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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Levana, is one twisted sister, tortured, and unloved. She barely grows up before she starts her own trail of tears and blood.
A great look behind the scars to see what makes the horror Queen tick. This is her story from the beginning to the present, a story you need to know.
A great look behind the scars to see what makes the horror Queen tick. This is her story from the beginning to the present, a story you need to know.
elcanaldevenecia's review against another edition
3.0
Mother fucker!
I hate her
She's really mean
And even though life made her like that she had no right to that with Ev! Poor guy, poor Winter
I hate her
She's really mean
And even though life made her like that she had no right to that with Ev! Poor guy, poor Winter
laura_mayfair's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent book in the amazing "Lunar Chronicles" series.
What I liked best about "Fairest" is that Levana had many instances where she might have been able to make different choices. She could have been a different person (still with major, major issues but maybe not so entirely evil.)
There were moments when I felt compassion for Levana while simultaneously feeling the horror of who and what she is. This book is the portrait of a disturbed sociopath and it can be an uncomfortable read -- but in a good way. Meyer understands nuance. She has earned a permanent place in my "Best of the Best" category.
Well worth reading.
What I liked best about "Fairest" is that Levana had many instances where she might have been able to make different choices. She could have been a different person (still with major, major issues but maybe not so entirely evil.)
There were moments when I felt compassion for Levana while simultaneously feeling the horror of who and what she is. This book is the portrait of a disturbed sociopath and it can be an uncomfortable read -- but in a good way. Meyer understands nuance. She has earned a permanent place in my "Best of the Best" category.
Well worth reading.
robinhood2000's review against another edition
5.0
Before I felt sorry for Levana a lot more than I did in this reread. I understand that the circumstances of growing up in the court, being manipulated by her sister at such a young age, being scarred, being ostracised by the court and ignored by her parents obviously marked her. BUT! I strongly believe that this is an explanation for her behaviour and not an excuse. She could still choose to do differently.
She could still choose to see that Everet does not love her( she basically forces him to have sex with her since she is 16, consecutively raping him and forcing him to stay around, she doesn’t take no for an answer).
She felt no sorrow over “killing” Selene the same way she was hurt by her sister, she even finds it fitting. So sick how you could wish that kind of pain unto someone.
She found it necessary to kill Everet once she realised 1) he never really loved her 2) she should marry for alliance to get earth. She does feel sad BUT COMMON! SHE HIRED THE MURDERER!
Overall the reread left me with mixed feelings. I love the book and I feel less sympathetic towards Levana now but mostly I’m just sad that Solstice, Everet, Winter and Selene (she might have become bad, she might have become kind like Winter) was not just left alone. She ruined so many lives.
Earlier review:
The lunar chronicles is one of my favorite series ever. I even have a tattoo with a quote from one of the books, that is how important this series is to me. The first really good sci-fi series I read. Recommend for everyone. It is more than just a fairytale retelling, it is wholly original and fantastic.
She could still choose to see that Everet does not love her( she basically forces him to have sex with her since she is 16, consecutively raping him and forcing him to stay around, she doesn’t take no for an answer).
She felt no sorrow over “killing” Selene the same way she was hurt by her sister, she even finds it fitting. So sick how you could wish that kind of pain unto someone.
She found it necessary to kill Everet once she realised 1) he never really loved her 2) she should marry for alliance to get earth. She does feel sad BUT COMMON! SHE HIRED THE MURDERER!
Overall the reread left me with mixed feelings. I love the book and I feel less sympathetic towards Levana now but mostly I’m just sad that Solstice, Everet, Winter and Selene (she might have become bad, she might have become kind like Winter) was not just left alone. She ruined so many lives.
