The Lunar Chronicles Book Reviews

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Themes: Coming of age, Freedom, Good vs. Evil, Unconditional Love, Don't judge a book by it's cover

Recommended age for reading: Middle School, High school

The reading level in the series ranges from 4th-6th grade, but a small portion of the content is for slightly older audiences.  Most of the book is appropriate for younger audiences, but there is mention of "escort" androids.  The story doesn't go into too much detail about these types of androids, but older readers can infer that their purpose is for romantic companionship.  I wish this detail wasn't included in the books, but it kind of plays a role later in the series.  It never gets too inappropriate, but the fact that is there is somewhat concerning.  There's also some mild language in a few of the books.  

Cinder

Plot: 

The first book in the story is a futuristic version of the fairy tale, "Cinderella."  Cinder lives with her stepmother and stepsisters.  She was adopted by a man she barely knew because he died of a terrible sickness that has turned into a plague.  After he died, she continued to live with his family.  Cinder has no idea what her life was like before she was adopted because she has no memories of her birth family or childhood.  She was supposedly in a hover craft accident at the age of 11 and in order to save her life, the doctors turned her into a cyborg.  Since she is a cyborg, she is treated as a lower class citizen by everyone including her adoptive family.  

Cinder eventually meets Kai, the crowned prince of the Eastern Commonwealth.  He finds out about her impressive mechanic skills and asks her to fix his android.  She soon realizes that his android harbors a secret against the Lunar queen that could possibly save the world.  

Review: 

I enjoyed reading this book, but it never became a book that I couldn't put down.  The story line is interesting and the characters are likable.  If I didn't have the second and third books already on hand (I purchased three books together in a package), I don't know if I would've given this series much of a chance.  I'm glad I did though. The series gets better with each book.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Scarlet

Plot: 

This is the second book in the series, and it continues Cinder's story, while adding a futuristic version of "Little Red Riding Hood."  The characters that tie in with "Little Red Riding Hood" are separate from Cinder at first, but in the end their world's collide.  Scarlet has lived with her grandmother for most of her life and has helped with her farm.  When her grandmother suddenly goes missing, she stops at nothing to find her.  She meets an elusive street fighter who goes by the name, "Wolf."  She's not sure if she can trust him but he is the only one who can help her find her beloved grandmother. Through Scarlet's story, readers discover the secrets to Cinder's past.  

Review: 

I got into this story a lot more than the first book.  I did actually get to the point where I didn't want to put the book down.  To me, that's a sign of an excellent book.  I believe the reason why this story was a little more intriguing was because of the new characters that were added:  

Scarlet- has a feisty personality and is determined to save those she loves.  She also constantly has an uncanny ability to discern what a person is really like based on who that person is on the inside. 

Wolf-has a mysterious story.  Honestly, his character is the reason why I couldn't put this book down. I really didn't know if he was a good guy or a bad guy until the very end.  

Captain Carswell Thorne-he's not the star of this story, but he's definitely the comic relief.  He reminds me of Han Solo from Star Wars.  He provides a lot of humorous one liners that keep the reader laughing.  He becomes more of a main character in the next story in the series. 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Cress

Plot:  

This is the 3rd book in the series and is a futuristic version of "Rapunzel."  The story begins with the characters from the previous two stories finding out about Cress who has been held captive by the Lunar queen in a satellite for most of her life.  She is a computer hacker whose skills have been used to benefit the Lunar Queen's delusion of taking control over Earth.  When Cinder contacts her, she realizes that she can help Cinder's cause for defeating the queen.  In order for Cress to help Cinder, they have to rescue her by helping her escape from her satellite prison.

Review: 

 I was intrigued from the very beginning of this book, and could not put it down throughout the entire story.  I really liked how the following characters were developed: 

Cress-female antagonist.  She is actually introduced in the first book,  Cinder.  She has a minor, but extremely important role in the first book.   She's the Rapunzel in this story, and she's one of those "adorkable" characters.  Since she's lived most of her life in isolation she's socially awkward, but not insane.  She doesn't fit your classic "princess" from most fairly tales, but neither do the other female characters.  She's got a quirkiness that most readers will love.  

Captain Carswell Thorne- His character is introduced in the previous story, and he is still very much the comic relief as he was in "Scarlet."  He is the male protagonist in the story and takes the role of Rapunzel's "prince," although neither character is royalty.  He attempts to rescue Cress from being the "damsel in distress," but the rescue doesn't quite go as planned.  He also doesn't fit the typical "prince" description, as he is a wanted criminal, but it's hard not to love his comical/cocky characteristics.  

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Winter

Plot: 

The final book in the series is a science fiction version of "Snow White."  While the other main characters are still a huge part of the plot line, the story introduces two new main characters.  Winter is the step daughter to the Lunar queen, and Jacin is one of the queen's guards. Jacin was previously introduced at the beginning of Cress, but was a minor character.   Winter and Jacin have been friends since they were children.  Jacin is completely devoted to Winter and will stop at nothing to keep her safe from the Queen's rage.  Winter and Jacin play an important role in Cinder's revolution against the queen's tyranny.  

Review: 

This story was also difficult for me to put down, but it was more because I was so interested in seeing what happened to the other characters in the previous stories.  I so wanted my favorite characters-Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, and Thorne to get their happy endings.  I honestly thought the story was much longer than it had to be, but I kept reading because I wanted to know how the series was going to end.  Winter and Jacin were not my favorite female and male protagonists, but they did add to the story as well as play an important role for the story's conclusion.  Despite some of the dull parts, there were several surprising moments to the story.  The ending did not disappoint.  I enjoyed seeing the conclusion to this saga, but because I fell in love with some of the characters, I would like more.  I will probably read, "Stars Above," which is set to come out next month.  It is a collection of short stories that follow some of the characters in the series.  There is also the book, "Fairest" which follows Queen Levana's story.  I honestly don't know if I will read this or not.  It would be interesting to see her back story, but after reading the series and knowing her fate, I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to read the book.

Rating: 4/5 Stars