Fairest: Levana's Story (The Lunar Chronicles 0.5) by Marissa Meyer

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

Book Review:
I don't know where to start. Perhaps at the beginning. When I first started this series, I wasn't 100% sure I would get into it. You can read my review of Cinder here. Each book got better and better. Let's face it, after Scarlet I was hooked. I believe Ms. Meyer has been gracious enough to provide us with Fairest, until Winter is released this November. That's exactly what this book provides...just a taste, enough to whet our appetites. The back story of Levana is tragic and sad. However, that being said, there is a part of Levana that is just downright evil. While her intentions are sometimes genuine and as much as she loves her people, there just times she makes poor choices, which drives her away from popular opinion and further into solitude. While this is only labeled as a novella, it's well worth the price for fans of the series!

Cover Art Commentary:
This cover is perfect. It gives off a "cold" feeling, which speaks well to the overall theme of the story. I also like that we finally get a glimpse of Queen Levana....at least as much as is possible.

Rating:

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the center of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

Book Review:
Ok, so I read A LOT of reviews on this book. They all had a common theme which went something like "THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! YOU SHOULD READ IT!" This made me REALLY hesitant to actually pick up the book and read it. I don't know why, but when there's such an overwhelming response to a book, I tend to think "this must be to good to be true," which leads me to postpone reading. Anyways, I finally did pick it up and I'm glad I did. This was a fresh take on the Cinderella fable. I enjoyed the futuristic setting. The use of cyborgs and androids were also intriguing. Cinder was a wonderful main character. However, I wasn't as over the moon about it as some of my other blogger counterparts. I found the pacing of the first half of the book a bit slow. Also, there was a lot of inner-dialog that bogged down the overall story...i.e. "I'm thinking about this and it makes me sad...Now I'm thinking about this and it makes me sad." Those were really my only complaints. Once I reached the second half of the book, I couldn't set it down! I loved the interaction between Cinder and prince Kai. The lunar queen is pure evil, which makes the perfect counterpart to Cinder and prince Kai. Overall, this is a fantastic story, and I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series! 

Favorite Quote:

“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”

Cover Art Commentary:
I love the simplicity of this cover. The colors juxtapose nicely. I adore the faint undertones of the mechanical leg.

Rating: