This is the final installment of Marissa Meyer’s series: The Lunar Chronicles.

The Lunar Chronicle is a retelling of the classic fairytales of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White. This story is told several hundred years in the future at the Eastern Commonwealth (East Asian, but mainly China). We follow the story of a young cyborg girl named Linh Cinder (get it? Cinder = Cinderella).

You follow Cinder’s story as she learns about who she truly is and what she must do with this new information.

-Spoiler from here on-

Winter, the fourth and final installment, of The Lunar Chronicle is 800 pages long! Well 827.

Cinder and the Rampion crew successfully kidnapped Emperor Kaito, and they begin planning their revolution to overthrow Levana and rescue Scarlet in the process.

I personally feel that Winter was the strongest of the four books. All the characters went through a significant amount of development: emotionally, mentally and physically (for some).

I do not want to give a big summary about the story, because I expect that you have already read it or planning on reading it. So I am just going to freak out about it and hope to have you freak out with me.

The Rampion crew grew so dependent on each other and you can really see how much they care about one another.  Cinder, Kai, Scarlett, Wolf, Cress, Throne, and Winter wanted one another to be safe…and well not die. And they all gave their best to make sure Cinder ascended the throne.

Though sometimes I felt their plans went too smoothly many times. I am happy it all went well…but this is a group of teens and “college” kids overthrowing a Queen in Luna. In reality, the world does not work that way, but the Rampion team always had their plans be successful 90 percent of the time.

Sneak into Luna, smooth, but Cress was left in the castle. Scarlet and Winter sneak out, smooth, but Cress was left behind. Start a revolution, smooth. Winter gets the plague and needs a cure, smooth. Destroy Levana, smooth, but Cinder gets stabbed.

As someone who did not read Fairest, the truth about Cinder’s mom, was mind blowing. But it did not excuse Levana actions!

AAAAH!

I would also like to mention how stressful this book was. I congratulate Marissa Meyer for being capable of causing me to go through a roller coaster of emotions.

There were several moments that I started trembling so bad that I had to put the books down. Like when Cinder fell into the lake. There were also several cute “doki doki” moment like the scene with Thorne and Cress in that party wink wink

I am happy with the ending of this series. I can’t wait to read the epilogue!

Rating: 4.5/5

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Marissa Meyer

 Sometimes I get praises or questionable looks about why I read so much. Sometimes I am too scared to say that it is an escape from reality.

Nothing against non-frequent readers, but reading helps the mind and you become a better person.

I did not officially become an avid reader until I was in middle school during the insane vampire craze the YA industry was going through. Vampire story here, vampire story there. I did not have humble beginnings, but those beginnings allowed me to have an escape and be someone else for a couple of hours.

Reading a book is an experience. You take on a new name, obtain a new life and go on an adventure you could never have in reality.

There are stories where you learn magic. Stories where you slay mythical monsters. Stories where you find yourself. Stories where you go on a spiritual adventure. Stories where you have to save the world.

The stories are endless.

The world is endless.

I read books to learn. I read books to become someone better. I read books to become a villain. I read books to fall in love. I read books to escape.

Instead of watching films or TV series, I read. Instead of exercising and doing sports, I read. Instead of being productive, I read.

Reading is just another form of entertainment in the world. It is the form of entertainment I enjoy the most.

Nothing can beat this view.

Currently Reading: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

It is half way through November, meaning the year is nearly over! (OMG). How fast does time go by? Hella

Anyways.

I wanted to talk about life, and by life I mean books. (Which is life…along with food)

No, seriously.

Recently, Facebook threw in my face a really old picture of me due to the throwback nonsense it does.

It was a picture of me four years ago. Dear sixteen year old me.

God, that fringe…that cardigan…that everything. What was I thinking? (I wasn’t…clearly).

Seeing that girl in that picture brought back a lot of memories that I have locked away and tried to erase.

Seeing that girl in that picture blew me away, because that girl would not believe anyone if they told her what she would become and who she would lose.

Dear Sixteen-year-old Me,

You are terrified and confused. You do not want know what you want in life, to the point that you question if life is even for you. Believe the words, “It will get better”, because it honestly does. So much better.

You grow confident, how the hell did you do it? I don’t know, but it happened. When someone makes a comment about you, you look at them in the face and smile. You no longer let it eat you up. You are aware of who you are. Your faults and your gifts. You have the weirdest smile; your tongue sticks out a little…embrace that. Practice in front of the mirror and laugh at yourself.

College will come, and it will not be as scary as you made it out to be. You stayed home, and that's okay…because you met the most wonderful group of individuals and created a cult with them…and you, my dear, as the Queen (metaphorically).

