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.
--
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...
Stars Above, a novella binding that expands the universe of the Lunar Chronicles. I'll admit, some of these novels were hit and miss for me. I really only picked up this book so I could read the last novella so that I could see the wedding of the century... That turned out not to be the wedding that I wanted. Not at all. I made myself read through all of the book, only to read the wedding and find out that it was the couple I cared the least about.
Alright, here's a few mini reviews of each novella.
The Little Android-- no, sorry this book was a miss for me. 4/10 stars, I really didn't like this story much at all. The idea of a cyborg freaked me out for YEARS, so the idea that an android falling in love just... It just creeped me out a little too much, sorry. Also the only really fun thing I like about this story was catching the ever so brief glimpse of Cinder. Otherwise, I was not invested in this story at all.
Glitches-- Alright, this story was alright. 6/10 stars, it was cute, seeing Cinder's younger days. There were some smaller issues (glitches, you could say), that didn't work all together perfectly with everything done in the story (like how could Garan have put his plans into Iko? She was broken?), but it was a pretty good story. Not my favorite, but it was okay.
The Queen's Army-- yeah, this was another miss for me. 4/10 stars. Sorry, Ze'ev, I never actually cared for you, and really, there was nothing in this story that made me change my mind.
Cardwell's Guide to Being Lucky-- yeah, I'm biased. Very biased. I loved this story, though, just like I love Captain Thorne. 7/10 stars, it was adorable and I'm going to love rereading it.
The Keeper-- you know, this book took me by surprise. I thought it would be a story I'd drag my feet through, but instead? I was actually fascinated by the story. We barely saw Michelle in Scarlett, and this story gave me a real chance to see what she was really like. 7/10 stars, I actually really enjoyed it.
After Sunshine Passes by-- not bad, not great. I don't particularly love Cress, but it's not like I hated this novella, I just wasn't overly interested. 6/10 stars.
The Princess and the Guard-- YES YES YES! Jacin and Winter are one of my favorite couples of the series. This story had me swooning with heart eyes all the way through it. It's a beautiful story that I absolutely loved. I'll be reading this one over and over again. 8/10 stars.
The Mechanic-- This story was an absolute HIT. OF COURSE I wanted, no, NEEDED to see this from Kai's perceptive. Now can I just get the rest of Cinder from Kai's perspective? Thanks. This book was a gift from God. 8.5/10 stars.
Something Old, Something New-- alright. I'm sorry for the lower rating of this story, but the overwhelming disappointment of the story just flooded my senses. And I also just wasn't invested except for the parts including all the other characters aside from the ones actually getting married. 6.8/10 stars. Good story, but not what I was hoping for.
Overall, the average rating for this novella bind up is 6.36/10 stars. I would definitely recommend it just for the few amazing stories that will just brighten your day. :)
Well, thanks for reading this short review.
Anj