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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved returning to this universe sm!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
3.5 stars, rounded up to four because I love all the characters, but especially Thorne!
I will buy this.
if it has Marissa Meyer's name on it, I will buy it. no questions asked.
(fortunately, I haven't read any of these stories, so it'll be all new for me!)
if it has Marissa Meyer's name on it, I will buy it. no questions asked.
(fortunately, I haven't read any of these stories, so it'll be all new for me!)
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Novellas/Short stories and I have an interesting relationship. Unless they directly add something to the main plot of the series, I don’t really seek them out. With STARS ABOVE, I expected new content and the reveal of information I didn’t already know. Instead, I found that these stories only retold what we already knew, just adding more detail.
Every single story in this collection except one is a prequel, which, like I mentioned above, leads to a bored me. We already know what happened to Wolf to make him the way he was. We already know who was in charge of hiding Cinder and how she and Peony got along. We already knew Winter and Jacin were friends and played pretend when they were younger. Why do I have to read it all over again?
I felt like the majority of them just didn’t add anything to the story as a whole, unless I had read this collection before I started the actual series. But that would be pointless because the last story is an epilogue of sorts and would give everything away.
There was also the addition of a story, The Little Android, that was just set in the Lunar Chronicles world and just felt kind of out of place. It was supposed to be a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” but I didn’t totally get it.
Something Old, Something New is the wedding story we have all been waiting for. Except…it’s not. I felt like this story was a bit misleading as the wedding doesn’t involve any of the people who hinted at marriage. It seemed like people were out of character. To be honest, I would have rather the series wrapped up with the ending as it was in WINTER.
The rehashing of plot events we are already privy to won’t pose a problem for die-hard fans. They do flesh out the backgrounds of the characters we have grown to love, but this wasn’t enough for me, personally.
“I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me,
but I will not become a monster myself.”
Every single story in this collection except one is a prequel, which, like I mentioned above, leads to a bored me. We already know what happened to Wolf to make him the way he was. We already know who was in charge of hiding Cinder and how she and Peony got along. We already knew Winter and Jacin were friends and played pretend when they were younger. Why do I have to read it all over again?
I felt like the majority of them just didn’t add anything to the story as a whole, unless I had read this collection before I started the actual series. But that would be pointless because the last story is an epilogue of sorts and would give everything away.
There was also the addition of a story, The Little Android, that was just set in the Lunar Chronicles world and just felt kind of out of place. It was supposed to be a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” but I didn’t totally get it.
Something Old, Something New is the wedding story we have all been waiting for. Except…it’s not. I felt like this story was a bit misleading as the wedding doesn’t involve any of the people who hinted at marriage. It seemed like people were out of character. To be honest, I would have rather the series wrapped up with the ending as it was in WINTER.
“He had wondered why she liked books so much, and if it had anything to do with why he liked spaceships. Because they could take you somewhere far, far away.”
The rehashing of plot events we are already privy to won’t pose a problem for die-hard fans. They do flesh out the backgrounds of the characters we have grown to love, but this wasn’t enough for me, personally.
I THINK THIS IS MY FAVOURITE BOOK IN ALL OF EVER (Pretty much, just about.). I can't even think straight I'm fangirling so much!
It was so beautiful! ALL THE STARS! Forget coherency, I just need to repeat myself over and over again how much I loved this book. It was so perfect! All the stories were incredible, and they all came together and it was brilliant. In case you missed it, this book was incredible. A masterpiece, worth every second I spent reading it, and many more. This book deserves all the stars above. At least a million of them. Oh man, I highly recommend. The characters were perfect, the stories were great, Marissa Meyer never disappoints. I'm so ashamed that I'm late to read the series, but I'm so happy that I've read them because they were absolutely incredible.
If you really want a summary of my feelings about each individual story, then you can click below.
2. Glitches: And the second story was just as good as the first! I love learning more about Cinder, my precious child! She's come so far from this story to the end of Winter. Also, PEONY! She was such a cute child! I love how she just wanted to be friends and play with Cinder, she really didn't understand why Cinder should be set apart or classified as different, and I though that was just fantastic. Also, how she is so sad that she can't cry when Garan is taken away! I swear my heart broke into at least a hundred pieces. This story was so cute!
3. The Queen's Army: I loved this story, but I'm really not emotionally ready to deal with analysing this right now. I was a wreck reading it. It was brilliantly heart-breaking. WOLF!!!!!
4. Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: Stars above. Thorne! He's so perfectly Thorne! The sass, the sneakiness, wit, intelligence, airiness, everything about him! I never ever even imagined what Thorne would be like as a child, but if I had thought about it, this is definitely, completely perfect. The way he swindles people out of their stuff, but he does so in a way that keeps them trusting in him. People keep falling for it, and he pulls it off every time. It was so funny when he was trying to sell the kid the acne product. He's so persuasive and the people are so naïve when it comes to him. Also, when he was trying to figure out if he had a crush on Kate Fallows or just really needed help with his maths homework was absolutely hilarious. His point of view is so honest and forthright, Thorne is just the best!
