"Let's not be cruel. One should never save cake for later when it can be eaten now."
Finale books are extremely difficult. It's nearly impossible to meet all the reader's expectations. Sometimes finales can even destroy the reader's view of the series, because if it doesn't end in a satisfying way... It's really hard to remember the entirety of the series (no matter how good) without the blemish of the last one. To name a few finales that, unfortunately, ruined the way I view a series, Allegiant by Veronica Roth, Mockingjay by Susan Collins, The Last Star by Rick Yancy, FREAKING Requiem by Lauren Oliver... etc.
Luckily for us, Winter is not one of those books. Somehow, I don't know how Meyer did it, but she was able to satisfy my every need in this book, and bring the series to a conclusion that I have not one issue with. There are some things I'd wished would happen or happened, but nothing major. Just little things. Really this will go down in history as one of the best finale books there is. It's very close to books like Clockwork Princess, City of Heavenly Fire and Deathly Hallows. It's that good.
If you don't know what this series is, it's really good, I highly reccomend it, and I have reviews on the past three books to give you the basic information you need to know :)
Winter finishes the epic Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. The new characters introduced in the story are Princess Winter, Queen Levana's stepdaughter, and Jacin Clay, a palace guard. We actually got the pleasure (?) of meeting both these characters in the last book. Though, we didn't really get to see the true side of them, because that only really seems to come out when they're around each other.
I have to say, Winter and Jacin might be my new favorite ship for this series. They'd just everything. Winter is this fragile, kind, all-loving (sometimes crazy) girl, and Jacin will do anything to protect her. He's like Julian Blackthorn but not to the extent of making me uncomfortable. Actually, I think I'm almost as in love with Jacin Clay as Winter is. They're childhood friends, but they could never be together because of the social restraints. It's really basically all the romantic cliches along with character archetypes that I love. I love Winter and Jacin's relationship in this book, and was surprised that I was really looking forward to their chapters.
There were no chapters that I was not thoroughly invested in, I loved each and every page-- and there were a crap ton of pages. Some finale's issues are that the book feels rushed. Winter is nothing like that, Meyer was smart and used as many pages as she needed to write a satisfying conclusion. Which, as it turns out, was a lot of pages. That is perfectly okay with me, because not only did I get a great conclusion, but I also got to spend more time in this fantastic world.
Just to show how much I loved this book, I'm going to say I'm giving this book 9/10 stars. It was fantastic. I'm really glad I read this series, it was well worth the extra money I spent on buying the hardcovers as well as the ebooks of Scarlet and Cress so that I could read the books immediately. The pacing is perfect in these books, the plot intriguing and the characters lovable, easy to grow attached to. I don't know what else I could've asked for.
I don't really know what else I can say to try and convince you to read this book. All I really can add before I get into the spoilery section is you won't regret reading this. Anyway, here's the synopsis:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mark her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

Oh, and just to add here's a list (in order of favorite to least) of my favorite books and couples now that I've finished the books. 

Winter & Jacin 
Cinder & Kai 
Cress & Thorne 
Scarlett & Wolf 

Cinder
Thorne
Jacin 
Kai 
Winter 
Cress 
Scarlett 

Winter 
Cress
Scarlet & Cinder

SPIOILERS BELOW FOR WINTER
I'll just start this out by saying the very minor things I would've liked to change about this book. First off, I know a lot of other people have mentioned it, but I'll say it again. I wish Jacin and Winter felt more like part of the group. Like sure, Jacin does work with them, but neither Winter nor Jacin ever truly feel like they're part of Cinder's little rebel band like the rest of the characters. Especially since neither of them are in the room in the final showdown. Like, even people who really shouldn't have been there (I'm looking at you, Scarlet and Wolf) went in. Jacin and especially Winter have a right to be in there, fighting Levana. Okay, maybe Jacin shouldn't be in there since he's so easily controlled, but Winter. Winter has a right to be involved with the ultimate demise of the evil queen, and yet she's nowhere near. I was waiting for Jacin and Winter to show up the entire time in that throne room, and they never did. I'm gonna be honest here, I really thought Winter was going to shoot Levana in the head while she and Cinder were having that mind control gun off thing lol. 
I touched this earlier, but I just have to mention it again. I LOVE Jacin and Winter's relationship. I love how protective Jacin is of Winter, like he'll do anything for her, and as I said before, not in the creepy Julian Blackthorn way. I love how he's accepting of his fate, too. It just makes his character more likable, in my eyes. He knows he'll never end up with Winter, but he still wants to make sure she's safe, despite how much it might hurt him to see Winter with someone else. Also how Jacin can calm her down from her craziness? Like. Ah. It's so cute. He's so blank otherwise, in showing emotion, but then when he needs to help her? He's all gentleness and worry. It's adorable. And also just Jacin's way of telling Winter she's beautiful and he loves her? Through sarcasm and saying anything but those words? TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET ONE OF THESE BOYS. Jacin would sacrifice his own life for Winter and... Ah. I just love them. 
Also mentioned this earlier. It annoys the HELL out of me that the people who can so easily be controlled by Lunars (@Scarlet and Wolf) always are throwing themselves in situations where they really just become dangers to their own allies. Like WHY, WHY would you go into the showdown with Levana? Like I get that you want to go help your friends, but you'd be more helpful not being in there! they're really just putting their friends in even more danger. I was really expecting that invention that Garan made come into play so that Scarlet and stuff could be immune to Lunar control, but unfortunately that didn't come into play until wayyyy later. 
Speaking of that, let's get onto Adri and Pearl. Honestly? I'm not a good person. I felt no sympathy for either of these women. I kid you not, when it was revealed that Cinder was thrown into the cell with them I looked up from the book with a grin and said "Kill them." Not that I'd actually want Cinder to kill them, but I was really looking forward to Cinder finally getting her revenge on those bitches for the way that they treated her, but instead Cinder chose to be the bigger person. Literally Adri still insists that Cinder is selfish in the cell (and there I really just wanted Cinder to punch her... with the metal hand) and they DISOWN her and PLEDGE LOYALTY TO LEVANA, and yet Cinder still gives them a shit ton of riches. Like sure, that makes her a better person. But I'm not a good person, and I really wanted Adri and Pearl to get what was coming for them. 
While I didn't feel like anything was rushed, I did feel like the whole "poison apple" bit was resolved a bit quickly. Like it didn't feel RUSHED  but it felt like there wasn't much peril involved with it, seeing as they got the antidote in ASAP right after. Do you get what I mean? 
Oh, also, I forgot to mention in my earlier reviews, I will always love Thorne and Cinder's friendship. Like theirs is my favorite friendship in the entire series. 
Oh, one more thing. CRESS IS SO ANNOYING WHEN SHE SPAZZES OVER THORNE AND THAT LUNAR LIKE ITS OBVIOUS HES BEEN MIND CONTROLLED CALM DOWN. Though, I suppose that did spur their relationship so... 

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, 
-Anj

Legacy of Kings is a action packed series filled to the brim with intrigue, deception and mystery. These books follow Alexander the Great in his teen years, with a twist of fantasy involved as well. If you have yet to read these books, I highly recommend that you do! They're such fun reads. I read both Legacy of Kings and Empire of Dust in one sitting because I was unable to tear my eyes away from the pages. If you haven't read this series yet, I have book reviews for both of them, so if you're interested, go check them out (Legacy of Kings & Empire of Dust). 
This is one of my favorite series, it's right down my alley of fantasy and historical fiction. So I was honored when asked take part of a blog tour to promote the release of the third installment, Reign of Serpents. For this blog tour I got to ask author Eleanor Herman five questions about her books. 
​Here they are!  (FYI Reign of Serpents is out, so you can read it right now!!) 

Out of all the historical figures with intriguing stories, what drew you to Alexander the Great? 

Alexander the Great was one of most pivotal historical characters in world history. He simply didn’t know the meaning of You can’t do that. Though his empire collapsed soon after his death, he had opened up the connection between the Mediterranean and the East. Good flowed both ways, along with ideas and people,reshaping the world as we know it. And he was ripe to become a YA character as almost nothing is known about him before he became king of Macedon at the age of twenty. Which left plenty of room for me to imagine him as a teen!

Do any of the characters in these books mirror your own personality or that of people you know? 

All of the characters mirror aspects of my own personality. Queen Olympias uses her femininity to manipulate, a quality I know is there but choose not to use. Princess Cynane is selfish and, at times, evil, qualities I suppress in my life but love to express in my writing! I am more like Zofia and Katerina: strong, brave, good and determined. As for the guys, well, I never felt that my soul was female. It’s neutral, bordering on male. Guys are simpler than girls. Their emotions aren’t usually as complex. They don’t overthink things. They are more about doing than feeling. So, yes, all my characters are actually me.

