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tkatt20's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.5
After finishing this book, I'm starting to see why this is such a popular series. The addition of Cress’s POV added to much to the story and I felt like I finally could enjoy the plot rather than being so confused by the world building now that I sort of know the writing style and the characters more. With that being said, I think this book does so many things right that I find other books fall short. This series has one of the best formulas for multiple points of view that I have ever read. The chapters are short enough that I don’t get bored quickly and the characters are extremely likable and all so different that each one is interesting to read about. I also really like that the chapters aren’t labeled for which character it’s about so I don’t find myself getting distracted wanting to know when my favorite character will come up again, which means every so often you have a couple chapters in a row from the same POV that it gets rid of the big cliff hangers when switching back that many other books have. One huge plus for me about this book is that it stayed away from the “right place, wrong time” trope that I see when characters are trying to meet up again after being separated. There were so many chances that could have happened here but it never did which is a huge part of why I rated it much higher.
This easily could have been a 5 star read for me but I can’t ignore all the questions the first 2 books left me with. While a few of my curiosities were satisfied with this story, I still wish I knew more about the androids and the war that is talked about so much in this series, and I don’t think I’ll be getting that with the next book that follows this one either. I also found myself wishing for a chapter or two from Wolf’s POV, especially after what happened with Scarlet right in the beginning. I think it would have been so interesting to know what he was thinking through that situation and it would have given the opportunity for more information on his past and his emotions, aside from what we learned in Scarlet.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and I can’t wait to read about Winter in the next one. I love how you get a taste of her story in the books prior, just like with Cress in the first book, and I already find her so interesting. All in all, I will definitely be finishing this series and I may even be motivated to read the short stories that were also written for this series.
This easily could have been a 5 star read for me but I can’t ignore all the questions the first 2 books left me with. While a few of my curiosities were satisfied with this story, I still wish I knew more about the androids and the war that is talked about so much in this series, and I don’t think I’ll be getting that with the next book that follows this one either. I also found myself wishing for a chapter or two from Wolf’s POV, especially after what happened with Scarlet right in the beginning. I think it would have been so interesting to know what he was thinking through that situation and it would have given the opportunity for more information on his past and his emotions, aside from what we learned in Scarlet.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and I can’t wait to read about Winter in the next one. I love how you get a taste of her story in the books prior, just like with Cress in the first book, and I already find her so interesting. All in all, I will definitely be finishing this series and I may even be motivated to read the short stories that were also written for this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Torture and Trafficking
mndy's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
This book is definitely my favorite out of the series so far; Cress is such an amazing addition, and seeing different romances play out in their own dynamic was so enjoyable. Thorne will always remain one of my favorite characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Murder
empathephant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Medical content
Moderate: Violence and Blood
theartsybookwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Needles,brynn_books's review against another edition
4.5
”It always came back to love. More than freedom, more than acceptance - love. True love, like they sang about in the second era. The kind that filled up a person's soul. The kind that lent itself to dramatic gestures and sacrifices. The kind that was irresistible and all-encompassing.”
*I have broken this review up into sections: Writing, Plot, Characters, Pace, Setting, and then the retelling aspect (basically how good of a Rapunzel retelling it was)
Writing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really like Marissa Meyer's writing style. It's really easy to read and it makes understanding the world so much easier. She really has a simplistic way of writing that can grip a reader in and make them want to continue reading because the writing is so beautiful.
She writes some of my favorite quotes and this is one of my favorite books because of all those memorable quotes.
Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The plot is finally coming together. Cinder is coming up with a plan to rid Levana of this Earth and take back her Lunar crown. Everyone is separated and they all need to come back together to execute the final piece of the plan.
Reading this book makes me more excited for the finale, Winter, so I can see how these plans are executed and whether they succeed or not.
”The same stars she'd known all her life, and yet now they were spread out like a blanket over her. Now there was an entire sky and an entire world ready to engulf her.”
Characters
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
I love all the new characters that we were introduced to. Cress is everything and I really felt like I related to her on some aspects. She is always dreaming and romanticizing everything which is something I also tend to do.
She was also shy and awkward but still fierce when she needed to be. She survived the desert and she survived Sybil which is no easy feat.
The character of Princess Winter really intrigued me. I don't know if I like her or not but she seems like a really interesting character and I am so excited to continue learning more about her in the next book.
I was suspicious of Jacin and I don't like him. I honestly, have no idea who's side he is on but he seems like he really cares about Princess Winter so it seems like he's on her side so I guess we'll just have to find out in the next book.
The reason i gave this section 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars was because of Wolf. He really annoyed me throughout this whole book. All he was focused on was Scarlet and nothing else. He barely helped them come up with a plan because he was brooding over Scarlet. If he really loved he, he should have helped them come up with a plan so they can hopefully save Scarlet.
Pace
⭐⭐⭐✨
The beginning and end of this book moved at a very fast pace where so much was happening at once that it did tend to get a little confusing at times. But the middle of the book was so slow.
The middle of the book was when everyone was separated from each other and they were trying to find their way back to each other. I get that it was going to take a long time to get back to each other but I just wish that other stuff happened during that time. It felt liek the entire middle section of the book were filler chapters.
”That was why Levana despised mirrors so much, but Cinder found her reflection almost comforting. The shopkeeper called her brave and beautiful. Jacin called her blinding. It was kind of nice to know that they were both wrong. She was still just Cinder.”
