The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

So, I finished reading the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer today for the 2nd time and I have to say, there hasn’t been a book that catches me like this in a long time! I loved it!

The Lunar Chronicles are a series of 4 main books as follows:
1. Cinder
2. Scarlet
3. Cress
4. Winter

And 2 extra books of stories…
1. Stars Above (a compilation of stories that are set before, in the middle and after the storyline of the the 4 books above)
2. Fairest (Story about Levana.. I think) I haven’t actually read this one… haha

I have to start by stating that the 4 main books are spin offs from the classic stories most of us (girls) have grown up with haha I’ll let you to find out which one is which… (it’s very easy though, you can know from the book covers…)

As I said at the beginning this series got me so absorbed that I had to read them 2 times and I still feel very attached to every character… they’re so relatable and at the same time… not haha.

*** Spoilers Ahead ***

In short (lol), this story is set in the future after the 4th world war that lead to a 3rd era where there is world peace, but a decade or so before the start of the start of the story a new epidemic started to threat the lives of people of the Earth Union, a disease called “Letumosis” that has no antidote and kills humans within 1 or 2 weeks of getting the first symptoms.

Cinder, our hero, is renown mechanic and also (though nobody but her family knows) a cyborg… in this science fictional universe cyborgs are regarded as second class people, and even by law are given very little power in comparison with the “normal” humans, and in the case of Cinder, being a minor, puts her in a very disadvantaged situation.

Because of her fame as a good mechanic, super popular and loved Prince Kaito (of the Eastern Commonwealth) stops by to ask her help regarding a broken android of him… and this is the beginning of a very akward relationship between them...

In the first book we’re also introduced to Lihn Adri, Pearl and Pheony who are the foster family of Cinder and also Queen Levana of Luna, the main antagonist of the whole series… who basically wants to mary Prince Kaito in order to gain control over the people of Earth...

Due to their long life at the moon, lunars developed an ability to control the bio electricity of their fellow human beings either Lunar or Earthen, and the royal family of Luna (Queen Levana) are particularly stronger at controling people… hence trying to marry into a powerful family/government to be able to own Earth in the end.

Lots of things happen and I won’t give much spoilers, but to continue with the story, Cinder discover she’s also Lunar and that she also has the mind control powers (though she doesn’t know how to use them) and by attending to a party in which she stumbles with Queen Levana herself she’s accused of ilegal immigration (‘cause lunars are not supposed to be in earth), attempt to kill the queen, among other things; so she’s sent to jail where a fellow lunar friend breaks the news that she’s also the Lost Princess Selene who has the power to overthrow the evil queen… but for that she has to find a way to reclaim the throne.

Meanwhile, Prince Kaito who became Emperor Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth (basically supreme leader of our Asia) is left in distraught because he found out Cinder was both Lunar and Cyborg (basically at the same moment) and he doesn’t know if what he felt for her was real or not (because of the mind control thing)...

Cinder Character: Brave, sarcastic, akward, kind, keen, smart! A good leader!
Kai Character: Smart, good talker, humble, funny, bold, kind harted! A great Leader!

In the next book, Scarlet, our hero Cinder with the help of a new character called Carswell Thorne escapes New Beijing (the city where she lived) Jail, steals a stolen ship and goes to the space where she decides she wants to find out more about her past (because she’s the lost Princess Selene) and who brought her to earth, and who took care of her, and all that! (By this point I have to point out that Selene survived (barely) an attempt of murder (by burning her alive) from her own aunt Queen Levana (creeeeeeps). And to know more about this, she goes find the only name she has regarding her past Michelle Benoit.

We’re also introduced to Scarlet Benoit (who happens to be Michelle’s granddaughter) who is a bold, brave, ginger girl that has a great sense of justice and who’s grandmother has just been kidnapped (or so she things).

In the course of some day she meets a guy who calls himself Wolf, and who seems weird in the French town where Scarlet lives but either way she finds herself attracted to him and him to her. Scarlet finds out (through her father who was also kiddnapped but released) that Wolf has some kind of involvement in the kidnap of her grandmother but he seems unwilling to help her… at first.

Later Scarlet convinces him to help and he takes her to the Wolves HQ, where Wolf happens to be an alfa leader of sorts, and also sort of betrays Scarlet.

By this point, Queen Levana is furious because Cinder escaped and gives Kai 3 days to find her otherwise she’ll attack earth… and Cinder goes to France and turns out she doesn’t find either Michelle nor Scarlet.