What are your favorite types of scenes to write? Why? 

I love writing battle scenes. Though Reign of Serpents is the one book in the series without a battle, I did manage to throw in an epic royal food fight and an earthquake that sends the Temple of Delphi collapsing to the ground in a heap. I love writing the swirl of action. In the middle of a battle—or an epic food fight or an earthquake—you would only catch snatches of what is going on. It would be like some Impressionist painting, and that is loads of fun to write.

In these books there is a lot of magic lore, how did you come up with this? Did you craft it yourself, or build on actual beliefs about magic?  

I love writing about magic. I feel we all have innate magic within us that our society suppresses. To write the magic scenes, I called on my experience living in an African village—with spirits of a cave, a pond, the forest, a sacred stool, and countless ancestors--and my study of ancient religions. I am empathic, myself, feeling the feelings of others, which isn’t necessarily a good thing as they are often stress, anger, and fear. But I do understand that magic is all around us, inside us, and we can tap into it. Jacob has a connection to the physical earth, to rocks and waves and wind. Katerina can enter the minds of animals, Alex can see the memories of people. I called on my own experiences and beliefs to write the magic scenes.
 
What was the hardest part about writing Reign of Serpents? 
 
Juggling the time line of so many characters who have split up and gone to different parts of the world. When Princess Zofia takes a thirty-three day trip from Persepolis to Macedon, I had to stall all the other action to wait for her to get there!

I'm really glad I got to participate in the blog tour, thank you to Glasstown Entertainment for this opportunity! 
And to the rest of the people reading this, I highly encourage you to ​pick up this series. As I've said before, it's just so good! The characters are easy to get attached to, and the plot is intriguing. It's not a series you want to miss out on. 
I know I'm going to pick up Reign of Serpents as soon as I get it, so keep an eye out for my review :) Thanks for reading, 
Anj

"Because if there was one thing Cress knew about heroes, it was that they could not resist a damsel in distress. 
And she was nothing if not in distress." 

Cress has been locked up in a satellite for years with no human contact. She's been trapped by the evil queen's right hand, and other than that she hasn't seen anyone else in years. Sound familiar? *cough* it's a loose retelling of Rapunzel  *cough* Cress is the third book in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. This is a spectacular series, and I really regret not reading it sooner. I highly recommend that everyone reads it because, honestly these books are so much fun and it's impossible not to be completely absorbed in the world. 
I was extremely impressed by the first two books (Cinder & Scarlet) (I have reviews for those, if you're interested), and so I had extremely high expectations for Cress... This book smashed through said expectations. Cress is spectacular, full of intriguing but lovable characters and an enthralling plot line. This is definitely the best book so far in the series. Kind of surprising, seeing as most books lose their momentum throughout the series, but these books? They just keep gaining it. 
Cress adds, well, Cress to our lovable team of rebels. Cress is an adorable character, I really relate to her awkwardness. Of course, she hasn't had contact with humanity for a really long time, but somehow I'm still as awkward, if not more so than her. Basically she's a very relatable character that you just can't help but think is very cute. 

"I will be the judge of when you are dying, and when that happens, I guarantee you a kiss worth waiting for." 

Cress's love interest? I think we could have all have guessed who it was from the beginning, our very own Flynn Rider, Captain Carswell Thorne. I know, Flynn Rider is not on the original fairytale, actually the original fairytale is all sorts of horrible, but you know what I mean. Classic Rapunzel definitely doesn't have anything close to having a swoon worthy criminal as a love interest. Seriously, I've been seeing Thorne as Flynn since we met him last book. I'm glad this isn't a whole INTRODUCE BOTH CHARACTERS like Scarlet and Wolf, because we already got to know (and LOVE) Thorne in the last book. 

"'Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?" 
He squinted and, after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure it was Cinder.'" 

The plot? As to be expected it is fast moving and a whole crap ton of fun. Our rebel group gets split up from each other (that's not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis!) and they have to remember how to deal on their own// with the allies that end up with them. It's also really nice to see the little hints toward the little references to the original tale of Rapunzel. 

"Her sadness wasn't enough. Her mourning wasn't enough. But it was all she had." 


I would give Cress 8.5/10. It was a spectacularly written and planned book. I really just, I loved it. I highly recommend that you all read it, especially if you've already read Cinder and Scarlet, like WHY WOULDN'T YOU IMMEDIATELY PICK THIS ONE UP?! 
Synopsis: 

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

SPOILERS 
OKAY THE AMOUNT OF TIMES KAI WAS LIKE OH MAYBE CINDER IS LOOKING FOR SELENE AND THEN OH WHY DOES LEVANA WANT CINDER SO BADLY I WAS JUST LIKE... BOYYY HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THAT CINDER IS FREAKING SELENA? HOW? ARE YOU BLIND? WHAT??? 
I knew Cress was Dr. Erland's daughter ever since book 1 when he mentioned his daughter, and since then I have been waiting for a daddy daughter reunion... Unfortunately, that's not exactly what came to pass and I found it really depressing that he never really got to know his daughter, and the other way around... 
Wolf? Freaking annoying in this book, like yeah, I get it your true love, the girl you've known for once week was captured, now your life is over. But... You know, couldn't you like... BE USEFUL TO HELP GET HER BACK? He just basically turns into a limp rag in this book and god, it was so irritating. 
I did really love the scene of Kai and Cinder FINALLY FREAKING REUNITED ON THE SHIP. Like they finally actually get a good chance to talk and I LOVED IT. I'd been waiting so long for it. 
And finally... That glimpse we saw of Winter kind of really freaked me out. Like she sounds like an insane eight-year-old... How are we going to get though a whole half a book of her narration of her being insane? Like... Hm. That makes me nervous. Though, I did find that I really liked Jacin. He's loyal and I can totally tell that I am going to 100% be on the Jacin x Winter ship next book. Even though, yeah, Jacin betrayed Cinder's group, it was only so he could get back to Winter... 
Anyway, thanks for reading! 
​-Anj

Little Red Riding Hood has a crisis, her grandmother is missing. And the only way for her to find her? Using the help of a mysterious stranger who goes by the name of Wolf... Seem like a good idea to you? Yeah, me either. 
Anyway, Scarlet is the sequel to Marissa Meyer's Cinder, which was a loose, sci-fi fairytale retelling of Cinderella. If you haven't read Cinder, I have a review on that so go check that out (this review will spoil Cinder.) I highly encourage everyone to read this series-- it's not one you want to miss out on. :) Let's get on to the review. 
So Scarlet. Despite the name Scarlet does not just follow Scarlet's story, it also keeps up with Cinder's story. In this book we get to see from several points of view, mainly Wolf, Scarlet, Cinder and Captain Thorne. Scarlet picks up right after Cinder ends, like literally the day of, only it starts from the perspective of Scarlet Benoit, a french farmer. Don't worry! Like I said before, we still get plenty of time with Cinder through both her eyes and Captain Throne's. (We also get to see a bit inside Kai's head as well.) 
Personally I didn't absolutely love Scarlet and Wolf's storyline. It was interesting enough, but I was a lot more invested in Cinder's storyline. Probably because I was already attached to Cinder, and also because there was just, well, I'll address it more in the spoilery section. Scarlet and Wolf's story is great, but not nearly as fantastic or intriguing (to me) as Cinder's. 
I like Scarlet, she's funny, badass and does what needs to be done. Though, I'm not Wolf's biggest fan. Like, I don't dislike him, but out of all our cast of characters I seem to like him least. He's the broody character, and I'm not really that into brooding. 
The final new installment to the team in this book is Captain Thorne. And just *swoon.* He's probably my new favorite character after Cinder. Thorne is my favorite type of character, cocky and hilarious with a heart of gold. 
Scarlet (the book) has the same fast pace as Cinder, but it's even more fun because we already know the setting and (some of) the characters, so we're able to throw ourselves into the world entirely without any reserve. 
I would give Scarlet 8/10 stars, the same as I gave Cinder. For me, 8/10 is a very good rating-- it means this is one of my favorite books. Still, it didn't increase from Cinder because during Cinder i got to be with Cinder for the whole book (or in her area), I just found myself looking forward to seeing CINDER's storyline more than Scarlet's in this book, so that kept it in the 8 (which is still really good), 
Anyway, my point is I really enjoyed this book and am really glad I picked up this series. 

