Review--Stars Above 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 nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

So begins the long awaited reading of Stars Above by Marissa Meyer! I’ve been meaning to read this for ages! I never did get around to reading the stories that were in the two paperback versions I bought. But now in this beautifully bound book, I have ALL of those, plus MORE! Like with all story compilations, I’ll break this down into a set of ultra-mini reviews!

The Keeper

This is one that shows us Scarlet’s grandmother, Michelle and how she came to be in the care of Cinder when she was still a very young little girl and in a state of sleep. My memory is a little fuzzy on those details on how Cinder survived the fire that Levana caused to kill her and how she was put into basically a coma-like state in order to survive. But then Michelle’s world is turned upside down, when young Scarlet runs away from home to her.

This was a nice little read, I can’t remember much about the series in details as it’s been a long while since I last read the books. But I remember liking Scarlet a lot! It was her story that got me hooked into this series better than Cinder’s. I liked Cinder, don’t get me wrong, I just tend to do bad with space books and ones with a lot of science involvement. But I was able to enjoy this series despite those trends after my initial hiccup.

Rating 3.5/5 stars
 

Glitches

So far it seems that this book is putting the stories in chronological order and I love that! I’m writing these mini reviews as I go so that way I won’t forget my thoughts on each little story. Glitches is about when Garan brings Cinder to live with him and his family. Though Cinder is quick to learn that his family isn’t as warm and welcoming as he is. Except for Peony of course.

And so begins our Cinderella story in some ways. Cinder strives to find a usefulness for herself as Adi, her stepmother already seems to hate her on the spot. And it’s when she finds the pieces of the broken down android that she thinks she might be able to find some use for herself after all.

This one was a little more heartbreaking to read. Seeing the cruel treatment poor Cinder had to endure when she truly didn’t know any better.


Rating 3.5/5 stars
 

The Queen’s Army

This is a story about Wolf and how he came to be Wolf. He was once a boy named Z who was strong and fast, but being this is exactly what catches the eye of the thaumaturges. And then one day, they come for him. He’s given new enhancements as a part of the recruitment. He is delivered to his pack and must work his way up from the bottom. Already he and the alpha don’t get along well.

He learns that the best pack will be used for the queen’s special elite army and Z wants this more than anything. Because if his pack is the winner, he won’t have to become a monster in the “general” army. But the things he will have to do to get there will change him.

Another interesting little tale! I always liked Wolf! Must be the werewolf lover in me! It was interesting to see where he came from and how he came to be the young man we grow to know…and love!


Rating 5/5 stars


Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky


Carswell, our lovable space captain with a dream, is failing math. His father has told him to bring up the grade or be grounded on his break. And since Carswell’s dream to own his own ship costs money, money that he must earn, even if it’s not honestly earned, can’t have that. It’s then his eyes turn to Kate Fallow. She’s a quiet girl, but incredibly smart. He gets it into his head that she could tutor him, but he’s going to have to win her over.

I quite enjoyed this one! Carswell was definitely a favorite of mine as well! He provides much needed comedy and we continue to see that here in his story. I enjoyed Kate as well! I saw a bit of myself in her, with her love of reading. Though I honestly was never one for math, but that’s beside the point! LOL! It seems Carswell, while he can be bit hot-headed at times, is also a very genuine and caring kind of guy, much like we saw with him and Cress.

 
Rating 5/5 stars
 

After Sunshine Passes By

This is the story of how Cress came to be in the satellite station to spy of Earth's more private conversations to report to Levana. It was a bit heartbreaking as Cress is just a child and to realize that she was left there for years to spy, all alone, my heart went out to her.

Cress is determined to prove her worth both to Levana and her caretaker, Sybil. She has a lot of dreams and I admire her for her daydreaming even. She's a clever girl.


Rating 3.5/5 stars


The Princess and the Guard


This story was a brief look into Winter’s childhood that she shared with Jacin. It was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. I remembered (vaguely) what she suffered at Levana’s hands and to see this happy little princess be broken by that woman was quite traumatic in some ways.

Winter has a gift that basically allows her to force her will upon people. She can make them do whatever she wants. She’s never done anything remotely bad with her abilities but when one day a servant—whom she had “helped” before—commits suicide, Winter is left stricken with guilt. For she learns what had been happening to this servant and she then decides to never use her powers again. And naturally, this does bot sit well with Levana and we see the consequences of that.

Outside of the tragedy that befell Winter, this story was enjoyable in some respect, if merely being able to see Winter and Jacin form their friendship at an early age. I’m a sucker for a good friendship that (eventually) leads to romance!

 
Rating 4/5 stars


The Little Android

This is the story of Mech6.0 and if the title didn’t give you the hint, it’s a short little retelling of The Little Mermaid. It took a while for me to see The Little Mermaid to come shining through the words of this story, but when it did my heart soared! It was amazing to watch this android rescue a human boy and just as she’s losing her power gains a new body, courtesy of our favorite mechanic!

And even then the story does not stop as Mech6.0 becomes Sun in her new disguise. Though the body Cinder gave her only has so much left to go. Sun has no voice, walking hurts her feet like something fierce. To top it off, she’s watching the boy, Dataran, whom she rescued and loves, fall in love with someone else.

And much like Hans’ The Little Mermaid, this ending is one that will leave you with all the feels! Disney at least did right in that sense to give the story a happier ending, but at the same time, I admire what Hans and Marissa did with their versions!

 
Rating 5/5 stars


The Mechanic

I think I remember reading this one at some point! It is basically Cinder and Kai’s first meeting through Kai’s point of view. He’s looking for the renowned mechanic to fix his android, Nainsi, who has important information regarding the lost princess Selene, whom he has been searching for recently due to all the politic problems and upheaval with Levana and her kingdom.

It was kind of sweet to see Kai all atwitter with Cinder! I can’t remember Cinder’s feelings on this meeting as it’s been years since I read Cinder. But needless to say it was refreshing to read a familiar scene from a new perspective.


Rating 4/5 stars


Something Old, Something New

This was the newest story Marissa Meyer added to the Lunar Chronicles and it was quite amazing too! It takes place sometime after the events of Winter and brings about some more happy conclusion to the ending we found there. It’s a wedding, if the title didn’t clue you in already and it was the most touching sort too!

Scarlet wants nothing more than to have small little wedding, but since her best friends are pretty important in the political field, reporters have camped out by the dozen near her property as her wedding looms just days away. Everyone is in town for it and the townspeople will be there too. But then things take an interesting surprise.

We even get a little moment with Cinder and Kai afterwards that will basically leave you with all the happy feels! Needless to say, this story was one of the best! I find it a more fitting goodbye to the series than I did with Winter, though that being said, I am about to start the first graphic novel, so it’s not really goodbye after all, is it?

 
Rating 5/5 stars


So it’s with a happy heart that I say this collection of stories was pretty entertaining! It’s definitely a read for fans of the Lunar Chronicles. Though since I’m way late in reading it, I’m sure you’ve all read these stories anyway! Lol! But if you’re later to the game then I was, I highly recommend upping this one in your TBR piles! ;)


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars