Title: Stars Above

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Feiwal and Friends

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

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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…

Book Review:

I do not want this series to be over. It was such a beautifully constructed fairy tale retelling and I was transfixed by the stories and the characters. This book was no exception. I read this book in one sitting. Broken up into short stories, we get to have extra information on the main characters, as well as some other supporting characters, such as Michelle Benoit.

My two favourite stories were the Princess and the Guard and Something Old, Something New. In the Princess and the Guard, we get to learn a lot more about the relationship between Winter and Jacin, and when Winter knew she was in love with her best friend. We get to learn why she chose not to use her Lunar Gift, and how Jacin became a palace guard in order to protect Winter. They were not my favourite couple in the main series, but this story gave me an insight into the development of their characters and their relationship. I felt at the end of Winter that I would have liked to have known more about her character and what went on in Luna, and Fairest and Stars Above gave us as readers the more that we were asking for!

The last story, Something Old, Something New, tied up the series perfectly with the wedding of the century! I do not want to give too much away, but I loved this story and how it brought all the characters together one last time. One aspect I love about this series is there was just enough romance to keep me intrigued, but the romance did not take away from the plot. This story was the perfect ending to such an amazing series, and I loved how Meyer wrapped up the characters!

I would definitely recommend this book for all who love the Lunar Chronicles. I know some are hesitant of reading a book comprised of short stories instead of a novel, but this really helped to tie up loose ends and keep the story going in the minds of the reader.

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment or send me an email!

Happy Reading!