Of course, Kai doesn’t find Cinder and Levana activates her wolf soldiers (who are positioned all around earth) and they start killing lots of people. Wolf is one of thos activated soldiers… but in a change of heart he decides to go back and help Scarlet and he finds her and kind of declares his love to her… and by this point Cinder, Thorn and Ship Iko appear (because she found Scarlet through her ID Chip) and takes Scarlet and Wolf with them.

Later on book 3, Cress, the new gang Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf decide to go pick up a highly skilled hacker named Cress who was imprisoned in a satelite 7 years earlier and decided that would help Cinder cause because, among other reasons, found Thorne very handsome and hero like. But of course things go wrong and Cress and Thorne are left in the satelite as it crashes down to earth, Scarlet is taken by Levana’s right hand Sybil to the moon, and Cinder is left with a wounded Wolf and a Lunar Royal Guard called Jacin.

By this point, Cinder decides to go to a small town in Africa to find her initial Lunar friend and starts developing a new strategy to overthrow Levana and take the throne. The new character Jacin, is cold and sarcastic to Cinder and claims to be only loyal to his princess (who Cinder things is herself but later finds out is Princess Winter).

In order to stop Levana from killing more people with her wolf soldiers, Kai asks to marry her, even though he knows that the queen will kill him when she doesn’t need him anymore.

Cress and Thorne have it hard on the dessert, that turns out to be the Sahara, first because it IS a DESSERT and second because Thonre hits his head and is blind, but later find help and are taken to the closest city. But then since Cress is a special lunar, she’s kidnapped and taken to a Doctor in a nearby town. By some miracle, the doctor turns out to be not only the Lunar friend of Cinder but also her own father (who thought her dead), and the gang is sort of reunited (because Scarlet was taken prisioner to Luna).

Once together, they decide to kidnap emperor Kai to delay the wedding and find a way to go to Luna to start an uprising. By the new acquired hacking abilities of Cress they’re able to kidnap Kai who is thorned between happy to see Cinder and not so happy because they made Levana angry again (… yet again). They decide that the easiest way to go to Luna is if Kai convinces Levana to have the wedding there (mindless to say, Cinder and Kai now call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend); she does agree and the plan begins.

Also, Thorne has his eyes somewhat cured, the lunar doctor gets Letumosis (who acts way faster in lunars) and Jacin betrays the crew in order to comeback with his princess.

Which takes us to the last book, Winter, and here we get to know Winter a very pretty and very crazy lunar Princess who is hated by Levana because of her beauty. Winter has scars in her face because Levana made her cut herself to become uglier (but failed), and is somewhat becoming insane because she refuses to use her lunar manipulation gift. She also saves Scarlet by turning her in to her pet and puting her in a zoo.

The crew with Kai’s help get to Luna, and again anger Levana, but this time Kai just acts smug about it. They separate from Cress who is later rescued by Winter and Jacin. The rest of them go to the outer sectors to convince people to join the revolution.

A more and more paranoid Levana, snaps at Winter and decides she no longer wants her alive and orders Jacin to kill her, but he instead with the help of Cress, frees Scarlet and ask her to take Winter to where Cinder, Wolf, Thorne and Iko are (Iko is Cinder’s android). They arrive there where a very very very relieved Wolf reunites with Scarlet and begin planning for the revolts, but in that, they make a lot of noise and Levana finds and sends people to take them prisioners, which they do, they take Cinder and Wolf to the castle.

Around this time, Levana successfully marries Kai and awaits for their coronation of Empress of the Commonwealth and King of Luna.

In order to continue with the uprising, Winter and Scarlet go find more of the wolf soldiers and Thorne and Iko go to try to rescue Cinder. But turns out Cinder didn’t need much help, because when Levana was about to execute her by dismemberment (as a show for her wedding dinner) she controls the queens soldiers and kills most of the guards and then escapes by jumping off a window to a lake some floors below.

Though Cinder can’t swim because of her Cyborg programing isn’t ment for water immersion, she manages to stay sort of afloat until Thorne and Jacin go to help her. Back in a safe house, Iko and Cress in an attempt to fix her programming, they download a video that Cinder took of Levana’s real face.

On the coronation day, Cinder marches up to the capital city with her new followers to dethrone Levana and after a long looong fight in which Scarlet meets with a newly tampered and desfigured Wolf, Winter becomes very crazy and Cress and Thorne are captured, Cinder manages to fight Levana and shoot her, though Levana also stabs Cinder. But fortunately, Cinder is saved and so is Luna, and the Letumosis patients on earth, the Shells, and everybody...

And they all lived happily ever after… (and I would say a little crazy also).

I loved this series, I’d read them again but I have to continue with other books. I have to finish Stars Above and Fairest, but is not urgent for me...

I have to check which will be the next book I write about.. this was FUN ! ❤️