I am back with another review, Stars Above by Marissa Meyer, the collection of short stories that goes with The Lunar Chronicles. (side note: if you haven't read that series, get on it!)
Gah. I so did not want to see this series officially end, but I am really happy with these stories, especially that last one!
I think I'm going to break each story down a little bit and then talk about the collection as a whole.
The Keeper 4/5 stars
This story was about both Scarlet and Cinder's childhoods. There was both interesting back story on Cinder's early years as well as Scarlet's home life. Most of the info we got about Cinder was a bit repetitive from the novels, but I appreciated the details of how she ended up there, and I really liked seeing Scarlet grow up with her grandmother.
Glitch 4/5 stars
The second story depicts Cinder's early days on Luna, her first introduction to her new family, and of course, her stepmother Adri. There were also interactions with her stepfather before he dies, and I think, based on what happened, he could have been really good to Cinder. He understood his responsibilities and he was fully prepared to fulfill them.
The Queen's Army 3/5 stars
This story was that of Ze'ev's origins. For those of you like me who apparently don't seem to remember anything about the books, Ze'ev is later known as Wolf. This story makes much more sense and is much more significant when you know who it is about. You can see how Wolf is forced to become something he doesn't want to be, and how that affects him and many others later in the books.
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky 4/5 stars
I was so excited to see a story about Thorne in this collection, he is definitely one of my favourite characters. This story wasn't too important, but it showed that his charming days started very early on, and I was definitely not upset by this story basically just him in pubescent form, conning and charming people at school. Not upset at all.
After Sunshine Passes By 3/5 stars
This story gives the background information about Cress's beginning on the satellite and why she was put there. I don't know if it gave a lot of new information, but it was interesting to see her reactions and her abilities from the beginning.
The Princess and the Guard 4/5 stars
A super cute story about Winter and Jacin in the palace. The story also dealt with Winter's decision to not use her gift, giving the background story that I believe is alluded to in the novels but not actually told, if I remember correctly, as well as her relationship with Jacin. Jacin was never my favourite character, but this story helped sympathize with him.
The Little Android 2/5 stars
This was the only story I think I could have lived without. It was the story of the android Cinder helped in the first book. There is some background info on things like cyborg/human relationships and the cyborg draft, but I didn't find it all that necessary or appealing. The character wasn't one we had met (I don't think) and it just felt like it was added without being needed.
The Mechanic 4/5 stars
The story of Kai and Cinder's first meeting from his perspective. Even though we already got this from Cinder's perspective in the first book, it was so cute to see things from Kai's POV. Especially with knowing how things turn out, I was grinning the whole time I read this. We even got some sassy Iko in there too!
Something Old, Something New 5/5 stars
This was by far my very favourite of the stories! There was a wedding - I won't say who - and it was so adorable. Like seriously grinning from ear to ear with cuteness. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic series, I am so happy with how it turned out. Everyone was back together again, gah, it was just too cute.
Overall, this book was great. Some stories were better than others, but I was expecting that. They are a great addition for background info throughout the series, and if nothing else, the final story made the whole thing worth it.
Highly recommend if you are a fan of this series!