Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
In the final installment of The Lunar Chronicles, readers read about the life of Princess Winter, the stepdaughter of Queen Levana. While Levana scours the universe for Cinder, Winter finally learns the identity of Cinder who happens to be her blood relative. More importantly, Winter continues to communicate with Scarlet, who happens to be an ally of Cinder. In order to take down Levana, Cinder, Kai, Wolf, Cress, and Thorne devise a plan that is not only dangerous, but could result in the their deaths. In order to infiltrate the Lunar Kingdom, Kai convinces Cinder that they only way they will get close to Levana is to go through with wedding. In other words, Cinder must bring down Levana at the coronation, which is not only risky, but could seal the fates of every Lunar and Earthling. Despite the danger, Levana must be stopped because she is the key to supplying the antidote to the plague that is destroying the citizens of Earth. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the crew, Levana is planning something even more evil and that is to not only destroy Cinder, but Winter as well. As Cinder and her crew uncover the horrors of Levana's rule, they learn the real reason behind her hatred for both Cinder and Winter. This is an epic conclusion to an amazing adventure where five young women must not only battle evil, but they must for the sake of those they love and hold most dear.

Critical Evaluation:
 I will admit that I am a huge fan. Not only is it genius to put a science fiction spin on fairy tail characters, it's even more awesome when they know how to fly space ships, hack networks, and be all around bad asses while maintaining their beautiful spirits. I was very, very happy with this conclusion because it did not end in a WEDDING! OMG! Thank you so much Marissa Meyer for providing a story for strong young women where they decide their fates, who they love, and how they will live their lives. This series will be a forever fixture on my book shelf because I want to read it with my future children where everything great in literature collide. Although Winter is not tough like Cinder or Scarlet, her strength lies in her kindness. Unlike Levana, the people love her not just for her beauty, but because of her gentle spirit. More importantly, Winter refuses to use her powers on her subjects, which is why she suffers from hallucinations. Winter literally dies a little with each episode, but she refuses to hurt her people. More importantly, her love for Jacin is so beautiful and his loyalty and love for her is so refreshing! One thing I got to had to Marissa Mayer is her ability to create beautiful couples. Although I am a huge Team Scarlet/Wolf, Team Winter/Jacin is my second favorite. All in all, this was a fantastic ending and I can't wait to read Marissa Meyer's next series!

Information about the Author:
According to the author's website:

One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and “cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job existed.

When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette, “The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).

When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University (which you can learn more about here). After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.

Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER is my first novel, though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around too.

I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine, Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly, and playing all manners of dress-up.

Genre:
Teen Fantasy, Teen Romance
 
Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 8 & up
 
Books Similar to Winter:

• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Awards & Recognition:

“In this final book in the Lunar Chronicles, the stepdaughter of the wicked Queen Levana joins Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress to defeat the Queen and restore Cinder―aka Selene―as the rightful ruler of Luna. Yes, it's another one of Meyer's very fractured fairy tales, in which she offers a new amalgam of Grimm's fairy tales, science fiction, violence, women's lib, and romance. Our Snow White stand-in, Winter, is beautiful in spite of facial scars, kind to all she encounters, mentally fragile, and in love with her lowly guard, Jacin . . . Meyer's series has sold well and achieved a degree of acclaim. This conclusion's cinder-block size should only drum up further interest.” ―Booklist, starred review