5. After Sunshine Passes By: Cress is a perfect cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs! She is so optimistic at all times, she really is a little ray of sunshine! She's just so funny and adorable. I loved hearing her backstory. Even though we already know what's happened to her from the other books, reading everything from her perspective was a completely different experience. It gave so much insight into her character. I loved every second of this story. Reflecting on it, there was not a whole lot of content, but I loved reading every second of it nonetheless.
6. The Princess and the Guard: I love Winter. She is great. But, OH MY GOODNESS JACIN!!! He is so cute and protective and the way he loves her unconditionally and looks after her no matter what is actually my most favourite thin ever. So many feels! I love the part when Winter falls in love with him and acts weird for all of three hours before he asks her what's wrong and she goes back to normal. It's so cute how she wants him to notice her (though he already does!) and he is so aware of her that he noticed her acting differently. This couple!!! But my favourite part was definitely the ending. It was brilliant the way Jacin stayed behind to protect her. My heart melted. It was absolutely adorable and I don't know how I can deal with this many feels. They are such a cute couple, I positively adore them!
7. The Little Android: This was a really cute retelling of The Little Mermaid. I loved how it matched the themes of the four main books. Miko was an excellent character, Dataran was perfect, and Star was an excellent choice of perspective to read from. I loved the parallels between it and the original story, it was so cleverly done! I also loved the ending. It was perfect and I was so happy that all the characters got what they wanted and everything worked out in the end. The locket was such a cool idea, it fit in with the story so brilliantly. I only met these characters for roughly a chapter, but that was plenty enough time to fall in love with them. I already miss them! I want to know more about Miko and Dataran's happily ever after!
8. The Mechanic: I LOVED reading the scene where Kai and Cinder first meet from Kai's point of view. The way he tries to figure Cinder out is so adorable! Even from their first meeting he is head over heels, and this is just the cutest thing ever! They're also so awkward and cringy and I love it! She's unlike anything he has ever seen, and I love seeing him try to puzzle her out. When he's contemplating that maybe he needs a new hobby... It was perfect! I also loved how determined he was to find a solution to all of Earth's problems. He's such a good emperor even when he's not the emperor. And his disgust at the idea of a marriage alliance was absolute pure gold!
9: Something Old, Something New: ASDFGHJNJBTVYCYRVTJS!!!!<3<3<3 Argh! I didn't think anything could top the cake scene at the end of Winter, but I was wrong! This was absolutely the most most adorable thing I have ever read! Scarlet and Wolf! Yesyesyes! The wedding was perfect. I loved how Scarlet didn't want the attention, and Wolf was sooo intent on making Scarlet happy. He would have given her whatever she wanted. It was fantastic! And Winter, the way she was taking control of situations with her own whimsy! And Jacin always there being so protective! Cress is so confident now! And she is perfect with Thorne! And speaking of Thorne, his sass is pure gold! Speaking of sass, I couldn't possibly write this review without mentioning Iko! IKO IS THE BESSST!!! And Cinder-Kai! THE! BEST! THING! EVER!!!! I can't even words. That was perfect. Brilliant. Awe-inspiring. That was actually the cutest thing I've ever read. I think I've said that a lot in this review, but this time I actually really mean it. That was definitely the cutest thing I've ever read!
This whole section has been a combination of poor grammar, lack of sentence structure and excessive use of exclamation marks, but it was completely brilliant.
So I would highly recommend this incredible addition to this incredible series!
It was so beautiful! ALL THE STARS! Forget coherency, I just need to repeat myself over and over again how much I loved this book. It was so perfect! All the stories were incredible, and they all came together and it was brilliant. In case you missed it, this book was incredible. A masterpiece, worth every second I spent reading it, and many more. This book deserves all the stars above. At least a million of them. Oh man, I highly recommend. The characters were perfect, the stories were great, Marissa Meyer never disappoints. I'm so ashamed that I'm late to read the series, but I'm so happy that I've read them because they were absolutely incredible.
If you really want a summary of my feelings about each individual story, then you can click below.
Spoiler
1. The keeper: I love Michelle Benoit so much! This story really made me realise that I never appreciated her character anywhere near as much as I should have. I always loved her, but now I really see how truly brilliant and extraordinary she is. And also having the insight into Scarlet's background was wonderful. Even when she was so small she was still the same old Scarlet, spunky, brave and courageous. I really loved reading about these two! It was also interesting to get a better understanding of Cinder's background, and how everything fell in to place for her to be with the Linh family at the start of Cinder. The book kicked of with a bang in this brilliant story!2. Glitches: And the second story was just as good as the first! I love learning more about Cinder, my precious child! She's come so far from this story to the end of Winter. Also, PEONY! She was such a cute child! I love how she just wanted to be friends and play with Cinder, she really didn't understand why Cinder should be set apart or classified as different, and I though that was just fantastic. Also, how she is so sad that she can't cry when Garan is taken away! I swear my heart broke into at least a hundred pieces. This story was so cute!
