chunky books but one of the things that's so amazing when it works, is that it doesn't FEEL long when you're in the thick of it. Not the case for the final installment. Winter felt so longgggggggg.
- Ending. While the majority of the book crawled at a snails pace, the ending zipped by far too quickly for me. It felt like Meyer woke up one day and said, "I'm so tired of writing this book, let's just end it today!" Also, the resolution for Winter's lunar sickness = HARD PASS.
- Levana's true form. The way her burn injuries were described was appalling. Is she a horrible person? Yes, 100%. Does her disfigurement need to be put on display for the whole planet and reveled in? NO. If Cinder had gone into what a terrible person Levana is (and she did somewhat) that would've been perfect. For a beat it just felt like Levana was brought down another peg because of her disfigurement alone. And when we eventually learn how it happened, it made me dislike Cinder's reaction even more.
- The lack of Cress in this book! I know this was Winter's book and had the gigantic task of closing out the series, but I wanted/needed more Cress and Thorne!!!
3 conflicted stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Update (11/23/2015): I'm adjusting my rating up on this because I'm reading Vampire Academy and realizing how HARD it is to write GOOD YA. And this is pretty much GREAT YA.
I want to add a note about why I think this series is so good. I read a lot of fantasy YA. This one is particularly good because it is consistently fun and entertaining and gives you feels, as good YA should be and do. But on top of that, it's really creative, subtly weaving the elements of classic fairy tales into a great future fantasy/sci-fi plot. And not the Disney-fied fairy tales, the Grimm tales, which are altogether darker, stranger, and more intense. Another thing I loved is that the typical damsels in distress are here the agents of change--they come up with the big plans and execute them; they fight and scrabble and strain to save the day. They are the heroes of their own stories. I love that. The one negative thing I'll say, though, is that sometimes it's hard to tell the four heroes apart on the page. Cinder reads a lot like Scarlet, Cress reads a lot like Winter. There could have been greater separation between the characters. The characters are, however, great overall and not just our four heroes. This is also the rare series that got better with each new book. It was great to delve deep into this story, especially with the 800-page fourth book. Having already spent so much time with them, the story swept me along with them. It was great fun and I'm sad to leave them and their world behind. I should also mention, these books got me through very difficult late night nursing sessions--they kept me up and entertained enough of my brain to keep me somewhat sane in the middle of the night.
I want to add a note about why I think this series is so good. I read a lot of fantasy YA. This one is particularly good because it is consistently fun and entertaining and gives you feels, as good YA should be and do. But on top of that, it's really creative, subtly weaving the elements of classic fairy tales into a great future fantasy/sci-fi plot. And not the Disney-fied fairy tales, the Grimm tales, which are altogether darker, stranger, and more intense. Another thing I loved is that the typical damsels in distress are here the agents of change--they come up with the big plans and execute them; they fight and scrabble and strain to save the day. They are the heroes of their own stories. I love that. The one negative thing I'll say, though, is that sometimes it's hard to tell the four heroes apart on the page. Cinder reads a lot like Scarlet, Cress reads a lot like Winter. There could have been greater separation between the characters. The characters are, however, great overall and not just our four heroes. This is also the rare series that got better with each new book. It was great to delve deep into this story, especially with the 800-page fourth book. Having already spent so much time with them, the story swept me along with them. It was great fun and I'm sad to leave them and their world behind. I should also mention, these books got me through very difficult late night nursing sessions--they kept me up and entertained enough of my brain to keep me somewhat sane in the middle of the night.
fast-paced
Winter was a surprizingly fast read for being 800 pages, each scene capturing my attention. over the four books of the lunar chronicles I became really attached to the chraectars and that is part of why I love so much. I wanted to rank my favorite relationships between each "princess" and her boo.
In last place is Winter and Jacin, mostly because you don't get to see very much of their relationship and because it is less high-stakes than the others. In third place is Scarlet and Wolf, not because I don't think their a good match or anything, but because they don't have the witty scenes that the other 2 do, instead they have a lot of golden retriever moments that I don't necessarily mind. in 2nd place is Cinder and Kai, because they have a lot of cute moments and very high stakes but they aren't first because you don't get to see their relationship in the 2nd and 3rd books. in first place is Cress and Thorne, mainly because of two scenes that i was shooken by, the whole trip from the satellite through the desert and the thing where Thorne is glamored into thinking another girl is cress and just the dynamics of that whole scene.
