
If you've been paying attention to what's been going on here at BBB in the last little while (and if you haven't, what's wrong with you?), you know I recently found myself a new favorite YA series. You've probably heard of it because, as it turns out, lots and lots of other bloggers adore it, too. Usually, I shy away from series that get this much hype, but, this time, I'm glad I didn't. Why? Because, y'all, this series just plain rocks. Really. It's true. It's fun, it's original, it's engrossing, it's clean—I mean, seriously, what's not to love?

In case you've been living under a rock (or in a fortified bunker stuffed with canned food and zombie-fighting gear), let me tell you a little about
The Lunar Chronicles by
Marissa Meyer. This genre-bending series (dystopian + sci fi + fairy tale retelling) stars Linh Cinder, a 16-year-old cyborg who lives with her stepmother and stepsisters in the bustling metropolis of New Beijing. As a robot/human mix, she's an outcast who (according to her adoptive family) is only useful for her mechanical skills. With few friends, a deadly plague threatening the city's human citizens and an alien queen hovering above Earth just waiting for her chance to enslave whatever's left of the planet's population, Cinder doesn't have a lot to get excited about. Except running away. Then, Prince Kai stops by her stall in the marketplace and everything changes. For the first time, Cinder feels
seen. And valued. Suddenly, she has a purpose, one she could never have imagined. So begins Cinder's desperate quest to save her planet, her future, and the only man she's ever loved ...
I know, right? And the series is just as good—if not better—than it sounds. The first book, Cinder, is available now. Scarlet, which introduces intriguing new characters and conflicts, releases on February 15. Those of us lucky enough to have read it already can tell you that it's even better than Cinder! The last two books, Cress and Winter, will be published in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Now for the good stuff ...
-- I mentioned fun, new characters in
Scarlet. One of my favorite is Carswell Thorne. To introduce the engaging Mr. Thorne, here's what Marissa Meyer herself has to say:
“Captain” Carswell Thorne only ever reached the rank of Cadet in the American military before
he stole the spaceship on which he was stationed, abandoned his commanding officers, and took
off on a sprint of worldwide thefts that he was sure would lead to an early, luxurious retirement.
His ambitions were cut short, however, when he was captured and imprisoned in New Beijing.
His luck changes when another inmate stumbles into his cell during a jailbreak attempt and
Thorne forms a fast alliance with the infamous Linh Cinder herself. Thorne and Cinder may
not hit it off right away, but Thorne is nothing if not confident in his ability to win the hearts
and loyalty of his crew. Plus, he and Cinder have one important thing in common: they’ve
unwittingly become the most wanted fugitives in the galaxy.
Trust me, the man's a charmer! You're going to love him and the rest of
Scarlet's cast.
-- If you want to give the books a try before buying them (although after reading a little bit of the story, you're going to need the whole thing, trust me), you can download the first five chapters of both
Cinder and
Scarlet to your e-reader for free by using the following links:
Cinder:
http://goo.gl/XqLWG
Scarlet:
http://goo.gl/S2Bcs
(P.S. If you do decide to pre-order
Scarlet—and you should!— you can send in your receipt to get a free
Scarlet-branded lip gloss using
this link.)
-- If you—like me—can't get enough of The Lunar Chronicles and want more, more, more, you can download the following short stories for just .99 each:
Glitches (a prequel; the story of Cinder's adoption):
http://goo.gl/ggtcJ
The Queen's Army (the story of a soldier in the army of the lunar queen):
http://goo.gl/bmX4z
-- And, now, the most exciting news of all: You can win yourself a paperback copy of
Cinder, thanks to the generous folks at
Macmillan. All you have to do is use the handy-dandy
Rafflecopter form below (please note: this is my first time using Rafflecopter, so if something's screwy, let me know). The contest ends on
January 31. It's open to readers with U.S. and Canadian addresses only. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway