Stars Above

The Lunar Chronicles #4.5

by Marissa Meyer

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier, Wolf, transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard, Jacin, realize their destinies?

With six stories—two of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's upcoming audiobook, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the best-selling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Short Stories, Retellings, Dystopia

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader)]

I liked this quite a bit! There were a few stories that I felt were just filler & I didn't really care for, but it was fun seeing some familiar faces throughout it. IKO4EVER.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I desperately need a sequel to this prequel

Every one of them was just fabulous - seriously!

While there aren't any major spoilers, you won't appreciate these short stories without finishing the series. Nearly every story is based on a key event mentioned in one of our 8 main character's backgrounds.

The keeper - This is the earliest prequel of the series - we follow Scarlet's Grandmother as she travels to Lunar as a young army piolet and meets a strange doctor. This doctor avoids using glamours and quickly charms Scarlet's grandmother - nine months later, Scarlet's father was born. Years later, the same doctor comes to earth, carrying the broken body of toddler-Cinder - begging for her to hide the little girl.

Glitches - Continuing from the last prequel, we get to see Cinder's story from the moment her hardware is installed to her adopted father contracts the plague. While I still think her stepmother and Pearl are ridiculously over-the-top with their cyborg hatred, I have a better understanding of where they're coming from. Plus, Iko makes an appearance - I adore her!

The Queen's Army - We finally get a story from Wolf's perspective! We learn about how he "joined" the army and a bit of the background of the mental manipulating and emotional struggles he went through. Until this story, I almost forgot Wolf even had a brother - though now I do understand why they had such animosity in the second novel.

Carswell's guide to being lucky - A cute story about a devious and scheming Thorne. In the third book, Cress cites a myriad of reasons why she loves Thorne. One of her reasons was the basis of this story. I definitely prefer cool and suave adult-Thorne but it was certainly fun to see what his teenage years were like!

After sunshine passes by - Here we get a bit of history about shell treatment and why Cress became so isolated. While I adore Cress, I much prefer her older persona when compared with her younger-self.

The princess and the guard - A really sweet look into Winter and Jacin's shared childhood. We hear about why Winter never uses her Lunar gift but I never truly understood this until now. It's a wonder that not all of these Lunars are insane.

The little android - This is a retelling of the Little Mermaid (and unsurprisingly, I was unhappy with the ending). Much like Iko, other androids sometimes experience personality 'glitches' that often mark them for disassembly. One little android escapes in time - and suddenly the whole world is open to her.

The mechanic - The cute-meet from Prince Kai's perspective. Spoiler: it was a-freaking-dorable. Especially because we already know all the panic that was running through Cinder's mind. For once he seemed princely and not deer-in-the-headlights when people talk politics.

Something old, something new - One lucky pair from the gang get marrrrried! It was sugary sweet and I delighted in it. I do wish there was more of a plot - but these characters have suffered enough and deserve one pleasant adventure.

Audiobook Comments
Well-read, though sometimes the audio would take on a different tone in the middle of the paragraph/sentence - almost like it was re-recorded and inserted at a later date. Anyone else notice this or was it just my digital copy?

The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A prequel

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[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

And they lived happily ever after.



Except the girl-who-read-too-much, aka Katerina, since she cried her eyes out, sniffled, hiccupped and then cried some more.

“The first time, he had wondered why she liked books so much, and if it had anything to do with why he liked spaceships. Because they could take you somewhere far, far away.”

But mind that they were happy tears (mostly). The tears you shed when your babies that went through pain and difficulties find love, happiness, joy and friendship.

“That mechanic was going to change everything.”

Thank the stars above that Marissa Meyer decided to write these novellas and gave us more precious moments with the characters we came to cherish, before the closure and the aforementioned tears happened. With Stars Above my heart, the heart that was bruised and beaten and bet rapidly and sighed with contentment while reading The Lunar Chronicles, was so full of love that my chest nearly exploded! I experienced pain with The Little Andoid and The Queen's Army, because the first one was really touching and the second narrated how Wolf tried to not become the monster everyone expected him to, and I wanted so badly to hug him and tell him about the red-haired girl that would become his alpha and his home. I laughed with 13-years-old Thorne that charmed everyone with his good looks and flirtatious ways and was dedicated to his goals. I devoured every single story about the past of Rampion's crew that made me understand better my heroes and share their sorrows and misfortunes and admire the strong people they became! But let's be honest, the last story, the fairytale wedding, was what left me giggling while wiping away my tears!

“You are the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.”

A full circle that came to an end. There is no need for hot make-out sessions and sexual innuendos to create a romance that will make your chest burst. Just the connection between two souls, the acceptance and the efforts to overcome every obstacle. And Marissa Meyer, with her stardust and beautiful soul, created not one, not two but four great love stories that restored my faith in magic and happily ever afters.

Cinder.
Kai.
Wolf.
Scarlet.
Cress.
Thorne.
Winter.
Jacin.

Marissa.

It has been the privilege and the honor of my life to know and love you.



✨ Cinder review
✨ Scarlet review
✨ Cress review
✨ Winter review

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I was disappointed with this collection. It works as a way of giving us fangirls and fanboys something to read while waiting for Heartless, but the stories don't really add anything.

Aside from one story - The Little Android - it's almost a stretch to call these "short stories". They are all little snippets, filling in the blanks behind the main story of The Lunar Chronicles and never really taking us to new places. Of course, this book is meant for the fans and it reunites us with our favourite characters, but the stories aren't new or surprising.

The Keeper tells the tale of Michelle Benoit and how she receives and looks after Cinder. It also shows Scarlet growing up with her grandmother. Do we learn anything new? Is there an interesting spin to this story (which we already know about anyway)? Do the characters change in our eyes? Nope.

Glitches is Cinder's story as she arrives at her stepmother's house and tries to find her place. The Queen’s Army is about how Wolf becomes a soldier. We know this already. We don't learn anything new or gain new perspective. I never felt like I was discovering anything I hadn't already read about in the main series.

Even the last story - Something Old, Something New - which tags an epilogue onto the main story arc of the series, really just tells the tale of what is implied by Winter's ending. A better title might have been The Happy Ending, Pt 2.

It's good that I like these characters enough to care about their basic interactions and back stories, otherwise my rating would probably be lower. Also, The Little Android deserves some credit for being an imaginative retelling of The Little Mermaid and easily the most interesting story here.

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[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun! I loved going into the past and of course the future for some of my favourite characters. The short story format was really fun, there were some I enjoyed more than others but as an average they were 4/5 stars!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read through audio! I have one more to go and I will have re-read - er, listened to the entire series and it's still one of my favorite series ever!

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List



♥ OH STARS ABOVE! I LOVE YOU DEAR BOOK! ♥



This book is soooooooo good! I loved weaving back through the Lunar World. Some of the stories we have heard before, but they are still great.I'm not going to go into each little tale, I do want to add things from a few of them. All of the Lunar Chronicle fans should love this book.



THE KEEPER



In this story we find out when Cinder was brought to be watched over in her suspended animation tank and it also intertwined with Scarlet's story.

Scarlet is only seven-years-old when she comes to live with her grandmother Michelle. As these are short stories, it tells of her growing up at different ages.

--->EXCERPT<---

Scarlet loved her grandmother for her quirks, but even she found it a little off-putting to receive a weapon-an actual, deadly weapon-for her eleventh birthday. Sure, she'd used the shotgun before to chase away wild wolves or shoot clay pigeons when she was bored. But a handgun? This wasn't for hunting. This was for...protection.

Like I said, I enjoyed them all but I'm just naming a few so don't look for these to be in any order.

THE QUEEN'S ARMY



This one goes into detail about when Z (Ze've Kesley) was taken into the queen's army to become one of her wolf men.

--->EXCERPT<---

They said the anesthesia would give him such a deep, empty sleep that there would be no dreams, but they were wrong. He dreamed of needles burrowing into this skin. He dreamed of pliers gripping his teeth. He dreamed of hot ashes and smoke in his eyes. He dreamed of a white tundra, a cold he had never known and a hunger barely satisfied by dripping meat in his jaws.


AFTER SUNSHINE PASSES BY



This one tells about sweet little Cress. When she was little she so wanted to impress the queen and become recognized for more than a shell. But, we all know that didn't happen, this tells of her journey to her little station as a young girl. It's sad :-(

--->EXCERPT<---

Her gaze reattached to Earth. It reminded her of a lullaby one of the older girls had taught her years ago, one that Cress still loved to sing to the children at lights-out.

Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
Won't you sing your song to Earth as she passes by?
Your sweetest silver melody, a rhythm and a rhyme,
A lullaby of pleasant dreams as you make your climb.
Send the forests off to bed, the mountains tuck in tight,
Rock the ocean gently, and the deserts kiss good night.
Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
You sing your song so sweetly after sunshine passes by.

THE PRINCESS AND THE GUARD



This story is about Winter and her sweet guard Jacin Clay. It's so sweet them playing as children. It also tells in great detail of how the evil queen Levana marred Winter's face. I hate her! and I hate her some more!

--->EXCERPT<---

"Help me, Sir Clay! Save me!" Winter cowered behind the fort pillows. Though their fortress was strong, she knew it would not keep out the villains forever.
Luckily, at the most opportune of moments, Sir Jacin Clay leaped to her defense, brandishing the legendary Earthlight Saber-in reality, a wooden training sword he'd gotten from his father for his seventh birthday.

I loved all of the beautiful stories in the book. I devoured each little tidbit from this beautiful series I love so much. If you haven't read it yet... READ IT :-)

I look forward to Marissa Meyer's new book, Heartless!

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect epilogue is perfect. I am SO happy Marissa wrote this for her fans!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update: I accidentally deleted my original review, so I had to upload it again.


This review contains *spoilers*.

I had to take a few hours off from my life after I finished this book so I could recover enough to review it.
When I read Winter back in November I had prepared myself to say goodbye to the wonderful characters in this book. The closer I got to that dreadful last page the longer I tried to make it last- I realized that I was not ready to say goodbye and was immensely grateful when I found out that I wouldn't have to separate from my favorite series for another few months because Stars Above was coming out.
But now that it’s here, it’s even harder to say goodbye. The characters in this book all have a special place in my heart and I’m (still) so, so grateful that nobody died.

Ratings for each of the stories:

The Keeper: 4.5/5 stars
“Cinders. Embers. Ashes. Michelle hoped that whatever strength had allowed this child to survive the fire all those years ago was a strength that still burned inside her. That it would go on burning, hotter and hotter, until she was as bright as the rising sun.”

Stars, I loved loved loved reading more about Michelle Benoit. When we first heard about her in The Lunar Chronicles I instantly wanted to know more (about her mission to Luna, her relationship with Logan, her relationship with Scarlet…).
And little baby Scarlet was adorable I kept imagining her with one of her front teeth missing and it’s just too cute. Scarlet is one of my favorite characters from this series. She is brave, sweet, strong and I will always want to know more about her.

“The train entered a new station and she squeezed her backpack against her side and tried to look grouchy as new passengers boarded. She exuded her best “leave me alone” vibes.”
Scarlet on that train ride was 100% me.

Glitches: 4/5 stars
“I have a glitch, too. Sometimes I forget that I’m not human. I don’t think that happens to most androids.”

I read this short story right after I finished reading Winter, so this was a reread for me— and it’s still as good as I remembered it to be.
Glitches explains how Cinder came to live with Adri and the girls and how she didn't remember anything of her previous life. It was heartbreaking, and it definitely worked to increase my love of Peony, Iko, and Cinder. I missed these characters so much.

"Who’s Prince Kai?”
Peony spun toward her so fast, she tripped on the skirts of Adri’s kimono and fell, screaming, onto her bed. “Who’s Prince Kai?” she yelled, struggling to sit back up. “Only my future husband! Honestly, don’t girls in Europe know about him?”

The Queen's Army: 4/5 stars
"He would be brave—so his brother would not see his fear. He would be strong for him."

This story was also a reread for me and I forgot just how much I loved Wolf.
It was interesting having a little bit of background on him because I always want to know more about my favorite characters. The Queen’s Army was definitely on the darker side- the whole concept of Levana’s army is so terrifying. And watching the army take Wolf from his family made me tear up.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: 4/5 stars
Oh, Captain Thorne, how I missed you.



This is a super fun and quick read that I giggled at in a few places (only Carswell can make me giggle).
This story was actually mentioned in Cress— when Captain Thorne and Cress talk about how young Carswell defended a girl and then got suspended for it.
It was really interesting seeing the actions of a younger Thorne, and it honestly made my heart grow even fonder of him.

After Sunshine Passes By: 4/5 stars
“Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
You sing your song so sweetly after sunshine passes by.”

This is the story of how Sybil placed Crescent Moon in that horrible satellite. Cress is such a sweet character and I had tears in my eyes when she thought that Sybil was going to take her somewhere nice to reward her for all of her hard work.

“She’d been so focused on going to Earth. So excited about trees and oceans and cities …
And now she didn’t have any of that. She didn’t even have the dormitory or the other shells anymore.”

The Princess and the Guard: 4.5/5 stars
I’m in love with Jacin’s love for Winter.



"There was no safe place. Not in Artemisia. Not on all of Luna.
Except—Jacin.
When her screams succumbed to hysterical sobbing, Jacin finally allowed his hold to turn from the grip of a jailer to the embrace of her best friend.
“This is why,” he whispered, and it occurred to Winter that, at some point, he’d started crying too. “This is why I can’t leave you, Winter. This is why I’ll never leave.”

In this story we discover in depth why Winter decided to not use her Lunar gift.
A part of this was mentioned in the book Winter, when the servant tried to kill herself and Winter "saved" her by using her Lunar gift. But then the princess finds out why the servant had wanted to jump of the edge- and she vows to never use her gift again.
This is where I got really emotional.

“Winter’s entire world was spinning and it occurred to her with sudden clarity that this was wrong. Her training sessions. The thaumaturges. The entire Lunar gift. The power that the strong, like she and the queen and Aimery, held over the weak. Like this servant girl. Like Jacin.
Like Winter’s father.”

The Mechanic: 4/5 stars
“The mechanic?”
The girl—Cinder—nodded. “How can I help you?”
Kai stared at the top of her head.
Linh Cinder.
The renown. The reputation. The approval rating.
New Beijing’s best mechanic was … a teenager?”

It’s been almost a year since I first read Cinder, so I’d forgotten how cute Kai and Cinder were when they first met.
And Iko had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, I love her!

“Iko, please pay your respects to our customer … His Imperial Highness.
The android’s sensor flashed as she scanned Kai’s face. “Prince Kai,” she said, her voice taking on the unexpected tinge of a sigh. “You are even more handsome in person.”
Kai laughed—a sudden, uncontrollable laugh that burst out of him before he could reel it back.”

Something Old, Something New: 5/5 stars
“I wanted a quiet, intimate wedding, not a circus.”
Thorne leaned against the staircase rail. “It’s the first known Lunar-Earthen wedding in generations, the groom is a bioengineered wolf-human hybrid, and you invited the emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth and an ex–Lunar Queen. What did you expect?”
Scarlet glared at him. “I am marrying the man that I love, and I invited my friends to celebrate with us. I expected a little bit of privacy.”

Wolf and Scarlet are getting MARRIED. I had no idea that they were getting married. THANK YOU Marissa Meyer for that pleasant surprise. Scarlet and Wolf are one of my favorite couples from this series and they are getting married. I’m still freaking out.



“Oh, Scarlet,” Cress sighed. “You’re getting married. It’s all like a dream.”
“I guess it sort of is,” Scarlet agreed, her cheeks flushing pink around her freckles.”

I missed them all so much. I love Thorne and Cress and Scarlet and Wolf and Cinder and Iko and Kai and Winter and Jacin. I’m in love with all of them.

“Hey, Cinder,” Thorne said, pacing to the opening that separated the entryway from a humble sitting room. “Remember when we were here before? When we were just two crazy fugitives, on the run from the law?”

Yes Thorne, I do remember- don’t make me cry harder.

And the reunion between them all- ahhh I couldn’t handle it. I love Marissa Meyer for writing it so beautifully.

“I told them that was the dulcet roar of a Rampion’s engines,” said Kai, “but they all insisted it was just another media hover flying over.”
Cinder crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re an expert on the sound levels of spaceships now, are you?”
“Nah,” said Kai. “I’ve just been waiting to hear that sound all day.”
She smiled at him, feeling the hummingbird flutter of her own pulse. He smiled back.
“Aces,” said Thorne with a low groan. “They haven’t even kissed yet and they’re already making me nauseous.”

Oh, how I missed Thorne’s snarky remarks.
I can’t even begin to explain how happy Something Old, Something New made me, it was the most beautiful impromptu wedding ever created.

“Wolf took a step closer so that he towered over Scarlet, creating what could have been a moment of intimacy if the room hadn’t been so crowded. “So? Will you marry me?”
Scarlet started to smile.
“Wait. Before you answer that,” said Thorne, gesturing around the room, “you should know that the store where we got all this stuff doesn’t take returns.”
Casting her gaze skyward, Scarlet said, “Well, in that case. Yes. Yes, of course I will.”



Also, I finally found out the answer to my most pressing question in an interview The Guardian did with Marissa Meyer:
Are the characters of Thorne and Cress in any way inspired by Flynn and Rapunzel from the Disney movie Tangled?

Surprisingly, no! I had actually completed the first draft of Cress before Tangled came out, and I remember going to see the movie in theaters and having a jaw-dropping moment and thinking: Hey, that’s my cocky bandit thief! There are so many examples of similar things cropping up in the same time in our culture or media, and this was definitely one of them. It’s so weird how that happens!

*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Stars Above, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*


This review and more can be found on my blog.

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The room was full of white crepe paper and tulle, unburned candles and glass lanterns, streamers and small silk bags overflowing with sugared almonds.

Iko gasped and trailed a finger over an enormous tulle bow. "Is this all for the wedding?"

Ah, the wedding. Admit it, nine and three quarters of you bought Stars Above just to see who's getting hitched.

I enjoyed it less than I thought it would, but it has nothing to do with the characters chosen. Kudos to Meyer for not picking Kai and Cinder. Cress and Thorne are my favorite couple and I wish it'd been them, but Scarlet/Wolf come a close second in my heart. It has a distinct drabble feel with too little substance.

My favorite story by far is The Princess and the Guard, Winter and Jacin's story. She enters late in the series, so we never find out as much about her as the rest of the gang. In it, we see Winter before she goes mad and the exact scene Levana forces her to mutilate herself. The reason she does it is different than the original books led me to believe and I'm glad Meyer let us see a little deeper into Levana and Winter's relationship.

The rest aren't as good, I'm afraid. Three (Glitches, The Queen's Army, and The Little Android) have already been published a long time ago on Meyer's Wattpad and Carswell's Guide to Getting Lucky is provided when you sign up for her newsletter. They're free and don't provide much extra information, but I did mention they're free, right, so who cares?



The Keeper (Scarlet's grandmother's story) and After Sunshine Passes By (Cress's story) don't tell us anything we don't already get from the main series. The Mechanic is basically a short rewrite of Cinder from Kai's POV. I've never shipped them anyway and it leans towards fanservice.

The Little Android, even though I'd read it before, affected me just as much as last time. It's a retelling of The Little Android and absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. I reviewed it here and I strongly urge you to read it on Wattpad if you're a little strapped for cash. It's free. I just want to emphasize that. Freeeeee.



Do I recommend Stars Above? Eh. If you're a super, super fan and want the set. Other than that, it's pretty much a gorgeous cover holding lots of cream and too little cake.



Pre-review: Does the tiara come with the book? ;)

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

AWWWWWW I CAN'T EVEN. CAN THIS SERIES JUST CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF TIME PLZ?

The Keeper - 4 stars
Glitches (reread) - 4 stars
The Queen's Army (reread) - 3.5
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky - 4
After Sunshine Passes By - 3.5
The Princess and the Guard - 4
The Little Android (reread) - 5
The Mechanic - 4
Something Old, Something New -5

Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 24. A 'between the numbers' book

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars Above es un libro de nueve relatos que, en su mayoría, suceden antes incluso del primer libro de la saga, así que tenemos un detrás de escenas de lo que fueron las infancias de Scarlet, Cinder, Cress, Winter, Jacin, Thorne y los demás personajes que llegamos a amar. El último relato, eso sí, puede considerarse un epílogo a toda la saga, así que no lo lean a menos que hayan terminado Winter. Dicho eso, les voy a dejar aquí abajo mis reseñas individuales de cada uno de los relatos.

THE KEEPER ★★★★✩

”She wasn’t supertitious, but she loved the sense of possibility that came with wishing”

Okay, hace siglos no leía nada de las Crónicas Lunares y, dioses, lo extrañaba tanto. De verdad, este mundo y esta historia que creó Marissa Meyer siempre va a ser de mis favoritas.

The Keeper es un relato que se centra en la abuela de Scarlet. Todo empieza en su juventud, cuando fue una de las pocas pilotos escogidas para ir hasta Luna y, una vez allí, se enamoró de uno de sus habitantes. Además, en esta historia vemos cómo esta valiente mujer, sin esperárselo, terminó siendo una de las piezas claves para ocultar y mantener a salvo a la princesa perdida de Luna, Selene.

Me encantó cómo en pocas páginas Marissa Meyer nos puso en los zapatos de una mujer que, además de lidiar con un amor perdido, tuvo que enfrentarse a la responsabilidad enorme de cuidar a Selene, una chica que más adelante cambiaría el rumbo de la Tierra y de Luna. ¡Y qué decir de su papel de madre de Scarlet!

¡Ay! Y quizá uno de los mejores momentos del relato es cuando entendemos exactamente por qué Cinder se llama así. Es absolutamente precioso.


GLITCHES ★★★★✩

”Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying”.

Uf, este relato lo leí hace siglos porque, si no me equivoco, está incluido en mi edición de Cinder en inglés y, vaya, no recordaba lo terrible que tratan a Cinder cuando llega a su nueva casa en New Beijing.

Glitches se centra básicamente en el momento en el que Cinder llega con Garan desde Europa y se instala con su nueva “familia”. Y lo pongo entre comillas porque realmente en este momento es cuando más vibras de Cenicienta he notado en todo el relato. Adri Linh trata como una basura a Cinder, es horrible ver eso porque lo único que quiere ella es pertenecer a algún lugar. Lo que ella recuerda es que perdió a toda su familia, que nadie la quiso adoptar en Europa y que ahora es un cyborg porque su cuerpo quedó destrozado en el accidente. Ay, mi niña…

Algo que no recordaba de Glitches, y de la saga en general, es que Peony, la hermana menor de la familia Linh, sí me caía bien porque, a diferencia de Pearl (la mayor), ella sí que era simpática y linda con Cinder. Es una pena el final que tuvo esta otra pobre niña en la saga.

¡Y de aquello que le sucede a Garan tampoco me acordaba! Definitivamente creo que leer estos relatos me va a refrescar muchísimo la memoria y, de paso, me va a recordar lo mucho que amé estos libros en su momento.


THE QUEEN’S ARMY ★★★✩✩

”But no. They were wild animals. Predators who ran on instinct and bloodthirst. Who would expect a fair fight from such monsters? All she wanted was a show”.

Creo que The Queen’s Army es uno de mis relatos menos favoritos porque se centra en uno de los personajes que no me caen tan bien de la saga: Wolf. Ya sé que es importante y que tiene su papel en la historia, pero siempre sentí que al lado de los demás palidecía bastante.

En esta ocasión nos enteramos de cómo Wolf, o Ze’ev, entró a hacer parte del grupo de soldados élite y modificados genéticamente de la Reina Levana. Son años de entrenamientos descarnados, de cirugías y de dinámicas de pack de lobos, pero Ze’ev, de una u otra manera, logra destacarse y siempre luchar por la libertad de mantener su humanidad. ¿O debería decir lunaridad? En fin, que siempre lucha por evitar los cambios genéticos que lo dejarían siendo más animal que persona.

El final del relato es súper dramático y me gusta que termine en un punto alto para Z, pero realmente podría haber vivido sin leer esta información adicional sobre su vida.


CARSWELL’S GUIDE TO BEING LUCKY ★★★★✩

”The first time, he had wondered why she liked books so much, and if it had anything to do with why he liked spaceships. Because they could take you somewhere far, far away from here”.

¡Ayyyy! Nunca me imaginé que este relato de Carswell Thorne, que, btw, es mi personaje favorito, fuera sobre sus años en el colegio. ¡Lo amé! En serio me fascinó ver cómo, incluso desde que era pequeño, tenía ese aire de coqueto sin remedio y de ser la persona más astuta siempre.

Además, me encantó poder conocer un pelín más sobre su familia y sobre cómo se sentía muy fuera de lugar con ellos. Thorne siempre ha soñado en grande y por fuera de las expectativas de sus padres, así que desde pequeño tuvo que buscarse la vida y los recursos que le permitirían en el futuro perseguir lo que siempre quiso: la libertad. Y ser un poco pirata, eso también.

Del relato en sí me gustó su relación-no-relación con Kate que, aunque es algo que nació por conveniencia, seguro que sí tuvo un microsentimiento real por allí abajo. Eso sí, que sepan que el corazón de mi pirata espacial favorito siempre pertenecerá a Cress porque #CresswellEsReal.


AFTER SUNSHINE PASSES BY ★★★★★

”It didn’t matter now. Knowledge was something that Sybill could never take away from her”.

Joder, creo que este es, sin duda alguna, el relato más crudo que he leído en este libro. En After Sunshine Passes By nos encontramos con Cress cuando tiene 9 años y está en las instalaciones subterráneas de Luna que están destinadas para los shells, es decir, aquellos que nacieron sin el don lunar. Para todos en Luna, los shells son una desgracia y, cuando nace uno, los mismos padres lo entregan a las autoridades para que los maten. Lo que no saben es que no los asesinan, sino que los retienen para usar su sangre en estudios. Y eso es lo que sucedió con Cress.

Ella es una de mis personajes favoritas y la amo muchísimo, así que leer un poco de su origen, de su curiosidad, de su amor por cualquier tipo de conocimiento, fue tremendo. Ver la ilusión de una niña de 9 años por complacer a su superior porque le han prometido que si cumple con todas sus funcionen la devolverán a la sociedad como una ciudadana reconocida de Luna me rompía el corazón. Y me destrozaba porque claramente eran mentiras para manipularla.

Lo más duro de todo esto es ver cómo Cress terminó metida en ese satélite en el que estuvo SOLA durante años. Leer su reacción en el momento en el que entiende que sólo van a ser ella, unos computadores y las estrellas es demasiado triste. Ay, mi pobrecilla niña.

Por último diré: TE MALDIGO MIL Y UN VECES, SYBILL. PERRA DEL MAL.


THE PRINCESS AND THE GUARD ★★★★★

”I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself”.

¡Qué fuerte! No sé si es que no lo recuerdo de Winter, pero enterarme de la verdadera razón por la que eligió dejar de usar sus poderes lunares fue un shock completo. Creo que estos relatos de Stars Above le dan toda una nueva luz a los protagonistas y a sus infancias, pues literalmente los conocemos cuando tienen 5, 8, 10, 13 años. ¡E incluso en ese momento de sus vidas ya han pasado por eventos traumáticos!

Quizá lo que más me gustó del relato, y que además fue lo más duro de leer, fue la relación tan fuerte de amistad que existe desde siempre entre Winter y Jacin. Es absolutamente precioso ver cómo él siempre estuvo a su lado jugando con ella, protegiéndola y, cuando fue el momento decisivo, apoyándola. Jacin es el tipo de persona que lo daría todo por una amiga.

¿Y qué decir de Levana? Esa criatura, porque ni siquiera le puedo decir mujer, no tiene un pelo de bondad en todo su ser. Es rastrera, envidiosa, deplorable e infinitamente cruel. No conoce límites y paga con Winter todas sus frustraciones. La odio muchísimo. Incluso sabiendo su back story gracias a Fairest la detesto.


THE LITTLE ANDROID ★★★✩✩

”No. She couldn’t stay here. She could not stand to be lost to the darkness forever, when there was still a whole universe she’d never seen”.

Ehm… qué relato tan raro. A ver, que sí está en el mundo de las Crónicas Lunares y que Cinder tiene un cameo de media página, ¿pero qué necesidad tenía esta historia de estar en Stars Above? Se supone que esto es un retelling de The Little Mermaid, pero, honestamente, si no lo hubiera leído en otra reseña no me habría dado por enterada.

Aquí conocemos a una androide que se llama Mech 6.0 que trabaja en un astillero de barcos espaciales y que, curiosamente, tiene un chip de personalidad demasiado desarrollado y cercano a los pensamientos humanos. Un día, Dataran, uno de los humanos que trabajan allí, cae en un tanque de aceite y Mech 6.0, que está medianamente obsesionada con él, salta al tanque y lo rescata. Pero ella queda prácticamente destruida y con sus circuitos muy fritos. Es ahí cuando acude a Cinder para que la arregle y nuestra mecánica favorita le da el cuerpo de una escort-droid un poco viejo. Pero eso a Mech 6.0, ahora Star, no le importa. Ni siquiera le importa haber perdido su voz con tal de poder ver a Dataran de nuevo.

Y bueno, la cosa va un poco por ahí, pero en realidad fue un relato que se me hizo tremendamente confuso. A decir verdad, yo pensaba que esta historia se iba a centrar en Iko y que, de un momento a otro, nos iban a revelar que Mech 6.0/Star era Iko, pero no, nada que ver.

Y sí, The Little Android tiene un final muy agridulce y, visto en perspectiva, es un buen relato, pero sigo sin entender por qué Marissa Meyer le dedicó tantísimas páginas a esta historia de alguien que ni siquiera conocemos en vez de dárselas a Cress o a Cinder, por ejemplo.


THE MECHANIC ★★★★✩

”And while he may still have been plagued with doubts every single day, he knew, deep down, that he was doing his very best���.

KAI Y CINDER <3. Ya, esta debería ser toda mi reseña de este mini relato. PORQUE ES MINI. ¿Por qué los mejores tienen que ser los más cortos? ¿Por qué, mundo cruel? Ay, es que, de verdad, cada que pienso en Cinder y en Kai recuerdo todo lo que sucedió a lo largo de la saga, todo lo que vivieron y cómo lograron triunfar al final.

Los amo muchísimo y, gracias a The Mechanic pude revivir ese primer encuentro que tuvieron en el mercado. Me fascinó ver la sorpresa de Kai al conocer a Cinder y poder notar lo refrescante que fue para él estar frente a una chica “normal”, guapa, desarreglada y completamente ajena a las formalidades que implica el título de príncipe heredero. En serio Kai es uno de esos personajes que nunca se van a salir de mi corazón y que, desde el primer momento, demostraron ser tremendamente especiales.


SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW ★★★★★

”I asked you once if you thought you would ever be willing to wear a crown again. Not as the queen of Luna, but… as my empress. And you said that you would consider it, someday”.

Vale, pues antes de que lean nada de esto, quiero advertirles que Something Old, Something New puede considerarse como el epílogo de todas las Crónicas Lunares, así que evidentemente esta reseña tendrá spoilers del final de la saga.

Dicho esto… ¡Me muero de amoooooor! Al ver el título de este relato pensé que se iba a centrar en la boda de Kai y Cinder, cuando en realidad va sobre la de Wolf y Scarlet, que no son mis personajes favoritos, pero fueron tremendamente lindos en esta historia. Amé que de nuevo se reunieran todos en la granja de Scarlet y se vieran después de tantísimo tiempo, pues tras la caída de Levana cada uno tuvo una misión que cumplir. Cinder acabando la monarquía y haciendo que Luna pasara por un período de transición hacia una democracia, Scarlet y Wolf volviendo a la Tierra, Kai retomando sus deberes como emperador y Cress y Thorne repartiendo la cura contra la letumosis a lo largo y ancho del mundo.

En serio me fascinó ver cómo prepararon una boda secreta para Scarlet y Wolf, pues es la primera unión entre una persona de la Tierra y alguien de Luna, y los periodistas estaban teniendo un festín con todo. Amé verlos a todos tan unidos y recordando el lazo tan fuerte que los une después de la cantidad de aventuras que vivieron juntos.

Una de las mejores partes del relato fue el discurso de Kai cuando está casando a Scarlet y a Wolf. Sus palabras fueron tan espectaculares que, definitivamente, se notaba el amor que sentía por ellos dos y, sobre todo, por Cinder, que era en quien más pensaba mientras hablaba sobre el encontrar a una persona que te complementa, que te hace más fuerte y que, sobre todo, está contigo en las situaciones más difíciles, da igual si están separados por planetas, galaxias o razas.

Y el final… ¡MI CORAZÓN NO PUEDE CON TANTO! Adoré que Kai estuviera tan nervioso al proponerle a Cinder que se casara con él y fuera su emperatriz. ES QUE SON LO MÁS LINDO DE ESTA VIDA Y MARISSA MEYER TUVO QUE ESCRIBIR UN RELATO SOBRE SU BODA, PERO NO LO HIZO.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I AM CRY SO CRY I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS.
I could easily give this a 5 stars based on the last novella alone but the majority were 3 or 4 stars so I gotta give the overall collection a 4 star, BUT THAT LAST NOVELLA OH MY HEART.
My favorites of this collection were The Princess and The Guard, The Little Android, and Something Old, Something New (OBVIOUSLY)
It was really fun visiting these characters again and also getting some back story on all of them! Overall fantastic read.

[Andreea Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me tremendously happy. Especially the last novella - perfection.



CAN WE JUST NOT SAY GOODBYE TO THESE CHARACTERS EVER EVER EVER?? *sobs*

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let the record show that I would happily read a grocery list if it was for the Cress-and-Thorne household...but, like, everything else about this was reallyreally soso boring.

I enjoyed:
- the Thorne story
- parts of the last story

And...that's it.

Again this was just so boring. And I'm really not sure why every Marissa Meyer romance is either utterly swoon-worthy, completely meh, or supersuper creepy.

But I'm not a huge fan of it.

Bottom line: So concludes my Lunar Chronicles reread!!! Overall mildly disappointing!!!!

Man, we have fun.

-------------
pre-review

finishing off this reread with everyone's favorite part of any series: the mildly unnecessary bind-up of a bunch of pre-existing short stories <3

[Errin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long overdue but finally finished with the help of the audiobook! My favorites were Carswell's Guide To Being Lucky, After Sunshine Passes By, The Mechanic, and of course, Something Old, Something New!


BEFORE READING
"Stars Above was originally going to include two original stories, and four that had been published elsewhere — but Meyer went above (get it?) and beyond, writing five brand-new stories, including a prequel and epilogue to Winter."



WE ARE SO BLESSED

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

I guess and I dread that this is the last we will hear from the Lunar Chronicles. But I still can't keep myself from hoping for more. Apparantly there's going to be a series of graphic novels, though, featuring Iko as the main character.

It was so amazing returning to this science fiction/fantasy universe, to all my beloved characters, to their bantering and giggling and being actual cinnamon rolls.
While some shorts didn't amaze or surprise me much, I could still enjoy them a lot. But what did it for me were the heartbreaking story of The little Android,Carswell's Chapter and the final happily ever after. The three shorts were new and surprising, funny and witty, smart and overall just exactly what I wished for.

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[Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

(It actually averaged out to like 3.2 but I loved some of these so much I’m rounding up)

The Keeper

4/5

This story focuses on Michelle Benoit and her role in saving Princess Selene; all things referenced in the original series. However, I really enjoyed seeing how it all played out, and young Scarlet was a delight.

Glitches

2/5

Young Cinder meeting her new family (and of course, wicked stepmother) was actually really boring. We’re already aware of how awful Ardi is. We’re aware of Cinder and Peony’s friendship. This was all stuff we’d seen before. Some of the backstory and explanations for Cinder’s cyborg pieces were interesting, though.

Queen’s Army

5/5

Baby Wolf Ze’ev is precious. This was a really interesting character study I wish had been explored more in the initial series. I liked seeing the pack dynamics, and I still think it’s weird Ze’ev’s brother isn’t even mentioned outside of Scarlet. This expanded upon their relationship and I found it really interesting.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky

5/5

I’m Thorne trash #1, so did you really expect anything different? He’s such a fun character, even when scaled back to an obnoxious 13-year-old. I enjoyed seeing the Kate incident as it actually was, instead of both the versions Thorne and Cress painted in Cress.

After Sunshine Passes BY

2/5

I was really, really, really bored. I like Cress’ character—I really do! I think she’s crazy smart and funny, and I enjoy seeing what she brings to the table. But baby-Cress’ childhood was lonely and boring. I knew this already, I didn’t need to see just how boring and lonely it was.

The Princess and the Guard

3.5/5

Winter and Jacin are just great. I love their dynamic together and seeing how it evolved from childhood. Winter especially is a really fascinating character to me, and seeing how she became the crazy mess we met in Winter was great. My main problem is it implies Jacin gave up on his dreams for Winter—when that’s not how it’s painted in the original story? Wasn’t Jacin supposed to start an internship, and Levanna forced him into being a guard?
Did I completely misunderstand that?

The Little Android

1/5

This was soooo long. And sooo boring. It tried to create a whole new world and cast of characters in order to incorporate The Little Mermaid into this universe. But it needed to be it’s own story so it had time to develop, instead this felt really overstuffed and I didn’t care about anyone. Plus, this whole book is supposed to be filled with extra’s from TLC… and this featured none of the characters or anything about it?

The Mechanic

2/5

Two stars for Kai because he is precious. No stars for seeing the exact same scene I’ve already seen before. I didn’t think this scene was particularly interesting the first time around. They way Kai and Cinder’s relationship develops is great, but the beginning is so cliché-Cinderella… I just don’t care for it.

Something Old, Something New

5+/5

*screaming*

I NEED LIKE SIX SEQUELS TO THIS PLEASE.

IT’S SO CUTE AND EVERYONE'S DEVELOPMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS ARE GREAT. IT’S SO MUCH FUN AND EVERYONE IS SO STRONG AND HAPPY AND I’M STILL HAVING A LOT OF EMOTIONS.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading because a certain someone is making me feel all the feels!

6 Stars!! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

《《"And they all lived happily ever after"》》

The Epilogue.★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"... I think she was a little concerned that i never made very many friends. And now look. I have so many friends, i need a cargo ship to keep you all in." <-- AWWW!

It was everything and more!! It was the closure i didn't know i needed! I still find myself randomly hugging this book, or just reading the bits of it when I'm bored. I'm so glad we got this epilogue, i broke into tears many times, not the sad tears, not the angry tears, but happy tears! I didn't even know there was a such a thing. This series will always have a special place in my heart.


The Keeper. ★ ★ ★
I love little Scarlet, she is so brave! No wonder she despised her father in the 2nd book. There was this part when Scarlet mentioned having a crush on some guy in her class, i was like..



Glitches. (Get it?) ★ ★ ★
"She raised her finger to the corner of her right eye,
searching for wetness that wasn't there.
'Right. A glitch. Maybe that's all it is.'"

I love this title. This one gave me the feels! I never really cared about Cinder as much as others but this made me want to go back and reread the first book with a new respect for her.

The Queen's Army. ★ ★ ★
“'Please,' he said, wrapping his arms around his mother's waist. If he held on tight on enough, they could never force him to let go. He clamped his eyes shut as the first hot tears slipped out. 'Please don't let them__'”

Wolf, Wolf, my baby Wolf! This one was the hardest to read for me. I hate Levana is all i have to say!


Carswell's Guide to being Lucky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Carswell stifled a sigh. Maybe he could start an after-school Flirting 101 class. There were a lot of people in this school who could really use the help."

Carswell Thorne, at the age of 12, is a flirt and a con artist. He uses his charms to steal smarter kids' math homework. I can't with him, where i was devastated for other kids, he made me laugh! Please don't hate me, but i ship him with Kate so hard! In my head she is still Cress, just with brown eyes.

After Sunshine Passes By. ★ ★ ★ ★
"She would sing for a while before she began her work. Singing always made her feel better.
Sweet Crescent moon, up i the sky...,
That was all she could get through before the tears came in earnest, drowning out everything else."

Ohh little Cress! This was heartbreaking! Especially reading this right after Thorne's. Little Cress wants Syblil to be proud of her and she would do anything to make her happy. This is just too much.



The princess and the Guard. ★ ★ ★ ★
"She didn't even consider using her glamour to hide the three gashes and the blood that dripped down her neck, staining her dress. She was proud. Her wound was proof that she had been to battle and survived."

This one is a must read! Back when Jain wasn't so cold, and Winter wasn't crazy, they were just two kids, and they were fucking adorable! I teared up multiple times while reading this. This explains so much, how she went crazy, why she decided not to use her gift, how she got her scars, and her hallucinations. Their friendship/love is legendary! I love them so freaking much.


The Little Android. ★ ★ ★
Okay, WHAT. THE. FUCK. DID. I. JUST. READ? How the hell these robots are developing human emotions? It's creepy as hell. This was so sad... i cried her her? It? What was that? I do not know but what i do know is, it was B E A U T I F U L.



The Mechanic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"If i'm not back in an hour, then i've probably been cornered by paparazzi and screaming girs and you should send the royal security squad after me."

This was the one i wanted to read the most, and it did not disappoint me! If anything it was too short. I could read the whole book from Kai's POV. You know how Jain and Wolf are super intense, and Thorne is a player.. Kai is just so nice without being boring, it's just so rare. I love him! I want more.


02-05-2016
Where the fuck is my copy, Amazon? It was supposed to arrive on the 2nd! Never trusting you again, EVER!


To all my Lunar babies...

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly selected and strung together short story collection that will have any Lunar Chronicles fan emotionally drained upon finishing. Beautifully written, every single story had me euphoric from happiness and sense of adventure and wonder. Stars above, this was epic. (For people starting the series, I highly recommend reading this collection after finishing Winter.)

[Sarah DiMento · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's over D: and it's very appropriate that this is my 300th book read on Goodreads!

The Keeper- 3/5 stars
Glitches- 4/5 stars
The Queen's Army- 3.5/5 stars
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky- 4/5 stars (Thorne <3)
After Sunshine Passes By- 3/5 stars (This story felt included just because there had to be a story about Cress? It seemed short and pointless and full of information we already knew. Still heartbreaking though)
The Princess and the Guard- 3.5/5 stars
The Little Android- 4/5 stars (Probably my favorite story because it was so creative and unexpected, I was a bit confused at the end though)
The Mechanic- 3/5 stars
Something Old, Something New- 4/5 stars (Yayayayayay)

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but I'm already invested enough in these characters to care about their histories. There's something so addicting and enchanting about this world that I can't help but be totally engrossed by these stories. This is one of the only times where I've actually read every book, novella, and short story of a series. I'm sad to say goodbye to this world, these characters, but I certainly look forward to anything Marissa Meyer writes!

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro fue increíble, maravilloso...es que no tengo palabras. La cosa es que Crónicas Lunares es mi saga favorita y adoro a todos los personajes y la historia en sí y leer estas cosas me ha llenado el corazón. Creo que este libro es esencial si alguien leyó los cuatro libros ya que te aportan tantas cosas que acabas llorando y sonriendo al mismo tiempo.

De todos los cuentos que hay The little android fue el que me pareció que no tenía nada que ver con los demás pero el estilo de Marissa hace que quieras leer cualquier cosa que escriba así que igual ha estado genial.

Ahora bien, Something old, Something new es, en mi opinión, el epílogo más bonito que leí hasta ahora. Entre este y el de Princesa Mecánica mi corazón ya no puede más. No sabía que esperarme del epílogo ya que en Winter quedó bastante abierto todo y no tenía ideas de qué podría pasar y la verdad Marissa no hizo nada más que romperme el corazón por acabar una historia preciosa de una manera tan maravillosa. No creo que pueda decir algo sobre lo que pasa por que sería spoiler pero no puedo creer que esto ha llegado a su fin.

Crónicas lunares empezó siendo una cosa maravillosa para mi por que nunca había leído algo parecido y a medida que fui leyendo los otros libros terminé totalmente enamorada. La cosa es que los personajes, todos, son tan increíbles y tan bien hechos que no podría pedirle nada más a Marissa. Cinder, Iko, Kai, Thorne, Scarlet, Ze'ev, Cress, Jacin, Winter...tendréis un hueco en mi corazón para siempre.

Ayer cuando acabé el libro me quedé mirando la pared llorando de felicidad pero al mismo tiempo tristeza por que la historia se acaba aquí, pero no podría pedir un final mejor que este así que Marissa Meyer, gracias por esto, por llenarme la vida con esta increíble historia y estos personajes maravillosos.

“I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

“Forevermore, you will be my mate, my star, my beginning of everything. You are the one. You have always been, and you will always be, the only one.”

*PD/creo que seguiré llorando unas cuantas semanas más*

[Simona B · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But she was already vast and bright and endless."

It would be more logical to list the ones which are not my favourites, but, however cynical and pragmatic I may be, I always like to see the glass half-full. So don't be surprised if my favourite stories list features practically all the stories but three or four.

So, favourite stories:
• The Queen's Army because WOLF.
• Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky because THORNE.
• After Sunshine Passes By because LITTLE CRESS. I've alway found so much of myself in her character that I can never help sympathizing with her, so much that this story almost brought me to the edge of tears.
• The Princess and the Guard because Winter and Jacin's friendship is marvellous, and I loved how the author represented it through the metaphor of the games they used to play as children.
• The Little Android because- wait, are those tears? Seriously, girl. Behave yourself.
• Something Old, Something New because THE WEDDING. And you know what? It was exactly whose I hoped it would be! Me madly happy.

But I am one for equality, so a word or two also for the other novellas.
• The Keeper is a really useful and interesting story about how Michelle's path crossed that of princess Selene and about Scarlet's childhood as well.
• Glitches tells about Cinder's early days in Linh's house, and you'd probably want to read it to see the birth of her friendhsip with Iko. Extremely cute.
• The Mechanic is the first meeting between Cinder and Kai seen through his eyes. I thought I hated this kind of novellas written simply by someone else's point of view, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. It's called Meyer's effect.

If you're a fan of The Lunar Chronicles series, I honestly don't know what you're waiting for. Go read these novellas. I enjoyed them all, from the first to the last one, and even loved some. Higly recommended.

PRE-REVIEW
Uuuh, there'll be five inedited stories in this little jewel!
Well, let's see what we have: little Scarlet, little Cress, Winter and Jacin, Kai's pov of his first meeting with Cinder, the wedding of th-

Oh god.

Did I just read...?

"...epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century"

The wedding. of. the century.

The wedding of the century!

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ approximately 3.28 stars ~

Stars Above is a complation of short stories and an accompaniment for The Lunar Chronicles. While I found that it didn't necessarily give much new information it was still a fun read, and I loved diving deeper into this world and following all the characters so beloved to me. I don't like all of the stories though, and I though some were just okay or mediocre but nonetheless, overall a good experience.



Here are my thoughts and ratings for each story:


The Keeper: 3.5 stars

This story is about Scarlet's Grandmother, and her time raising Scarlet, and how she became Cinder's keeper. I liked this one, but it was nothing great, and I wasn't really interested in it much. Also, carrying around a gun can't be a personality trait.


The Little Android: 2 stars

Boring. Didn't care for it. It followed new characters, and had a weird love triangle. It was a Little Mermaid retelling but was executed in a way which was not satisfactory. I think Meyer had the right idea with what she wanted to do, but there was no point to this and it ended up being my least favorite in this collection.


After Sunshine Passes By: 2.5 stars

This was a story of Cress when she was younger and how she became Levana's programer. I found it boring and I got nothing from it. But I suppose it was cool to see what shells go through even if it was very short. I love Cress though, so I gave an extra sympathy .5 stars.


Glitches: 2.5 stars

I got nothing from this too. I expected to get a bit more about Garin, but it was a quick story and it was nothing special. Though it was not terrible in any way. Very meh.


The Mechanic: 4 stars

I will admit, I enjoyed this way more than I should have. But it was so cute. This story is Cinder and Kai's first meeting through Kai's eyes, and I thoroughly liked it.


The Queen's Army: 3 stars

This was about Wolf and his initiation into Levana's army. Wolf isn't my favorite character, but it was okay and I liked seeing his experience with all that and what he went through and how he became Alpha.


Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: 3.25 stars

I love Thorne, and young Thorne was just a fun to follow. But it wasn't as great as I expected it to be, still enjoyable nonetheless, but it was not my favorite.


The Princess and the Guard: 4.75 stars

My favorite in this collection. I loved it so much and reading this right before Winter was amazing. Jacin and Winter's relationship is so adorable, and I love their dynamic, and getting to see Winter's relationship with her stepmother and how she became how she is.


Something Old, Something New: 4 stars

The Rampion reunites after like 2 years. It was great. I started this right after finishing the series. For some reason I was under the impression that this was of Kai and Cinder's wedding, but we got a proposal instead, and Scarlet and Wolf's wedding...but oh well.


AVERAGE: ~ 3.28 stars



••••
(2/28/21)

2 minutes until midnight and the end of the month, and I finished this. Love that for me and my monthly statistics.

~ RTC ~

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*hugs myself* PLEASE tell me Iko is going to get her own little novella someday. I need more of these characters and this world :(

[jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

CARSWELL FRICKEN THORNE AKA MY SWEET LITTLE CHILD I WANT TO CRADLE THIS BUNDLE OF HAPPINESS AND LULL HIM TO SLEEP BC HE’S LOVE


Jesus Christ.

This is exactly what I needed.

FINALLY. A PROPER EPILOGUE TO WINTER.

I might have said this numerous times already but Lunar Chronicles is one of the very few series that’s so close to my heart. I didn’t exactly cry after Winter but I remember having such a heavy hangover because it has all come to an end.

Oh my God I’m emotionally unstable.

The reason why I haven’t read this sooner, I think might have something to do with me so not wanting the series to end. Its just that I can convince myself that ”yeah? We still got Stars Above”. And after reading so many books, I think its kind of proper to return to this world again for once and give one of my favorite series the love it deserves.

Some stories didn’t quite feel good as the others but no matter how much I think the story would be bad (IF it’s not a Lunar Chronicles collection), I still enjoy every single thing because that’s just how I love everyone in this series. But DO NOT WORRY everything is strangely goooood.

These break-downs are written sometime after I’m stable enough to write anything at all because I kind of had to look for each stories’ qualities and not being biased because this is one of my favorite series of all time.

So below, you’ll find quite a sane review because I tried to be (with the exceptions for Something Old, Something New which review is not exactly a review because its basically paragraphs of me trying to put my shit together because at that moment my hand was shaking and I WAS SUCH AN EMOTIONAL WRECK I NEED MORE I’M SO SAD I DON’T WANT THE SERIES TO END and I literally wrote it with tears streaming down my face, I’m serious)



The Keeper
This is a story about Michelle Benoit who juggles up between keeping the secret identity of Cinder (who’s apparently hidden in a bomb shelter) and the responsibility of caring for Scarlet. It gives me an insight of Scarlet’s life and how her father is horrible. Nothing really happened, but as a dedicated fan of TLC, I love to read about Scarlet’s backstory, how we explore her relationship with her grandmother and I could think of nothing more aside from the words Well, its good to be back in this world.

Glitches
Glitches fascinates me. I love love Cinder and nothing excites me more than getting an insight on Cinder’s life before she was a mechanic, and the part where Garan caught the letumosis is quite emotional. Though I despise Adri and Pearl even more now, I think I could understand her for a little bit, though I still don’t get her hatred for cyborgs. Also this is one of the original short stories! I feel so left out that I haven’t read it before this :/

The Queen’s Army
Now now there. Wolf is like one of my favorite characters in the entire series (though that might seem a little biased because I love almost all the main characters, but really, I love Wolf). I totally get it why some people won’t find this near appealing but this story gives me an insight about Wolf, what he’s going through, what he needed to do to actually earn his place. Though its of course, not in anywhere near perfect but it makes me actually feel something and I love it. Something is... intriguing about Wolf that captivated me from the first time I read about him. And we finally get to see a glimpse about his life before.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky
I love Thorne. Its all I could ever say. He was a narcissistic ass so full of himself in Scarlet but Cress gave everything I need to redeem his character for me and I ended up being a Carswell Thorne huge fan (especially after Winter). And because of that, I’m feeling nostalgic as hell and I didn’t even realize how much I miss reading about him until now. The story feels like a little snippet about his life and I totally get it if somesone said this one didn’t do much especially for someone who despises Thorne (believe me I know some people who do). It was a long time ago since I read TLC so I can’t remember anything about a Kate Fallow though her name rings a bell somewhere. But I personally think this is a fun read.

After Sunshine Passes by
Well? That comes as a surprise, even for me. Before I read this, I’m pretty sure I would give all the stories a good rating because I just love the series so much (didn’t I say its my one of my favorite series of all time?). But this one felt too short and unpolished. The story starts too abruptly and ends too abruptly and the fact that this story actually consists of only 2 scenes altogether and would probably count for only a 10 minute clip is just ugh. Its a very very short read, even for a short story but it could easily be one chapter in an actual book. I could literally summarize everything in a sentence. I hate naive characters but after reading Cress somehow she’s the first naive character that I love and ended up not getting on my nerves. I mean I love Cress but she comes up as irritating for such a short short story for me.

The Princess and the Guard
When I read Winter I wasn’t too emotionally attached to both Winter and Jacin, personally because I think I have been with Cinder and the rest of the gang for too long that I’m more attached to them so there are pretty much a small room for Winter and Jacin because we only read and know about them in the final book. I love Winter, I like Jacin but not so much, but my love for the other characters just surpasses that of both of them. But after reading this one, I can’t deny it. Winter and Jacin are soooo cute. I totally get it now the reason why Winter doesn’t want to use her glamours and seeing her and Jacin as kids... Oh my God. They’re so cute I want to keep them away from the world.

The Little Android
did I just cry on a story about a fucking Android? YES THAT HAPPENED.
I totes have no idea whether it was just me being emotional or that the story is that sad but Marissa Meyer managed to make me CRY in a novella that’s an achievement she should be proud of.
I like the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, but I won’t count it as my favorite Disney classic. The original story is quite intriguing for me but the ending feels too forced (the thing about her going to the heavens? Nonsense.)
This novella has tons of similarities to the original The Little Mermaid you can actually feel the atmosphere of the retelling. I know the story is sad but something about it is just too emotional. I was just reading it til’ the end and I quite didn’t get the ending at first, but then I read it again. Long story short, I finally got the ending and I ended up crying and so sad. Some Marissa Meyer magic there. Its hard for me to feel attached to a novella. But this one didn’t just make me feel but it made me shed a tear.
I know that the rating of this specific novella is slightly lower than that of the other novellas but I feel like this one is quite strong even though its not directly tied to the original series. And I love it so much its easily one of my favorite novella retellings.

The Mechanic
I can’t believe I totally forgot how funny this entire series is. Its not those contemporary books that make you out loud laughing. But it has been a long time ago since I read Cinder and I had totally forgotten how exactly awkward is Cinder and Kai’s first meeting. I was giggling throughout this entire novella but its just that I miss these characters so much.

Something Old, Something New
AND A PROPER FINALE TO WINTER.

DID I CRY?
I SPENT HALF AN HOUR CONTEMPLATING EVERY SINGLE THING

This. Is. The. Ending. We. All. Deserve.

Oh my I’m so emotional.

THAT’S IT. ALL IS DONE. EVERYONE IS HAPPY.

I don’t want this series to end but they’re all so happy and I’m emotional I choked on my own tears because I laugh and I cry and I stress because this is BEAUTIFUL.

I love everyone.

And I’m sorry I can’t provide a sane review because whenever I think of this I feel insane.

I don’t just love these characters so much I LIVE for them.

And I’m babbling now. Maybe I should stop.

[Laurie –Read Between The Skylines– · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m finally rating and reviewing this book! I know it’s been 7 weeks since I’ve finished it, but I’ve been caught up by the A Court of Mist and Fury wave, and I was drawn in one of the worst reading slumps in my life. I postponed this for too long, I have to pull myself together and move forward. Starting by reviewing this.

After reading two thousand eight hundred and five pages of the Lunar Chronicle I can tell that I’m fully satisfied with this series. This book answered the question I had, it fulfilled my curiosity and even more! Now I’ve read this more than a month ago, it’s kind of blurry in my mind so I’ll try my best but will mostly rely on my notes (thankfully I wrote things down while reading because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to write nor rate this book)

Average Rating : 4 Stars

The Keeper: 4 Stars I really liked to read from Michelle Benoit point of view, she already intrigued me in Scarlet, and I had the feeling that I didn’t have enough of her. That there were more to her story that needed to be said to understand The Lunar Chronicle. Now I’m complete.

Glitches: 4.5 Stars. This part didn’t make me like Pearl nor Adri more. On the contrary. They both are mean and resentful and cruel girls. They didn’t deserve to be surrounded by good people such as Mr Linh or Cinder or Peony. Oh Peony, I would give the world to this sweet princess. I love her so much. She should have had a more important role in those books.

The Queen's Army: 3 Stars. Wolf is not really my cup of tea. I think it was one of the characters I liked the least (I liked him nonetheless, but less than the others. This novella is one of the only parts I wasn’t curious about when I finished TLC.

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: 4.5 Stars. I love Carswell, so even if this novella wasn’t expected from me, it was so refreshing! I know the quote is from another novella in the same book, but I wanted to put it here anyway.

Wolf took a step closer so that he towered over Scarlet, creating what could have been a moment of intimacy if the room hadn’t been so crowded. “So? Will you marry me?”

Scarlet started to smile.

“Wait. Before you answer that,” said Thorne, gesturing around the room, “you should know that the store where we got all this stuff doesn’t take returns.”

Casting her gaze skyward, Scarlet said, “Well, in that case. Yes. Yes, of course I will.” Her eyes glimmered as she draped her arms over Wolf’s shoulders. His hands spread out across the sash at her waist and he bent toward her—

But just before their lips touched, Thorne thrust his hand in between them, receiving dual kisses on his fingers. Wolf and Scarlet jerked back.

“Slow those rockets,” said Thorne. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure we’re not to the kissing part yet.” He pried Scarlet away from Wolf, who growled low in his throat, and ordered, “Places, everyone!”

After Sunshine Passes: 3 Stars. I love Cress, but this part was a bit boring…

The Princess & the Guard: 5 Stars. Loved it, loved it, loved it. This part was sooo great! It was a needed novella that answered one of my main questions: “Why Winter decided to stop using her Lunar gift?” Also, it gave us insight into the beginning of her relationship with Jacin. This was perfection, I got the feels, I’m telling you!

“I will accept any amount of monsters my min wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

The Little Android: 3 Stars. Honestly, I didn’t understand the purpose of this novella. I know it was supposed to be a “The Little Mermaid” retelling, and yet it was cute, I didn’t connect with the main character. Sorry.

The Mechanic: 4.5 Stars. Cinder and Kai’s first meeting under Kai’s POV was one of the things I expected in this novella! I was so glad that my wish was granted by Marissa Meyer. They really seem like they were Meant To Be!



Something Old, Something New: 5 Stars. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: The best part of this book! It was so emotional, and sweet, and funny also (it had to, with Thorne). I LOVE weddings, and I NEEDED to have an insight into everyone HEA. It’s vital to me to know that the characters I followed for so long are still okay in the end (especially because here things were kind of unsure). This novella gave me a piece of peace and quietness.

Winter stood and wrapped her arms around Scarlet’s waist. “She’s in the stars,” she whispered. “Jacin and I saw her when we were in the sky, and she was smiling down at you, and so very, very proud.”

To conclude, Stars Above was the perfect conclusion to this amazing series. It gave me everything I needed and filled my head with hope, love and cuteness.

[Bailey]

Startled by some random woman crouched down in an isle of Target, reading the back of a book with a child as a lookout? Don't worry about it. Just turn and walk away.

I will go through considerable lengths to read this. I won't mind about the looks I get. To be honest, I'm sort of used to them by now.

[Kelly Brigid ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT: February 2, 2016

IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT!!! I have it pre-ordered, and it better come in today! ^.^

EDIT: December 1, 2015

Whoa, whoa, whoa! FIVE new stories!? FIVE! WHEN DID THIS CHANGE!?!



June 30, 2015.

Glitches. Loved it.

The Queen's Army. Been there, done that.

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky. I know every word in it.

The Little Android. Fun times.

The Princess and the Guard. ...

"A never-before-released prequel to Winter, chronicling the friendship between Winter and Jacin and answering some frequently asked questions about Winter, her insanity, and her scars."

Oh.
My.
Stars.

I can handle this. I'm not going to faint, I'm not going to faint...

And a BRAND NEW as-yet-to-be-determined story!

[ambsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars Above is a collection of short stories that connect with The Lunar Chronicles. It is snippets of the past, future and retellings of scenes we already know from the series. It is a series of novella's that capture your attention and desperately make you want to re-read the series all over again.

I loved most of these novellas. I didn't like a few due to them feeling pointless or ruining my perspective on characters I loved. I felt the most unnecessary novella came from The Android and the best, in my opinion, was Something Old, Something New.

The Keeper

4 Stars

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said. “I hardly feel trapped at all.”
“Oh, yes. It’s a very pretty prison we’ve built.”

The Keeper was the story of how Scarlet came to live with her grandmother, her grandmother's journey as a pilot to Lunar and how Cinder came to reside in their bomb shelter. I loved this story and how we got to see both Michelle (Scarlet's grandmother) and Scarlet's perspective. It was a nice way to start this book of novellas and reintroduce us to characters.

I had forgotten how badass both Scarlet and Michelle were so reading this novella made me have even more respect for the two characters than I previously did. Michelle risked not only her own but her granddaughter's life to house a toddler for eight years, ultimately caring for her. Scarlet put up with a drunk father for years time before running away at 7 (I think?) to live with her grandmother, cementing the idea she was a badass in my own personal mind.

Glitches

3.5 Stars

Glitches ultimately follow the story of The Keeper exactly. It is told from Cinder's perspective as she meets her adoptive family. Cinder is trying to work out who she is with cyber prosthetics and a computer in her brain - which would be difficult for anyone let alone a 12-year-old (I think?) who had been in a coma for eight years. In this story characters which played slightly, main roles in the Lunar Chronicles make their appearances, and we even get to witness Cinder finding out she has a talent with mechanics as she remakes Iko. However, when her male guardian contracts the Lunar virus she is now left in the hands of her stepmother who in no way wants to look after her.

I didn't mind this story. I felt like we had already witnessed it, however, in Cinder. It was a bit repetitive to what we already knew as readers and that was a tad infuriating. I don't really like re-reading knowledge I already knew in novellas. That doesn't take away from this short story's credibility, though, it was interesting to see Cinder at a young age and not as a confident as she was in the first book.

The Queen's Army

3 Stars

“We have created the ultimate soldier. Strong and fearless, with the instincts of one of nature’s greatest predators. Most important, he is a soldier who is entirely subject to the will of his thaumaturge.”

I'm going to be in a minority here I'm sure when I say I didn't like Wolf (or Z) from the moment he was introduced. I thought the tomato thing was funny but that doesn't feature in The Queen's Army. So, since I don't like Wolf I did not enjoy this story. I felt it was too long for what it is, and 3 stars felt like maybe it was a bit too high. I don't know why I didn't like Wolf, it could have been I couldn't really picture him and when I did I was slightly terrified.

The story of The Queen's Army, however, tells the story of how Wolf came to become what he was - Alpha, warrior and part lupin. It was interesting in the genetics sense but I found Wolf to be annoying in the way that he was supposed to be seen as compassionate. I mean, I was interested when he was fighting the original Alpha of the pack in order to impress the Queen. That was interesting due to the fact I'm a crazy bitch, but apart from then I felt my mind going to sleep the more I read about Wolf.

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky

4 Stars

“I’ve never made that much in one lunch hour before,” he said, pulling a skinny blue tie over his head and cinching the knot against his neck, “but eighteen Us will put us at a total of fifteen hundred. Which means”—he flipped down the shirt collar—“the bank will upgrade my account to ‘young professional’ and increase the monthly interest rate by two percent. At this rate, that would trim nearly sixteen weeks off my five-year plan."

I felt that Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky really captured the essence of Thorne's personality. It was funny, admirable and infuriating - which are all words I have used when describing Thorne. I make it no secret that Thorne was my favourite character of the series, on par with Cress. I found the pair really captured Eugene and Rapunzel from Tangled really well which is one of my favourite movies.

This novella depicts Thorne's adventures at high school. He is a cheat, scamming people out of money in order to make his bank account higher. He knows it and he isn't ashamed. He has to do what he has to do to get where he wants. His parents are snobby and don't support his goals, so he goes out of his way to shamelessly cheat people out of their money. In this novella, we see Carswell as both the cheat he is and a good person. He does nothing without his own benefit but helps a girl in his grade when her portscreen is taken - resulting in his suspension. Of course, the possible character development may have had is taken away instantly at the end as the majority of his development comes in Cress.

After Sunshine Passes By

4 Stars

“Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
Won’t you sing your song to Earth as she passes by?
Your sweetest silver melody, a rhythm and a rhyme,
A lullaby of pleasant dreams as you make your climb.
Send the forests off to bed, the mountains tuck in tight,
Rock the ocean gently, and the deserts kiss good night.
Sweet Crescent Moon, up in the sky,
You sing your song so sweetly after sunshine passes by.”

Despite the four stars I gave this novella, After Sunshine Passes By may have been one of the most boring novellas to feature in this collection. However, Cress was an interesting character - considering she was a shell with a special knack for hacking. A skill which is taken advantage by her 'Mistress' when she is placed on a satellite in order to track everything happening on Earth. This novella tells the story of that.

To me, this novella felt similar to Glitches, I was frustrated considering we already knew a majority of the information being provided to us. I didn't want to re-read it. I wanted new experiences from Cress, not her origin story.

The Princess and The Guard

2.5 Stars

“I will never use my gift,” she whispered. “Not ever again.”

The Princess and The Guard novella was the essence of repetitive. Every bit of information that was provided was provided to us in Fairest and Winter. It was the story of Winter's childhood, her choice not to use her powers anymore, her descent into crazy, and the reason she has the scars on her face. It was straight up boring, though not the worst story in this collection.

The Little Android

2 Stars

The Little Android was, by far, the worst novella in the collection. There was not a single reason to why it should have even existed in this collection apart from to waste time and take up space.

I can't even give a description of what happened purely because I skimmed it. I didn't want to read about characters who played no major role in the books. Maybe the characters will make a feature in Iko's story - but for now, I will continue to believe this was useless. Considering the fact the android 'dies' at the end.

The Mechanic

4 Stars

The Mechanic made up for The Little Android. We may have seen the story told before, but it had been from Cinder's perspective. In this novella, however, we got to see Kai's perspective and his reaction to seeing a teenage girl behind the booth when he had expected a man. It was amusing to see Kai's thought process and how he had attempted to flirt with Cinder during their first interaction. I liked the fact that Kai was awkward throughout the encounter, whereas - if I recall correctly - Cinder had been more analytical.

Overall, it was a great snippet of the past - and one of the shortest novella's present in the book.

Something Old, Something New

5 Stars

Something Old, Something New can be seen as an epilogue to the entire series. It was told from the future, the only novella present which did so. We get reunited to the crew as a whole, seeing the whole gang back together and getting the interactions that we had come to love. Cinder has abdicated from the throne, an office is in place on Lunar, Kai is Emporer, and Scarlet and Wolf are getting married.

This particular novella felt bittersweet. I loved every second of it despite the fact I couldn't help but cry throughout it - it was just straight up beautiful. If you don't want to read this collection of novellas but are interested in a more closing epilogue, I would recommend you read this particular story.

Overall this collection of novellas was both bittersweet and boring. In some places, it felt the story was not required, but that could be pushed aside by the better stories that were present in the bind up. I would recommend this to any fans of The Lunar Chronicles.

[s · Rating 3 out of 5]

My overall rating rounded up is 3 stars.

The Keeper: 3 stars
This short story is about Scarlet's grandma and how she took care of Cinder. It was surprisingly not boring and we learn a lot.

Glitch: 4 stars
It was so fun to learn about little Cinder, but that ending...

The Queen's Army: 2 stars
This was boring as fuck, but we learn lot's about wonderful Wolfy.

Carswell's Guide in Being Lucky: 3 stars
A fun story about little Thorne and his flirting skills.

My overall rating is 2.88888888888888888888 rounded up to 3 stars.

The Keeper: 3 stars
This short story is about Scarlet's grandma and how she took care of Cinder. It was surprisingly not boring and we learn a lot.

Glitch: 4 stars
It was so fun to learn about little Cinder, but that ending...

The Queen's Army: 2 stars
This was boring as fuck, but we learn lot's about wonderful Wolfy.

After Sunshine Passes By: 3 stars
Aw poor little Crescent Moon. Short story about how she came about to living in the satellite.

The Princess and The Gaurd: 3 stars
Mehhhh. Too long.

The Little Android: 2 stars
I mostly skimmed through this one and couldn't care less about anything.

The Mechanic: 2 stars
Cinder and Kai meeting at the booth. Kai's POV

Something Old, Something New: 4 stars
My favorite. The best ending ever.