the-carlyle-review

[the-carlyle-review]

Cress Review

Cress is, by far, my favorite book in The Lunar Chronicles series. Following the events of Scarlet, Cinder and Thorne are back on the run in the Rampion but now they’ve got Scarlet and Wolf on board. With the end goal of taking down Queen Levana, the crew looks to Cress for help; the hacker that Cinder met over netscreen in the first book who warned her that Prince Kai was in danger.  Cress is all-for supporting Cinder over Levana, but in order to do so she needs to be rescued from her satellite-slash-Rapunzel-tower. The Rampion crew, however, is not the best at their job, and so their straightforward plan to grab Cress and skidaddle doesn’t play out as it should. Thus, the rest of the book follows the crew���s separation and attempts to get back on track. 

It’s when we see all the characters come together, and then promptly get split apart. My favorite part about the split is that, without delving too deeply into spoilers, we get to see new dynamics of character interactions, and there are a lot of relationships to work with now that the cast list has gotten so much larger. The characters also start out frazzled and stressed, which I think adds depth to their interactions and conversations because they don’t have the mental capacity to be poised or on top of their emotions. This leads to hilarious conversations that we wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.

Cress by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #3): ⭐ 10/10 ⭐

Review with spoilers below!

As mentioned earlier, we get different groups than we have had in the previous books. The main duos in Scarlet were Cinder-Thorne and Scarlet-Wolf. However, when Scarlet is kidnapped by Sybil and Thorne plummets to the earth with Cress, those strong relationships were broken up and instead newer, weaker relationships were given the chance to grow. Scarlet suffers in the Lunar palace but meets the enigmatic Princess Winter. Cinder is left lugging around an unconscious and injured Wolf, and has a new companion in the Lunar guard Jacin who Sybil left behind. Thorne is now blind, and his companion is a Lunar shell whose first encounter with the earth is being stranded in a desert and almost dying– not to mention the fact that she’d fallen in love with him before they’d even met. 

This all comes to a head when everyone meets back up in the Lunar-majority village in Africa, except they’ve once again been separated even further; Wolf has just regained consciousness and is desperately searching for Scarlet; Thorne, still blind, is trying to find Cress after she was kidnapped by human traffickers; Jacin was just wandering around, but he’s being perceived as a threat because no one in the scuffle except for Cinder knows that he’s (temporarily) on their side. 

This continues, of course. When they infiltrate Kai’s wedding, it is Cress and Wolf who are the couple, and it is funny to see meek Cress interacting with a grumpy Wolf. It’s hilarious to see Cinder and Jacin interact with one another because they both barely trust the other, and Jacin is not subtle about how little faith he has in his new buddies. Not to mention the communication error between Cinder and Jacin about his “I serve my princess” line. Which just makes their interactions so much more entertaining to read. Jacin also adds that next level of outside viewer that I love so much in this series, as it is clear that he does not hold the others in high esteem nor is he willing to get swept along in their belief that they can do anything they put their mind to. He is very much a pessimist, and it is funny and frustrating at the same time.  

All in all, Cress is definitely my favorite book in the series. I feel like we get to see a lot of action and comedy, and it comes at a good point in the series because the relationships and character personalities are pretty established, and we still have the entire next book for everything to go to shit and need to be serious. It’s sad that Scarlet and Wolf get given the short straw, but I feel as though the contents of the book would’ve gone much differently if the two were at full power, considering Scarlet has the blood-thirst and Wolf has the skills to carry out the murders. 

[the-carlyle-review]

“Of Manners and Murder” Review

I took a quick detour between Scarlet and Cress to read Of Manners and Murder. This was less out of a need for a break and more-so because I brought Of Manners and Murders on my roadtrip, but not Cress. Once I finished Scarlet, I immediately turned to the next available option.

Like Cinder, I was drawn to this book in Barnes and Noble because of its cover and title. In all honesty, I was hoping that this book would be similar to Gail Carriger’s Finishing School books, one of my favorite series. I really appreciated the era in which people were writing books in ye old English times that focused on women taking names and kicking ass, and I was hoping that this would be a more modern take on that era.

I was half right. While Hastings’ book lacks some of the supernatural or steampunk elements that older books of this manner included, I believe she still did a very good job capturing the whimsy of a woman doing things she’s not expected to at that time. Not to mention the amazing opening of the book and the interesting character of Violet herself, alongside her aunt. 

The book had a bit of a slow start, but it was intriguing to go through the mystery alongside Violet. Once you get to know all the characters in the story, Hastings does a good job of throwing bits and pieces out about the mystery murder, and the reader is left trying to solve the puzzle at the same pace as Violet. It’s possible that I’m just not a very good detective, but I believe that Hastings does a good job burying the ‘whodunnit’ lead, leaving the reader in suspense until the very end of the novel. I look forward to reading the second novel in this series, which is expected to hit shelves in January of 2024. Further thoughts can be found below the cover art, though they’ll include spoilers!

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings (A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery #1): ⭐ 7/10 ⭐

Spoilers lay beyond this path; take heed!

I think that Hastings did a very good job creating intrigue and making us wonder who it was, exactly, that killed Ivy. She did a great job making all of her suspects seem like actual suspects, and the fact that Violet was able to talk to each and every one of them made it even more interesting because you got to hear so many sides of the story. Violet really did just stumble into a funeral and then go around and gossip with everyone left alive in town, as someone who no one knew because the first time they saw her was in a cemetery, and then eventually figure out who murdered Ivy. She’s an icon.

The side-characters in this story also add to the likability of the novel: her enigmatic aunt who we only see for a brief moment; Violet’s half-sister Sephora who has her own struggles of love and mystery in the novel; and Eli Marsh, the interesting man who appears towards the end of the book and vexed Violet with his sudden and continued presence. 

As this series is still being added to, I’m interested to see how the characters and their relationships grow and develop. I’d like to see how Violet and Sephora’s relationship changes, as they were relatively detached in this first book up until the last couple of chapters. I’d also like to see the role that Eli Marsh plays; as I said, he entered into play very late in the game, but his character seems fun and I’m looking forward to his future encounters with Violet. I’d also like to see more of Aunt Adelia and her connections; I’m wondering if she will make an in-person appearance in the second novel, or if she’ll stay off the board. 

[the-carlyle-review]

Scarlet Review

The next book in my read-through of The Lunar Chronicles is Scarlet. In this second book, we meet a new character and a new fairytale; Scarlet Benoit stands in for Little Red Riding Hood (as was especially clear in the original cover art for this book). However, when her grandma goes missing, this red-cloaked heroine isn’t going to let a wolf or anything else stop her from getting her back. 

While it is the second book in the series, at times it feels like we’re starting all over again because we spend so much time on Scarlet’s POV rather than continuing on with Cinder. I think that is the main part that slows me down compared to when I’m rereading Cinder. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2): ⭐ 7/10 ⭐

Spoilers Below!

I think one of my main difficulties with this book is the romance part between Scarlet and Wolf. I just don’t understand it; it feels as though Scarlet is constantly deciding that she wants nothing to do with Wolf other than using him to get to her grandmother, but then a few pages later she’ll be full of want for him. I think the main reason this gets on my nerves so much is because it feels as though it weakens her character; she’s either focused on Wolf or on her grandmother, and I wish we got to see more of her own actions. Wolf is consistently pitiful/shifty; his storyline and motivations are pretty straightforward, though frustrating at times (from a reader perspective). Scarlet, though... I just wish we were given more time with her. 

I think it is fun that Scarlet and Wolf are a bit more bloodthirsty than other characters we’ve seen so far; Scarlet will do anything to protect those she loves, while Wolf is tightly leashed violence who wants to be anything but. 

The beginning of the story does pick up on some of the stuff I’d mentioned in my review of Cinder, though: that outsider perspective. We see it in the tavern when Scarlet and the other patrons are watching the news stories about Cinder crashing the ball, and we see it slightly when Scarlet finds out that Cinder has escaped. It’s certainly intriguing to see the way that Scarlet brushes off much of the news about Cinder during the book; yes, she has bigger fish to fry, but it makes you think about what the common people of Earth were thinking about all the drama going down at the Commonwealth Ball. 

Another thing I like about this book is that we start to see how the different groups interact with one another, and the chaos that reigns from it. Cinder and Thorne are a duo for the entire book, but they don’t get along in the way that Cinder and Iko do; they’re not bffs, and that makes their conversations all the more fun to read. At the end of the book as well, we get to see Cinder and Thorne pop up in Paris with Scarlet and Wolf, and the way that that whole scene goes down. Their fight with the Paris wolves is very tense, but it is also hilariously poorly done; Iko ends up fighting off most of the pack with her landing ramp. 

Lastly, there is the issue of the modernization of terminology that we see at the end of the book. The scene between Wolf and Scarlet when they’re discussing his ability to throw off the thaumaturge’s power– the number of times ‘alpha male’ and ‘alpha female’ are thrown around is, frankly, distracting as a modern reader. I can’t even recall what I thought of those terms the first time I read this book; I’m not sure if they seemed as ‘cringy’ (for lack of a better term) as they do this time around. If I view it a certain way, then it almost seems funny, but I’m not sure if Meyer wanted this scene to be funny or to be romantic? Though it is also very funny that Wolf is a simp and that, regardless of her intentions in making him that way, Meyer did make his Supreme Simpiness an actual tool when it comes to defending himself against mind control (though I’m still confused as to how effective this method is). But, yeah, yada-yada: the evolution of terminology can indeed shape the way we view content, which everyone obviously knew already, though it’s interesting to see it in a book that’s only like a decade old. 

