From the shelf: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

Title: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Date read: April 2, 2018

Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback:

• Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
• Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
• Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Like I said in my last review, I have this feeling that Levana wasn't naturally a cold bitch. I honestly believe that every evil has its reason and surprise, surprise....I was right. Levana's story is somewhat a re-telling of a popular tale, the unknown life of the evil queen in the story Snow White. So should I suspect the next book's protagonist to be a re-telling of Snow White? That I would see. 

Maybe Lunar royalty have this natural evil ambition embedded in their heart. But for the most part I kind of sympathized with what Levana went through while her sister Channary was alive. It even justified my never-ending question through the series as to why Levana abhors Cinder....it justified her evil doings but it doesn't this gives her a free pass to manipulate anyone. She is an epitome of the unwanted sister or the spare tire which everyone ignores. She's the culmination of all the love she wished she had, the attention she never had, and a crown that would never be hers.

I almost sympathized with her.

Almost.

I would've rooted for her like the underdog she has become but it was so hard to. If Channary is the epitome of evil, she's the epitome of deceit and manipulation. She wants everything to be hers. Her insecurity drove her insane. Heck, she's insane. I know I should blame her sister for what happened to her, and she had the power to stop herself from being the one thing she hated the most...but she didn't. She did the worst thing anyone could do to another person: that is to manipulate free will. She even committed murder in pursuit of her ambitions.

I liked her....then I hated her.

....and I loved it.

Till the next read....

From the shelf: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Date read: March 25-April 1, 2018

Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback:

• Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
• Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

I know that I should've finished this novel days ago but reality bites and I had to stop here and there. Anyway...

Just like the books before, this third installment is a re-telling of a popular tale: Rupunzel. Cress is a Lunar shell that has been isolated within a satellite and tasked to spy on the Earthen union which for the most part her task is to trick them. She's doing it so well that no one suspects when in fact she's been secretly helping the "band of misfits" as everyone would say, aboard the Rampion. She was introduced in the 2nd book where the crew were broken apart due to their plan being hijacked, with Scarlet in danger with Lunars.

It's funny how the author made Cress as a lovesick Thorne fangirl and it made me laugh a few times which was both entertaining and embarrassing especially if you're reading the book in a public place. I've always said that Thorne is my favorite character aside from of course, Kai (sorry Ze'ev, you're too cheesy for me though I admire your loyalty and your capacity to love). Thorne has this playful glint in his eye and though I love the fact that Cress is obviously his partner, I'm still a fan of the Thorne/Cinder dynamic. As for Dr. Erland's secret, I've suspected it before it was revealed towards the end of the book which was kinda anti-climactic for me. 

I'm also kind of a believer of the fact that not everything is evil in the first place. I have this feeling that Levana wasn't that evil in the beginning. I couldn't shake off the fact that I can give her the benefit of the doubt though whatever deaths she orchestrated is inexcusable, I really feel that there's a reason behind everything.

I have said in the last two reviews, that the pace was kinda slow which I believe was the buildup the author wants to get everyone hyped for the climax and I'm really glad that everything is being pieced together in this book. Everything is coming together even though not everyone is together. Levana's step daughter is introduced in this book and I suspect that she is going to tell her story in the last installment of the series. 

The last line is my favorite:

"You said that people of Luna need a revolutionary. So I'm going to Luna, and I'm going to start a revolution"

A revolutionary. A revolution.

I know that this has been the theme for all the books in the dystopian genre and what reeled me into the series is the author's unorthodox way to weave a re-telling of childhood tales with science fiction and humor....okay, of romance too.

I need to read Winter now. This is the advantage of having the full series at my disposal: binge-reading it is.

Oh, also...as much as I love Cinder and Kai, well they are canon after all, and the fact that Iko has been publicly harboring a crush on Kai....I would like to see Thorne squirm his way towards Cress more. Scarlet and Ze'ev is kinda okay for me, too romantic for my taste but I like Scarlet's spunk....oh, and I would also love more of Cinder and Thorne's friendship.

Till the next read....

From the shelf: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Date read: March 22-24, 2018

Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback:

• Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Juggling between real life and bookworm life is hard when you're an adult. But I needed to make time for the second book since the ending of Cinder left me wanting more. The good thing about starting this series late is that I wouldn't agonize the waiting period for the next book where I read and wait for a whole year then the cycle repeats once more. There's always time for reading. Always.

I've said this time and time again that the second book in a series is always a make or break for me. Sure the first book captured my attention now the second installment should always reel me in till the end. There are lots of series that disappointed me and I'm glad that this one wasn't one of them. Usually a second book would start where the first left off or in some cases would have a time skip that would be explained later on but this one introduced a whole new character: another re-telling of a popular children's tale, we see Red Riding Hood take life as Scarlet. 

I was taken aback and even thought that the book had a slow start when Scarlet is thrown into the mix but what reeled me in is the way everyone was connected. Sure, I already anticipated that the author went that route but it was fun seeing it unfold before you. Scarlet and Wolf's relationship was okay for me and I'm kind of sorry that my attention weren't with them but I really anticipated Cinder and Thorne's dynamic more. I loved Thorne from the first appearance where he winked at the security camera till the very end. The buildup towards the climax was rather slow for me though I should give it a pass since the author was establishing the characters towards the real climax. Towards the end, when everyone was gathered together REALLY reeled me in because finally, we will get some action. And just before i turn the page, the second book ended. 

Well, played Marissa Meyer. Now, I have to read Cress.

Till the next read....

From the shelf: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Date read: March 20-21, 2018
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

A forbidden romance.

A deadly plague.

Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .

CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I'm finally back and I missed this.

I didn't know what took me so long to finally read this series but I'm glad I did give it a chance. Hey, better late than never right? I would've easily given this 4 stars but the book's progress was a slow burn for me so I gave this 3 1/2 stars.

This is a re-telling of a popular fairy tale infused with elements of the science fiction and dystopian genre. It awed me how the author re-vamped Cinderella into a cyborg mechanic and how she made me curse the stepmother again and love one of Cinder's stepsisters dearly, though I was a bit heartbroken towards the middle. Yes, this was a slow burn for me because maybe I expected too much for the introductory novel that would somehow warp me into a world where I would anticipate the next installment of the series. I am also a bit glad that the middle part caught my attention and though there were scenes where I easily knew who Princess Selene was, it still made me turn the page fast. I loved how the author did build up the story. I hope I could see more of Dr. Erland's backstory and somehow I have this feeling that his daughter Crescent Moon will be vital to the series I hope though that when Kai and Cinder would meet again, there would be no resentment. I tried so hard not to read any spoilers regarding the next books of the series in order to have the element of surprise and now I can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd book.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Date read: April 1-6, 2016
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Timesbestselling Crown of Midnight.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1), Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)

This was a gripping read.

No words can express how much I held my seat and let myself be blown away into Sarah Maas' world courtesy of this book, the 2nd part to be exact (Heir of Fire). The first part (Heir of Ash) was a bit slow on the uptake but I understand that Celaena had to go through all of that to try to accept and move on especially after Nehemia's death looming over her, leaving her friend Dorian and breaking up with Chaol. Coming into Wendlyn on the king's orders was a ruse made by Chaol to get her out of the city and somewhat protect her. Celaena stepping into Wendlyn is not the same confident assassin we once knew. She is a shell of herself operating only on the hope that Meave, the Fae Queen of her mother's bloodline, would somehow give the answers she needs to fuel her upon return to Adarlan, to Chaol and her friend Dorian. But she got more what she bargained for. She got a Fae prince (Rowan) breathing down her neck to train her in exchange for what she seeks. And with that she comes face to face with the fate she had abandoned a decade before the night her family died and her kingdom fell: to reclaim the rightful position as the heir of Terrasen, their queen.

There were new characters in play like Sorscha, Aedion Ashryver and a character whom I think would be one of my favorites: Manon Blackbeak.

I had goosebumps on the part where Celaena reclaimed and succumbed to her fate. The part wehre she was battling the Valg prince and she finally accepted that she is Aelin Galathynius (Galathynius, seriously this name seems like something from the outer space). And Rowan. I knew that she will once again be involved *ahem* romantically *ahem* with someone. Really, Celaena? Really? LOL! I can't wait to read the 4th book.

Till the next read...