Review: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
Title: Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication: November 10, 2015
Summary: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar 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?
I swear this was the longest book (824 pages) I have read in a while, yet I enjoyed every second, every scene, every page!! Winter concluded the series perfectly (even though I am not complaining about soon-to-be-released The Stars Above). I remember liking the first book, Cinder, but not loving it. Scarlet was my least favorite book because I really disliked Scarlet and Wolf and their entire relationship—couldn’t connect to any of them. Cress seriously impressed me next, but then wham…Winter hit me in the best way!
The characters have really grown since when they were introduced. No matter what Cinder and Kai are my favorite couple, and Cinder is my favorite character (although Iko was so lovable and amazing in this novel!). All of the characters have grown more complex as the series continued, which is exactly what is needed. They’re all human beings (well for the most part). They all had distinct personalities and motivations, which made reading multiple perspectives easy to do. I especially love how Thorne has developed as a character. Every scene Thorne was in made me laugh! Not only his charm wooed me, but also his dedication towards his friendship with Cinder. It was truly touching to see how all of them supported Cinder and had her back no matter what. Cinder was a wonderfully written character. Every thought and feeling she had felt realistic; it is what everyone would feel in her position.
The new characters fit well with the others. I felt sorry for Winter and what she had to go through with her stepmother. Speaking on behalf of the audience, I can understand how lonely and painful living in the palace must have been for Winter. What was amazing though was that she was able to keep her head high, despite her tribulations. Queen Levana was despicably evil and that is how it is supposed to be. She was evil in the most interesting way though. She was believably evil. She was an antagonist who had her own reasons for doing what she did, and that made her more realistic.
There was never a quiet moment in the novel. Every moment counted, which is what I think a good book needs to be. It should not have unnecessary scenes or details. Everything was just right. I have to give a big clap for Marissa Meyer! As I was reading the series, I could feel how hard she worked to make the story work and the give the characters their own feelings and thoughts. It could only have been difficult to create such a world, but she did it beautifully.
If you haven’t read the preceding books, I recommend doing so before reading this! The series only gets better with each book. If you want a fun read, the Lunar Chronicles will give you just that.