In last place is Winter and Jacin, mostly because you don't get to see very much of their relationship and because it is less high-stakes than the others. In third place is Scarlet and Wolf, not because I don't think their a good match or anything, but because they don't have the witty scenes that the other 2 do, instead they have a lot of golden retriever moments that I don't necessarily mind. in 2nd place is Cinder and Kai, because they have a lot of cute moments and very high stakes but they aren't first because you don't get to see their relationship in the 2nd and 3rd books. in first place is Cress and Thorne, mainly because of two scenes that i was shooken by, the whole trip from the satellite through the desert and the thing where Thorne is glamored into thinking another girl is cress and just the dynamics of that whole scene.
I would give this one 3.5 stars. Again, great characters and great links to the original fairy tales. This book, however, seems to wander a good deal, dragging our heroes back and forth all over Luna chasing mcguffins to move the plot along. I noticed this tendency too in [b:Cress|13206828|Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)|Marissa Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470057005l/13206828._SY75_.jpg|18390772], but it did not seem to be quite as forced as it was in Winter. That said, I was very pleased that the ending wasn't too easy and that the fates of the couples and characters were handled realistically (given that this is of course futuristic fantasy after all). Cress and Thorne were probably my favorite couple of the whole series, though individually I thought Winter's character was the most intriguing. I appreciate story-telling that gives its characters flaws enough to find them annoying even as you are rooting for them to succeed.
A stunning conclusion to a fantastic series - I'm honestly so upset that it's over :( but at the same time really glad that this last installment was as fulfilling and satisfying as i had hoped it would be.
3.5 but I'm rounding up because the series as a whole was good. Maybe quartets are better than trilogies for story arc?
Que hermosa saga, amé cada uno de sus libros, pero este sobrepasó todo, no paró un segundo. Fue en subida, cada capítulo lleno de adrenalina, no podía soltarlo. Hermoso.
Bueno, por fin termine de leer esta saga, que en conjunto creo que es una saga de 4 estrellas enteramente. Creo que si esperaba mas de este cierre, pero, aunque esperaba mas, no me decepcionó, pues en los momentos claves no lograba parar de leer y me mantenía pegado pensando en que cosas podrían llegar a pasar.
**RESEÑA**
Este libro inicia literalmente donde nos dejó el final de Cress, todos planeando el siguiente paso y la manera de derrocar a Levana como la reina de Luna y poner a Selene (aka Cinder) en ese trono. Y como en las otras entregas de esta saga, en esta ocasión conocemos a otra protagonista femenina: Winter, ya habíamos escuchado de ella en las novelas anteriores. Una vez todos llegan a Luna nada sale como lo tenían previsto, pero se logra armar toda la revolución de mano de todos.
**OPINIÓN**
Debo decir que en orden de cual me gustó al que menos la cosa quedaría así: Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Cinder. Y en ese mismo orden es mi cariño hacia las 4 protagonistas.
Ahora si hablando como tal de libro, creo que es un libro que si logra meterte como tal en la historia y logras ver crecer a todos los personajes, logras encariñarte mas de los que ya amabas y logras odiar a los que ya odiabas anteriormente. Como tal sentí que la primera mitad del libro fue eso: cocinarnos todo y hasta hacerlo explotar y es ahí donde creo que las expectativas me fallaron, sentí que la autora cocinó tanto el momento que esperé mas. Debo decir que aunque no quisiera que alguien muriera, creo que de alguna forma podrían haber sufrido un poco mas.
Hablando de los personajes: siempre amaré a Scarlet de mi corazon y a Thorne. Thorne era el único de los protagonistas masculinos que confiaba lo suficiente en su novia como para dejarle crecer individualmente, los otros pendejos creían que necesitaban de ellos para poder existir. Scarlet siempre amé su independencia y su inteligencia. Cinder me desespera y jamás la escogería como reina, a decir verdad esperaba que hacia el final decidiera dejar a Winter como reina de Luna. la pequeña Cress, FUCK DAMN, por ella todos están vivos gracias a ella hubo revolución, amé su evolución aunque tiene mas confianza una hormiga que ella, la muy perra fue la que los llevo adonde llegaron.
EN CONCLUSION, ES UNA SAGA QUE ME GUSTO MUCHÍSIMO, CON UNOS PERSONAJES EXCELENTES QUE VAN ADQUIRIENDO MUCHA MAS PROFUNDIDAD A MEDIDA VAN PASANDO LOS LIBROS. AUNQUE ESPERABA UN LIBRO FINAL UN POCO MAS EMOCIONANTE, LA BATALLA FINAL ME GUSTÓ Y LOGRO TENERME EN SUSPENSO, ME HIZO RECORDAR MUCHO AL EPISODIO DE LA LARGA NOCHE DE GAME OF THRONES: REZANDO Y CONFUNDIDO A VER QUIEN HABIA MUERTO. RECOMENDADA LA SAGA.
**RESEÑA**
Este libro inicia literalmente donde nos dejó el final de Cress, todos planeando el siguiente paso y la manera de derrocar a Levana como la reina de Luna y poner a Selene (aka Cinder) en ese trono. Y como en las otras entregas de esta saga, en esta ocasión conocemos a otra protagonista femenina: Winter, ya habíamos escuchado de ella en las novelas anteriores. Una vez todos llegan a Luna nada sale como lo tenían previsto, pero se logra armar toda la revolución de mano de todos.
**OPINIÓN**
Debo decir que en orden de cual me gustó al que menos la cosa quedaría así: Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Cinder. Y en ese mismo orden es mi cariño hacia las 4 protagonistas.
Ahora si hablando como tal de libro, creo que es un libro que si logra meterte como tal en la historia y logras ver crecer a todos los personajes, logras encariñarte mas de los que ya amabas y logras odiar a los que ya odiabas anteriormente. Como tal sentí que la primera mitad del libro fue eso: cocinarnos todo y hasta hacerlo explotar y es ahí donde creo que las expectativas me fallaron, sentí que la autora cocinó tanto el momento que esperé mas. Debo decir que aunque no quisiera que alguien muriera, creo que de alguna forma podrían haber sufrido un poco mas.
Hablando de los personajes: siempre amaré a Scarlet de mi corazon y a Thorne. Thorne era el único de los protagonistas masculinos que confiaba lo suficiente en su novia como para dejarle crecer individualmente, los otros pendejos creían que necesitaban de ellos para poder existir. Scarlet siempre amé su independencia y su inteligencia. Cinder me desespera y jamás la escogería como reina, a decir verdad esperaba que hacia el final decidiera dejar a Winter como reina de Luna. la pequeña Cress, FUCK DAMN, por ella todos están vivos gracias a ella hubo revolución, amé su evolución aunque tiene mas confianza una hormiga que ella, la muy perra fue la que los llevo adonde llegaron.
EN CONCLUSION, ES UNA SAGA QUE ME GUSTO MUCHÍSIMO, CON UNOS PERSONAJES EXCELENTES QUE VAN ADQUIRIENDO MUCHA MAS PROFUNDIDAD A MEDIDA VAN PASANDO LOS LIBROS. AUNQUE ESPERABA UN LIBRO FINAL UN POCO MAS EMOCIONANTE, LA BATALLA FINAL ME GUSTÓ Y LOGRO TENERME EN SUSPENSO, ME HIZO RECORDAR MUCHO AL EPISODIO DE LA LARGA NOCHE DE GAME OF THRONES: REZANDO Y CONFUNDIDO A VER QUIEN HABIA MUERTO. RECOMENDADA LA SAGA.
A whopper of a final book in this fairy tale retelling. It amazes me how quick this 900+ pages went down. It is full of action which, to be honest, I tend to skim through so that helped. The characters are great and the story wraps up nice and neat. I have recommended this several times already and will continue to do so to YA series fans.
Satisfying conclusion, though I wish the book were shorter!