#I NEEEEED THEM TO REUNITE

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Teeny Tiny Lizzie and Ren

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Book (Series) Review: The Lunar Chronicles

I just recently finished reading The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and I neeeeed to talk about it with someone. No one else in my life enjoys reading so it's getting posted here.

The series has been out for a while (like many years) but I'll still put everything below this line. Continue reading only if you've finished Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter!

Let's Talk About Cinder

Okay so I got this book from someone who had read it and didn't super love it. They said the writing was eh, but the concept was interesting, so I gave it a shot. I'll admit, the writing struck me as young YA at first, which took some getting used to. I'm not sure the person who recommended it ever looked up what age group it was meant for.

BUT

I was hooked after Peony got sick. Cinder's determination and stubborn drive to stick to a plan is something I very much relate to. I wasn't surprised by her being the missing princess, but still loved the reveal. And the politics! I love a good political thriller. Poor Kai. The weight of his emperor role while still grieving his father...I can't imagine. But Marissa Meyer did such a great job balancing his grief/Cinder's building tidal wave of grief with comforting puppy love/friendship chemistry that was undeniable.

And I was totally looking for every possible Cinderella reference LOL. I loved how there was so much I could recognize from the movie woven in via tiny details so the book had its own story and life.

So yeah, I was super impressed by the time I finished it. And thankfully, the person who loaned me the book also loaned me the next two!

So Now There's Scarlet

O.M.G. I am such a sucker for books where there's a bad guy who has a good heart and love makes him grow into himself (A Court of Mist and Fury anyone?) so this book was quickly my favorite. Scarlet and Wolf's chemistry/banter melted my heart. Obvi it was based off of Red Riding Hood so I knew there would be some twist where Wolf was bad, but it still hurt when it happened.

And the introduction of Thorne!! Wasn't sure what to make of him at first because his dialogue is so...arrogant and quippy, but I adore how he's like a brother to Cinder. Found family storylines are ~chef's kiss~

The writing for this book also felt a bit older. Still YA but maybe early high school age? The action was more intense and the scenes after Scarlet finds her grandmother...intense. Plus, the politics with Levana/Kai were more complicated too. I was SO glad I could jump right into Cress when I finished!

And Cress!

Ohkay ohkay ohkay—Cress begins as this sweet, isolated bby who has a permanent place in my heart. She's so smart with all things tech, but she has crush on Thorne (and their imaginary romance) the size of my crush on certain celebrities when I was her age. 😅

Their crash to earth was ~insane~ and the walk across the desert was so much longer than I thought it would be. It was the perfect place to develop their friendship and test how Cress interacts with social groups/Earth. I was an absolute sucker who trusted the group that they found, so the whole backstabbing in the desert town hurt extra.

When they reunited with Cinder, I wanted to cheer! I loooove all of the relationships between these characters, though Jacin never really warmed up (for obv reasons).

By the way, when Scarlet was taken, I was in shock. I thought there was no way anything actually bad would happen to one of the main characters. Then she loses her finger?! It was such a small price for a character to pay in a series with an interplanetary war, but it did the job. Poor Wolf. God I love the two of them. They might be are definitely my favorite couple. The glow in Wolf's eyes when he looks at Scarlet is almost too real. The respect, the love...I could go on and on.

Now Winter...

By this point, Meyer's writing had grown and aged with I'm sure her intended readership, so I was super enthralled. Still, I was a bit worried that a character introduced/developed in a single book wouldn't seem as intrinsic to the main character group as everyone else who got multiple books. Boy was I wrong.

The Winter/Jacin connect had a sweetness to it that I'm not sure I've seen in any other book. Their love never overshadowed their lifelong friendship. It's fantastic writing and an especially incredible dynamic to model for young people.

When the first Cinder/Levana confrontation happened, I was frantically checking how much of the ebook I had left to read, LOL. It was that delicious sense of panic/dread of wondering where the hell the story goes when the Big Confrontation is already happening so soon. And it was perfect! Winter got her Snow White ending (but without it being creepy, which was another thing I wondered how Meyer would handle and she knocked it out of the park), Cress got her heroic arc from Thorne, Cinder and Kai (!!! that's all I've got, too many emotions about their trust/the TINY FOOT), and then Scarlet and Wolf reuniting, leading his mining community AND her magnificent handling of the mutated wolf army?! Honestly, Scarlet should be queen of somewhere. Anywhere. I will move there and happily deliver her tomato harvests wherever she wants.

I'm So Grateful For This Series

I'm late to the Lunar Chronicles game, but boy am I glad I made it. This series was a delight to read and an automatic addition to my bookshelves. I get all of my books from the library and only buy the ones I adore (it's really just an income thing), so it means the world to me that these books will join my little collection.

These characters also got me through the worst bout of depression I've ever experienced. I was not functioning for over a week. The only thing that made me move was the need to reach for these books. The warmth, love, friendships, friendly bickering, heartbreak, and healing all touched my heart. And again, I can't talk about it with anyone else in my life because the person who loaned them never read past Scarlet and didn't really like them so...now this post exists.

Pls message me if you also want to fangirl/boy/person over this series. I'm summing up so many of my thoughts because I finished them like a month ago and didn't have this blog when I got done. I've seen all of your art—it's amazing. All of it. All of the interpretations of the characters, the artistic styles. I scrolled through so many Lunar Chronicles tags after finishing Winter. And now this post will be one of them.

[the-wandering-whumper]

Do you have any examples of the whump trope of flinching? I was just reading a Teen Wolf fic where Stiles is captured and someone is throwing knives at him and he flinches, and now I neeeeed to see some ☺️ thank you! Xx

If you’re a Dirk fan, there was a moment after he was finally reunited with Farrah and Todd that Todd reached out to touch him and he flinched away. It’s kind of a “blink and you might miss it” moment tho, but it was a brilliant piece of acting on Samuel’s part. Captain Hook is also a good flincher. Tumblr family, any other flinching moments you particularly enjoyed?Nonny, you may want to check out my flinching and wincing tags for more inspiration! I’m going to add a few new things to them in a moment.