Setting
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was really interesting to discover new places in the world. Thats what's so interesting about this book series. Each book takes place in a different setting. The first book was set in the Commonwealth. The second book was set in Paris. This book was set in Africa.
Africa is definitely not one of my favorite settings but I still enjoyed getting to see more of a different culture and how different people lived in this terrible world. It seems that Africa has more Lunars than most Earthen societies. Africa was the origin for the plague so it makes sense why so many Lunars would be in Africa.
This book also featured the first glimpse into Luna so that was pretty interesting., I'm sure in the next book, we will be able to get a full glimpse of Luna.
Retelling
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was really interesting to see the parallels between Rapunzel (Tangled) and this book. Cress was locked in a spaceship for seven years and then Thorne was the one who saved her, like Flynn Rider saved Rapunzel.
They then went on an adventure as Cress was discovering Earth for the first time and then Thorne went blind, just like Flynn Rider.
Instead of Cress having magical healing tears like Rapunzel, she did it the traditional way with eye drops so hopefully Thorne regains his vision in the last book.
I think the retelling aspect of these books are done in a very cool and clever way. I like how they are all connected to each other. It's also weird how in this book, all the main characters seem to be secretly Lunar or at least connected to Luna in some way. Luna is the center of all their problems!
Well, that concludes my review. I hope you liked it and found it very helpful. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to continue on with this series by reading the final installment of the Lunar Chronicles, Winter.
*I have broken this review up into sections: Writing, Plot, Characters, Pace, Setting, and then the retelling aspect (basically how good of a Rapunzel retelling it was)
Writing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really like Marissa Meyer's writing style. It's really easy to read and it makes understanding the world so much easier. She really has a simplistic way of writing that can grip a reader in and make them want to continue reading because the writing is so beautiful.
She writes some of my favorite quotes and this is one of my favorite books because of all those memorable quotes.
Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The plot is finally coming together. Cinder is coming up with a plan to rid Levana of this Earth and take back her Lunar crown. Everyone is separated and they all need to come back together to execute the final piece of the plan.
Reading this book makes me more excited for the finale, Winter, so I can see how these plans are executed and whether they succeed or not.
”The same stars she'd known all her life, and yet now they were spread out like a blanket over her. Now there was an entire sky and an entire world ready to engulf her.”
Characters
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
I love all the new characters that we were introduced to. Cress is everything and I really felt like I related to her on some aspects. She is always dreaming and romanticizing everything which is something I also tend to do.
She was also shy and awkward but still fierce when she needed to be. She survived the desert and she survived Sybil which is no easy feat.
The character of Princess Winter really intrigued me. I don't know if I like her or not but she seems like a really interesting character and I am so excited to continue learning more about her in the next book.
I was suspicious of Jacin and I don't like him. I honestly, have no idea who's side he is on but he seems like he really cares about Princess Winter so it seems like he's on her side so I guess we'll just have to find out in the next book.
The reason i gave this section 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars was because of Wolf. He really annoyed me throughout this whole book. All he was focused on was Scarlet and nothing else. He barely helped them come up with a plan because he was brooding over Scarlet. If he really loved he, he should have helped them come up with a plan so they can hopefully save Scarlet.
Pace
⭐⭐⭐✨
The beginning and end of this book moved at a very fast pace where so much was happening at once that it did tend to get a little confusing at times. But the middle of the book was so slow.
The middle of the book was when everyone was separated from each other and they were trying to find their way back to each other. I get that it was going to take a long time to get back to each other but I just wish that other stuff happened during that time. It felt liek the entire middle section of the book were filler chapters.
”That was why Levana despised mirrors so much, but Cinder found her reflection almost comforting. The shopkeeper called her brave and beautiful. Jacin called her blinding. It was kind of nice to know that they were both wrong. She was still just Cinder.”
Setting
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was really interesting to discover new places in the world. Thats what's so interesting about this book series. Each book takes place in a different setting. The first book was set in the Commonwealth. The second book was set in Paris. This book was set in Africa.
Africa is definitely not one of my favorite settings but I still enjoyed getting to see more of a different culture and how different people lived in this terrible world. It seems that Africa has more Lunars than most Earthen societies. Africa was the origin for the plague so it makes sense why so many Lunars would be in Africa.
This book also featured the first glimpse into Luna so that was pretty interesting., I'm sure in the next book, we will be able to get a full glimpse of Luna.
Retelling
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was really interesting to see the parallels between Rapunzel (Tangled) and this book. Cress was locked in a spaceship for seven years and then Thorne was the one who saved her, like Flynn Rider saved Rapunzel.
They then went on an adventure as Cress was discovering Earth for the first time and then Thorne went blind, just like Flynn Rider.
Instead of Cress having magical healing tears like Rapunzel, she did it the traditional way with eye drops so hopefully Thorne regains his vision in the last book.
I think the retelling aspect of these books are done in a very cool and clever way. I like how they are all connected to each other. It's also weird how in this book, all the main characters seem to be secretly Lunar or at least connected to Luna in some way. Luna is the center of all their problems!
Well, that concludes my review. I hope you liked it and found it very helpful. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to continue on with this series by reading the final installment of the Lunar Chronicles, Winter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Blood, Confinement, and Trafficking
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