You will lose your best friend. I know. The girl who you’ve known since you were 13, the girl who made you feel not so alone. She leaves. And it is okay. But god it is going to hurt. You are going to cry, you are going to feel like someone tore a part out of you. A big gapping hole. Empty. The parting is gradual, but you feel it. You try, so hard, to make it work, to keep the friendship, to make her keep talking to you. You are going to cry till your eyes burn. You are going to rip some art and photographs up. You are going to write letters that you will never send. Until you write one saying goodbye. There is when you finally let go of those strings.

It will hurt like hell, but it is okay because remember this cult I mentioned…well it is not a cult I was being dramatic. It is a group of people and together (including you darling) create the Magic Kingdom of the Piano Lounge at FIU. I know, hard to believe…you will be part of an actually group of friends who adore you even when you are pain to be around.

There is Mom…she well…is mom and she is your support line, she is the reason you are as strong as a diamond. The moment your confidence falters, even a smidge. She picks you up before you can fall and pushes you forward.  There is your reading buddy, thanks to her you will read about 50 books in a single year and made you realize your real dream. There is your Knight, she will be the person who shows you that when a friendship dies a new one blooms (also, your real mom swears you are in lesbians together) because you will be super lovable to one another. There is Thor, he is a giant teddy bear and he makes you realize that being nice is better than being bitter. Then there is the Creator, he made all the happen. He is the reason we all grew so close, because he got sick. Keep an eye on him. Protect him.

There are more people you will meet and they will challenge your life in a positive manner. They want the best for you just like you will want the best for them. This fills that hole that she left you.

You even grew closer to your parents. ( I’m not lying, I swear!)

You grow in a strong independent woman who is like 75% sure what she wants with themselves. You become this girl.

Crazy right? I know. I can hardly believe it. Sixteen year old me, thank you for not giving up on yourself even when you wanted to. Than you for deciding to become the girl I am now.

Oh, and you go to Japan, which is pretty cool.

Thanks,

Twenty-year-old me

Incredible what one picture can do. Now I am excited who I will become in four more years. Give me a couple years, I have great plans ahead of me.

In the YA world, it is currently very popular to re-tell a classic story. Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, you name it. They grab the basic premise of these classic tales and turn them upside down. Maybe Cinderella is a cyborg? Snow White is actually a warrior. The Beast is human. The possibilities are endless.

Fairytale retellings not just popular in the YA novel world, but in films and tv series. Once Upon a Time is a very popular fairytale retelling where all these classic (and uncopyrighted) favorites shine in new light, with a twist to their stories…like Peter Pan actually being a villain…

Anyways, I am not here to talk about Once Upon a Time or Ella Enchanted, I was to talk about books.

For the month of November I will be reading several retellings of classic fairytales. I do not have a quirky name for the month, but something along the lines of November Retold or Twisted Fairytales November.  I honestly do not know! I am no good with quirky names. Point is, the theme for November is fairytales retold or with a twist.

I already have my TBR prepare for this month and I hope I can tackle all these books.

I will begin with the Lunar Chronicle series by Marissa Meyer. This series is a retelling of Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. It is set several hundred years in the future and in China…well New Beijing and Cinder (aka Cinderella) is the main character of the whole series.

I have already read Cinder and I was fascinated with the hole plot and idea. Cinder is a cyborg with immunity to a very deadly disease that is plaguing the world. Oh! And there is a civilization called the Lunars that live on the Moon that want to take over the Earth. So we follow the story Cinder as she lives her daily life and finds herself in unusual circumstances.

Then we have Scarlet, and here we explore Red Riding Hood’s story along side Cinder’s…I have not read Scarlet but it is the first book on my TBR. I promise!

Next there is Cress, and it follows Rapunzel’s storyline, kinda. And of course Cinder.

Then Winter is the final book in the series. Winter is not out yet but I have it pre-ordered and it will arrive to my doorstep (hopefully) on the day it is released!

After I am done with The Lunar Chronicles I will be continuing The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer.

I have already read the first two books of the series, The Wishing Spell and The Enchantress Returns. The next book that I have to read is A Grimm Warning…and Beyond the Kingdoms (but I don’t own this one).

The Land of Stories is a more innocent retelling of the classic Grimm Brother Stories, where we follow the tale of twins, Alex and Conner, and how their lives are connected to these stories and people.

THEN! If I still have enough time in the month of November I will be exploring the world of The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. This story is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights.

I have never read this classic story, so I honestly don’t know what to expect. All I know is the a woman got out of a death sentence by telling a story to a prince/king each night until he fell in love with her or something. All I know about this retelling is that it is darker than the original story…but I am honestly clueless.

Hopefully I can read all these books by the end of November!

OH!

I also have business cards now! What do you guys think? I think they are so cute~

HAPPY READING.