Synopsis: 

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

SPOILERS BELOW 

What I started to say earlier, and then realized was a spoiler was that I was not nearly as invested in Scarlet and Wolf's relationship because it felt SO instalove-y. Literally they've known each other for a week and Wolf is like You're the only one and Scarlet's all I'll be your Alpha female. Like... Really? I hate instalove, and their relationship felt very much like instalove, so I couldn't really get attached to it. Like, sure, they're fine together, but I couldn't really bring myself to care either way. Also Wolf, just not my type. Especially not when Thorne is introduced in the same book as him. 
But I do think Wolf's naiveness about food was oddly adorable at the beginning of the book. then as the story progressed on, I found myself caring less and less about him-- though I do love it whenever they bring up the tomato thing again. 

Thanks for reading, 
Anj

Imagine this. The clock strikes midnight, and the dramatic music grows louder and louder as Cinderella hurriedly rushes from the palace. The Prince is only a steps behind, rushing out to catch this mysterious girl. As Cinderella runs down the stairs, three at a time, she trips and falls. Not because her heel fell off, but because her foot did. 
Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I should've read a long time ago-- one that everyone, it seems, has already read and raved about. This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for the last three years, because while everyone's raving about this book convinced me to buy it, I couldn't bring myself to read it. Now, why? Why wouldn't I read a book that it would seem that literally everyone absolutely loves? Well, here's why. The idea of cyborgs kind of really freaks me out. And the idea that Cinder is a cyborg just really pushed me away from the series. 
Ironically, while reading the book I got really pissed off at all the characters who were prejudiced against Cinder because she was a cyborg. 
Basically what I'm trying to say is that I absolutely loved Cinder, despite or maybe because she was a cyborg. You really get used to the idea as you read the book, if you haven't read it, I highly encourage you to. This is not a series you want to miss. If the idea freaks you out, just be comforted knowing it made me uncomfortable as well. You actually grow to like Cinder more because of her cyborgness-- it's really useful. It's not like Cinder is a robot or anything (though there are robots in these books and they're kind of awesome), it's like she's a human, who lost limbs and got them replaced with metal ones. (Plus there's like a computer in her brain, but she still has a human brain, I promise!) 
If you didn't pick up on it yet, Cinder is a fairytale retelling of Cinderella. A very loose fairytale retelling, but it's really fun to see the aspects of the fairytale in there along with all the fun new twists Meyer puts in her story. 
The plot is fast paced, seriously, the action/stuff happening starts in the first chapter. I had no trouble becoming fully immersed in this futuristic world, and I doubt anyone will. While things happened quickly, the book did not feel rushed. In fact, I think the pacing was just right for the story being told. It gave time to get attached to the characters, but nothing felt like it was filler. Everything really needed to be there. 
This book shockingly enough, follows Cinder, (that was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell through text) a mechanic cyborg who lives with a cruel step-mother and two step sisters. Cinder is a fantastic protagonist. She's clever and selfless, and yet not to the extent where it becomes annoying. Her character is one that it is easy to sympathize and side with. I really found myself rooting for her in this book, and am looking forward to seeing more of her story. 
Kai, the prince, is Cinder's love interest. I've literally been shipping the two of them since they met. Like even after their first exchanged words I already really shipped their relationship. Kai is determined and likable-- despite the fact that he was raised to be a politician. He'll do whatever he has to for the good of his country, even if it isn't ideal for him. He's cute and slightly flirtatious as well. All together a very swoon worthy character. 
The last character I'd like to address is Iko, Cinder's android. She is absolutely hilarious and actually one of my favorite characters so far. I look forward to you all meeting her, because I have a feeling you'll be as charmed by the little android as me. 
I would rate Cinder 8/10 stars, it was really exciting and it made me want to immediately want to read Scarlet. Which is why I immediately ordered it on amazon... and then bought it on iBooks. Yeah, I was really excited. 
Oh, and just to clear something up that I was confused about before y'all go diving into this wonderful book (if there is anyone left in the world who hasn't read it), these aren't like a companion series. What I mean by that is that they're all interconnected and still follow the same characters from the previous books' point of view, each book just adds some new characters to our group. I thought this series would be like the These Broken Stars books, where each book has its own full arc for its characters, and while the characters are in the next book, they're not big parts. That is totally not true. This is an actual series that follows Cinder throughout all the books, as well as the other characters. 

Synopsis: 

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.

But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

Well, I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did! And if you're still weird about the cyborg thing, don't be! You won't regret reading this book.
-Anj