3. The Queen's Army: I loved this story, but I'm really not emotionally ready to deal with analysing this right now. I was a wreck reading it. It was brilliantly heart-breaking. WOLF!!!!!
4. Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: Stars above. Thorne! He's so perfectly Thorne! The sass, the sneakiness, wit, intelligence, airiness, everything about him! I never ever even imagined what Thorne would be like as a child, but if I had thought about it, this is definitely, completely perfect. The way he swindles people out of their stuff, but he does so in a way that keeps them trusting in him. People keep falling for it, and he pulls it off every time. It was so funny when he was trying to sell the kid the acne product. He's so persuasive and the people are so naïve when it comes to him. Also, when he was trying to figure out if he had a crush on Kate Fallows or just really needed help with his maths homework was absolutely hilarious. His point of view is so honest and forthright, Thorne is just the best!
5. After Sunshine Passes By: Cress is a perfect cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs! She is so optimistic at all times, she really is a little ray of sunshine! She's just so funny and adorable. I loved hearing her backstory. Even though we already know what's happened to her from the other books, reading everything from her perspective was a completely different experience. It gave so much insight into her character. I loved every second of this story. Reflecting on it, there was not a whole lot of content, but I loved reading every second of it nonetheless.
6. The Princess and the Guard: I love Winter. She is great. But, OH MY GOODNESS JACIN!!! He is so cute and protective and the way he loves her unconditionally and looks after her no matter what is actually my most favourite thin ever. So many feels! I love the part when Winter falls in love with him and acts weird for all of three hours before he asks her what's wrong and she goes back to normal. It's so cute how she wants him to notice her (though he already does!) and he is so aware of her that he noticed her acting differently. This couple!!! But my favourite part was definitely the ending. It was brilliant the way Jacin stayed behind to protect her. My heart melted. It was absolutely adorable and I don't know how I can deal with this many feels. They are such a cute couple, I positively adore them!
7. The Little Android: This was a really cute retelling of The Little Mermaid. I loved how it matched the themes of the four main books. Miko was an excellent character, Dataran was perfect, and Star was an excellent choice of perspective to read from. I loved the parallels between it and the original story, it was so cleverly done! I also loved the ending. It was perfect and I was so happy that all the characters got what they wanted and everything worked out in the end. The locket was such a cool idea, it fit in with the story so brilliantly. I only met these characters for roughly a chapter, but that was plenty enough time to fall in love with them. I already miss them! I want to know more about Miko and Dataran's happily ever after!
8. The Mechanic: I LOVED reading the scene where Kai and Cinder first meet from Kai's point of view. The way he tries to figure Cinder out is so adorable! Even from their first meeting he is head over heels, and this is just the cutest thing ever! They're also so awkward and cringy and I love it! She's unlike anything he has ever seen, and I love seeing him try to puzzle her out. When he's contemplating that maybe he needs a new hobby... It was perfect! I also loved how determined he was to find a solution to all of Earth's problems. He's such a good emperor even when he's not the emperor. And his disgust at the idea of a marriage alliance was absolute pure gold!
9: Something Old, Something New: ASDFGHJNJBTVYCYRVTJS!!!!<3<3<3 Argh! I didn't think anything could top the cake scene at the end of Winter, but I was wrong! This was absolutely the most most adorable thing I have ever read! Scarlet and Wolf! Yesyesyes! The wedding was perfect. I loved how Scarlet didn't want the attention, and Wolf was sooo intent on making Scarlet happy. He would have given her whatever she wanted. It was fantastic! And Winter, the way she was taking control of situations with her own whimsy! And Jacin always there being so protective! Cress is so confident now! And she is perfect with Thorne! And speaking of Thorne, his sass is pure gold! Speaking of sass, I couldn't possibly write this review without mentioning Iko! IKO IS THE BESSST!!! And Cinder-Kai! THE! BEST! THING! EVER!!!! I can't even words. That was perfect. Brilliant. Awe-inspiring. That was actually the cutest thing I've ever read. I think I've said that a lot in this review, but this time I actually really mean it. That was definitely the cutest thing I've ever read!
This whole section has been a combination of poor grammar, lack of sentence structure and excessive use of exclamation marks, but it was completely brilliant.
So I would highly recommend this incredible addition to this incredible series!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I loved this book so much! It's a brilliant companion to The Lunar Chronicles series and I loved every one of the stories (especially Something Old, Something New). A wonderful little book that I would recommend to all fans of the Lunar Chronicles.