Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on August 12, 2016 | 2 Comments


Review: Stars Above by Marissa MeyerStars Above by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4.5
Published by Feiwel and Friends (2.2.2016)
Genres: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 369 pages
Source: I own it


3.5 Stars

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.

My thoughts

The Keeper

I didn’t really get much out of this one, since it was stuff we already knew about, but it was kinda cool to get a bit more backstory on Scarlet’s grandma and her time spent hiding Selene’s body. Mostly it just gave us insight into how Cinder was named. Not much else I can say about it!

Cinders. Embers. Ashes. Michelle hoped that whatever strength had allowed the 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.

3 heartbeats

Glitches

Again, this one didn’t really do much for me. Neat little backstory, with some insight into how Cinder felt as a child coming to her new family. And fixing Iko, yay! And of course, Adri is a raging bitch. But we already knew that.

3 heartbeats

The Queen’s Army

I liked this one a little better, because Wolf was always one of my favorite characters, and I feel like we never really got that much background on him and the events that led to his being Alpha. The story showed us that he’s certainly no hero – there’s blood on his hands, and he doesn’t balk at killing when necessary. It also showed us that Brock was a douche.

3 half heartbeats

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky

I rather liked this story! I always liked Thorne, mostly for his humor. And this short story had plenty of that! I must say that it made me dislike Thorne just a little bit, though, because he’s such a hopeless womanizer. Charming, sure, but kind of…manipulative. Selfish. It was pretty adorable that he stood up for Kate, though!

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.

3 half heartbeats

After Sunshine Passes By

Cress’s story was kind of depressing, in a way. There’s really not much to it, just Cress getting locked away for the rest of her childhood, which we knew. I suppose there is a certain amount of emotion to the story, but I felt it kind of unnecessary. Filler. We already knew what happened to Cress, and why, and I didn’t feel like this one added anything else to that. It felt like a deleted scene – and deleted scenes are deleted for a reason.

2 half heartbeats

The Princess and the Guard

I feel like Winter’s story was the most meaningful, because it gives us insight as to why she chose to refuse her Lunar gift. (Or was that in the main series? I don’t remember it at all, if it was…) This story actually made me like and respect Winter as a character a lot. She’s viewed as weak by the Lunars because she can’t (doesn’t) use her gift, but I was impressed by how strong she was. Even when Levana was manipulating her into holding a knife to her own throat, Winter didn’t back down. She stayed true to herself and refused to use her gift, no matter what. I loved that! I loved that she stuck to her guns.

“It has to be this way. I will accept this side effect. I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

It was also cute to experience the moment when Winter realized she loved Jacin, and to see the dynamic between them as they grew closer together.

4 heartbeats

The Little Android

Jeez, talk about depressing! I mean, I think this has been my favorite so far, but damn. I love that this is an original story, not an add-on or deleted scene. I kind of loved seeing Star’s story, how she wasn’t just a mindless android, how she saved Dataran’s life and fell for him. Her brief but meaningful run in with Cinder.

But, like I said, it was pretty depressing. This story is based off of the original story of The Little Mermaid. If you know it, you’d know that it is nothing like Disney’s version. Hence the depressing-ness.

She would tell him that she was the one who had saved his life, because something about him made her unpredictable, and maybe dangerous, and she couldn’t exist in a world without him.

That ending?!?! View Spoiler »

4 heartbeats

The Mechanic

This was kind of pointless too – the scene where Kai and Cinder first met, only in Kai’s point of view. I mean, his thoughts and impressions of her were totally adorable, but it didn’t really add much to the story because we’ve already seen it.

He was optimistic as he left the weekly market behind. More optimistic than he had been in weeks. That mechanic was going to change everything.

3 heartbeats

Something Old, Something New

This was by FAR my favorite story of them all, and honestly the only reason I picked this book up in the first place. Because when I heard talk of a marriage, I knew it was going to be my favorite couple of the series getting married.

AND IT WAS SO ADORABLE, YOU GUYS. I absolutely loved it, and it gave me all the feels! View Spoiler »

Wolf smiled around his canine teeth. “You are the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.”

Oh don’t mind me, I just have an eyelash or something stuck in my eye….

4 half heartbeats

The Lunar Chronicles

cinder scarlet marissa meyer cress marissa meyer
 

fairest marissa meyer winter marissa meyer stars above marissa meyer

Jessi (Geo)

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2 responses to “Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

  1. I still need to read this one myself as well! I read most of your reviews except for the last one which I wanted to be surprised by. I remember hearing the rumors and whatnot of its theme, but still…I haven’t been spoiled yet! LOL! Glad to hear you enjoyed most of these. Although I already felt myself getting teary over The Little Android when you compared it to the original The Little Mermaid, which I definitely remember that story well and think for once, Disney was wise to Disney-ify it! Great set of mini reviews! Looking forward to reading this collection eventually! :)

  2. Autumn

    I also really liked Carswell’s story. It was fun to see that he was such a cute charmer as a kid, and kind of a jerk as well. And Scarlet and Wolf’s wedding was the sweetest thing ever!!

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