Earlier review:
The lunar chronicles is one of my favorite series ever. I even have a tattoo with a quote from one of the books, that is how important this series is to me. The first really good sci-fi series I read. Recommend for everyone. It is more than just a fairytale retelling, it is wholly original and fantastic.
uutopicaa's review against another edition
3.0
Habrán notado que el número es 3,5. Para los que no conocen el libro, Fairest es un título corto que cuenta el pasado de la reina Levana. La autora lo coloca entre Cress y Winter, pero yo creo que se puede leer en cualquier momento luego de Cinder.
Fairest nos habla de la infancia de la reina Levana; de la relación con su hermana (madre de la princesa Selene), de su adolescencia, el motivo por el cual utiliza un glamour en particular, su amor por uno de los guardias del palacio, etc. En otras palabras, cómo llegó a ser la villana de la historia.
El libro es realmente interesante. La autora supo contarnos una buena historia en la que devela varios misterios que no son explicados en la saga central. De hecho, hay varias partes de este libro que se menconan en Winter, y que si no han podido leer Fairest les parecerán incompletas.
No sé si la intención de la autora haya sido “darle una excusa” a la reina para que no la odiemos tanto, pero de ser así, no lo logró. Fairest, lejos de emocionar al lector a favor de Levana, nos muestra que siempre ha tenido tendencias malvadas gracias a las influencias recibidas de niña.
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba. Y hubiese deseado que los diseñadores de la tapa la hubiesen hecho combinar con el resto de la saga.
Si quieren leer la reseña completa, los invito a pasar por mi blog http://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2016/09/resena-fairest-marissa-meyer-las.html
Fairest nos habla de la infancia de la reina Levana; de la relación con su hermana (madre de la princesa Selene), de su adolescencia, el motivo por el cual utiliza un glamour en particular, su amor por uno de los guardias del palacio, etc. En otras palabras, cómo llegó a ser la villana de la historia.
El libro es realmente interesante. La autora supo contarnos una buena historia en la que devela varios misterios que no son explicados en la saga central. De hecho, hay varias partes de este libro que se menconan en Winter, y que si no han podido leer Fairest les parecerán incompletas.
No sé si la intención de la autora haya sido “darle una excusa” a la reina para que no la odiemos tanto, pero de ser así, no lo logró. Fairest, lejos de emocionar al lector a favor de Levana, nos muestra que siempre ha tenido tendencias malvadas gracias a las influencias recibidas de niña.
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba. Y hubiese deseado que los diseñadores de la tapa la hubiesen hecho combinar con el resto de la saga.
Si quieren leer la reseña completa, los invito a pasar por mi blog http://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2016/09/resena-fairest-marissa-meyer-las.html
callieju's review against another edition
4.0
This was probably the best written villain orgin story i’ve read! I love that it makes you understand why Levana is how she is but does not make you feel like her actions are okay. It was super interesting and sets the stage for the next book!
ngallion's review against another edition
4.0
Man, this book is icky. Part of me wants to rate it lower because of how uncomfortable it makes me feel. The other part wants to rate it higher for the same reason. If you’re worried that this book will make you feel empathy for Levana, don’t. Yes, it’s clear that she had some bad things happen to her, but it’s also clear that she’s a psychopath. There’s never a real point in this story where she tries to do what’s right so you’re not going to finish it and say “I feel so bad for her!” The things she does here range from cringeworthy to straight up evil.
Because of the nature of this story, there’s nobody to root for and no hope that things are going to turn out well for anybody involved. We already know they aren’t! If you need clear protagonists, look elsewhere. Still, the story told here is effective and does a good job at fleshing out some of the why’s of Levana’s actions and motivations. If that’s what you want, you won’t be disappointed with Fairest.
Because of the nature of this story, there’s nobody to root for and no hope that things are going to turn out well for anybody involved. We already know they aren’t! If you need clear protagonists, look elsewhere. Still, the story told here is effective and does a good job at fleshing out some of the why’s of Levana’s actions and motivations. If that’s what you want, you won’t be disappointed with Fairest.
kaulhilo's review against another edition
5.0
She cried for the girl who had never belonged. A girl who tried so hard, harder than anyone else, and still never had anything to show for it. A girl who had been certain that Evret loved her and only her, and now she couldn’t even remember what that certainty felt like.
what the actual hell WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL WAS THIS BOOK i was crying from the second i started it and (look) it's hours gone and im still freaking crying??? What On God's Name Is This Book??? I WANTED TO HATE LEVANA I WANTED TO HATE HER ALL MY LIFE BUT BUT BuT bUT bUt looks like SOMEONE made that impossible HUhH
oh my god
oh my GoD what did i just read i feel like my heart is breaking shattering crackling dying burning i feel dead i feel like i want to burn, bright, and then gone
oh my god
holy hell
seventh circle of hell
what is this book
oh my god
what the actual hell WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL WAS THIS BOOK i was crying from the second i started it and (look) it's hours gone and im still freaking crying??? What On God's Name Is This Book??? I WANTED TO HATE LEVANA I WANTED TO HATE HER ALL MY LIFE BUT BUT BuT bUT bUt looks like SOMEONE made that impossible HUhH
oh my god
oh my GoD what did i just read i feel like my heart is breaking shattering crackling dying burning i feel dead i feel like i want to burn, bright, and then gone
oh my god
holy hell
seventh circle of hell
what is this book
oh my god
myleejmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In Fairest by Marissa Meyer, young princess Levana faces the hardest trial of her spoiled life: unreciprocated love. When her ambition to find a companion turns into manipulation of someone who refuses to adore her as much as she adores him, she starts down the deep and dark path of denial, anger, and villainy.
When I first bought Fairest, I didn't realize it was meant to be read between books three and four of The Lunar Chronicles. However, my late readthrough didn't make the story any more difficult to understand. As always, Meyer does a phenomenal job of crafting vivid characterization, advanced worldbuilding, and bone-deep motives for every aspect of the storyline. It was a joy to see the stories told through the original series expanded into the heart of this backstory. Readers don't have enough villain origin stories and reading about Levana's past made me want even more stories with villains at the forefront.
The reason I rated this novella four stars was because of two things: one, the descriptions of the setting and the people weren't as profound or in depth as I would have liked. While a few characters were described, such physical descriptions were rare. Rarer still were details informing the setting, which I feel would've enhanced the storyline even further. Two: the villain was absolutely, undeniably evil.
"But Mylee!" you might say, "it's a villain origin story; of course they're evil." Which is fine, considering how Levana was shown to grow up in (hinted at) the past of the narrative. I do understand. However, I find myself more drawn to villains who become what they are throughout the course of the story as it plays out on paper. The late revelation as to why Queen Levana became a villain deterred me, rather than drawing me in.
Otherwise, this novel was a wonderful addition to the Lunar universe!
When I first bought Fairest, I didn't realize it was meant to be read between books three and four of The Lunar Chronicles. However, my late readthrough didn't make the story any more difficult to understand. As always, Meyer does a phenomenal job of crafting vivid characterization, advanced worldbuilding, and bone-deep motives for every aspect of the storyline. It was a joy to see the stories told through the original series expanded into the heart of this backstory. Readers don't have enough villain origin stories and reading about Levana's past made me want even more stories with villains at the forefront.
The reason I rated this novella four stars was because of two things: one, the descriptions of the setting and the people weren't as profound or in depth as I would have liked. While a few characters were described, such physical descriptions were rare. Rarer still were details informing the setting, which I feel would've enhanced the storyline even further. Two: the villain was absolutely, undeniably evil.
"But Mylee!" you might say, "it's a villain origin story; of course they're evil." Which is fine, considering how Levana was shown to grow up in (hinted at) the past of the narrative. I do understand. However, I find myself more drawn to villains who become what they are throughout the course of the story as it plays out on paper. The late revelation as to why Queen Levana became a villain deterred me, rather than drawing me in.
Otherwise, this novel was a wonderful addition to the Lunar universe!