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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

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30 / 30 books. 100% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

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My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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44 / 50 books. 88% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


36 / 50 books. 72% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

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52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

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50 / 52 books. 96% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

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35 / 40 books. 88% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


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2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

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21 / 25 books. 84% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

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17 / 26.2 miles (3rd lap). 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

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38 / 100 books. 38% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

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91 / 104 books. 88% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

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124 / 165 books. 75% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

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76 / 100 names. 76% done!
Wednesday, January 18, 2017

"Re-Booted" Fairy Tale Series Comes to an Exciting, Satisfying End

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Winter, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Lunar Chronicles novels.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Queen Levana's mesmerizing beauty is legendary.  So is that of her stepdaughter, Princess Winter.  Despite the scars that mar her face, Winter is lovely to look upon.  Even more appealing is her kind, gentle nature—her natural sweetness endears her to royals and commoners alike.  Levana can't stand her simpering young charge.  The feeling is mutual, but Winter keeps her true feelings for her stepmother carefully concealed.  As she has observed countless times, crossing the queen never ends well.

Winter isn't as cautious with her feelings for Jacin Clay, her royal guard.  She has loved him—her protector, her confidante, her only true friend—for as long as she can remember.  Queen Levana knows the depth of Winter's feelings for him and uses the younger woman's romantic longings in the cruelest ways possible.  Is Winter strong enough to fight back against her evil stepmother?  Is anyone?

A revolution against the heartless queen is already in progress.  Can Linh Cinder and friends succeed in overthrowing Levana?  Will aiding them help Winter win her own freedom?  Or will the all-powerful Levana be victorious in her scheme to bring the entire world under her iron-fisted rule?  

If you're a fan of The Lunar Chronicles—and I most certainly am—then you will not want to miss Winter, the exciting conclusion to the series.  Reading the mammoth 823-page novel is a daunting task, I know.  I put off reading it for a year!  In the end, though, Winter was totally worth the read—as I knew it would be.  My only complaint is that the series is now over.  Marissa Meyer totally captivated me with fun characters, action-packed plot lines, unique interpretations of age-old fairy tales, and engaging storytelling.  I know there are many exciting things to come from this author, but I don't know if anything she does from now on will enthrall me quite as much as The Lunar Chronicles has.  I hope she proves me wrong.  In the meantime, I'll miss this enjoyable series, one of my favorite YA series ever.

(Readalikes: Other books in The Lunar Chronicles series, including Cinder; Scarlet; Cress; Fairest; Stars Above; and Wires and Nerve)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for violence; blood/gore; brief, mild language (no F-bombs), and mild sexual innuendo/sensuality

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Winter with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

6 comments:

  1. I know what you mean--I miss these characters, too. It's nice to revisit them in the short stories in Stars Above!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True confession: I still haven't read STARS ABOVE. I need to get to it soon.

      Delete
  2. Glad you finally read it! I love this series too. I'm eager to try her newest book but, like you, am worried it won't hold up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I've had HEARTLESS since it came out, but I haven't touched it yet. My 15yo daughter liked it -- not as much as Lunar Chronicles, though.

      Delete
  3. I LOVE this series. I'm so grateful I got to win Cinder on this very blog, which I still follow religiously! Did you know the author has been posting deleted scenes from the Lunar Chronicles on her blog every friday? I cannot wait to read Heartless!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww ... thanks for being such a loyal reader of the blog! I appreciate that so much. I didn't know the author was posting deleted scenes. How fun! I'll have to go check them out.

      Delete

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Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

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The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong



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