[the-carlyle-review]

Cinder Review

I was in a Barnes and Noble recently and happened upon the revamped Lunar Chronicles covers. I’ve read this series a couple times through, and I own the ebook for Cinder. However, the newest covers are so well done that I couldn’t resist buying a physical copy of the first book. 

Cinder is a fairytale retelling in a futuristic world. It follows Linh Cinder, a teenage cyborg who is the the best mechanic in New Beijing, but you wouldn’t know it based on the way her stepmother treats her. Cinder finds herself drawn into royal politics and intrigue when tasked with fixing one of the royal androids, and spends much of the book grappling with questions of identity, especially as her cyborg status is a point of contention even in this futuristic society.

I flew through this book. Cinder is one of the books that I hold in high esteem in my memory, but which I don’t reread as often as I do some of my other favorites. I’m glad that I chose to do now because I’d forgotten just how fun this book is. This book is an easy but captivating read, perfect for readers aged teen and up, and its status as a Young Adult book should not deter older readers from picking it up!  

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1): ⭐ 10/10 ⭐

Spoilers Below!

I first read this book years ago, so my review now is based mainly on my experience of rereading it and knowing everything that is set to happen not only in this book but also in the rest of the Lunar Chronicles. That being said, I believe that the ability to reread a book and be just as engaged as you were the first time is the sign of a strongly written book. I’m not just here for the plot, of which I know most of the ins and outs. The characters that Meyer has created and shaped are a crucial factor keeping me from putting this book down.

Cinder is a charming protagonist, even if she wouldn’t agree with that description. She spends most of the book agonizing over her cyborg identity, and later the knowledge that she is Lunar. Her run-ins with Kai are constantly overshadowed by the fact that she is cyborg and he doesn’t know– there are many scenes in which she is aware of just how quickly he could discover her secret. And then later, Dr. Erland drops the bombshell of the century on her when he reveals that she is Lunar (which is nothing compared to the Princess Selene secret he’ll leave her with at the very end of the book), and Cinder is left grasping the fact that she is now an outcast in two ways. Not only is she held at arms length from the rest of society for her metal parts, but she is also a Lunar, a group hated by most on Earth– in fact, it’s illegal for her to be on Earth. The first of many laws she will break in this series, and she didn’t even have a choice in the matter!

The side characters are no less interesting than our protagonist, which further strengthens this book. Iko is the charming android whose faulty personality chip has provided Cinder with one of her only friends and, after Peony’s illness and death, her only confidante. At times, Iko even acts more like a teenage girl than Cinder does. Peony is another interesting side character as she breaks the original Cinderella myth by being kind to Cinder and one of her other close ties (Pearl, on the other hand, fully acts out the traditional role of evil stepsister). Peony’s illness does an exceptional job driving the plot forward, especially as it keeps Cinder to both Kai and Dr. Erland. Kai too is a fun character, and we see the struggle that he has in taking such a high-stakes role of responsibility at such a young age. His interactions with Cinder contrast sharply with his struggles with the Lunars, as the former plays out as a love story he may have been able to pursue had he not been shoved so quickly into the role of Emperor. It is also highly ironic that Kai likes Cinder because she feels normal, when in reality Cinder is anything but normal. 

Another interesting part of Peony’s involvement in the plot is the way she is mourned for more of the book than she is an active character. Even while she is alive, the second she catches letumosis her remaining family members are resigned to her death– in fact, this is a big factor driving Adri and Cinder further apart. Following Cinder’s perspective we know she finds out that she is Lunar and may be able to help find a cure by helping Dr. Erland. Adri, on the other hand, believes that Cinder was sent away from the research labs and then ignored most of the mourning she and Pearl were doing for Peony. I know that Adri always saw the worst in Cinder anyway, and I don’t mean for this to be an argument as to why Adri’s actions were reasonable– they weren’t. However, this leads into one of the areas of interest with not only Cinder but with the rest of the series– at times, we see hints of what the rest of the world sees Cinder & co doing. Adri believes Cinder isn’t mourning Peony, and while Cinder is in jail at the end of the book we get some more snippets of what the media is making up to explain her role in everything. I wish that we got to see more of this outsider view, especially considering the enormous secret of Princess Selene that drives many of Cinder’s actions in the following books.