The final book in this thrilling dystopian fiction.
Dates Read: 28/06/2022 to 15/07/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Word to describe: Disobedient
Genre: YA Fiction
Winter by Marissa Meyer offered a brilliant conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles with all the teenage angst expected in young adult fiction. Cinder is ready to fight! Accompanied by the beloved Thorne and Cress, her android Iko, alpha's Wolf and Scarlett, and the babbling Princess Winter and her guard Jacin, Cinder has a long battle ahead of her.
I love how this book, from Princess Winter's point of view, gave a deeper insight into the court of Queen Levana and how twisted Levana's mind is. From senseless murders to sheer boredom when approached by her court, Levana is a complicated character but one I cannot help but adore due to the genuine insanity she possesses. This book shows snippets of Levana's past with her marriage to Everet Hayle (Winter's father) and the dysfunctional relationship she held with her sister Queen Channary. Both of which pave the way for the prequel Fairest.
Levana's character aside, this book also brings to light the reality of life on Lunar. It has been hinted throughout the series that during Levana's rule society has been separated into rich aristocrats and the poverty-stricken general public who suffer continuously in the minds of the thaumaturges. A specific scene comes to mind that truly shows the level of distress the public has been forced under during Levana's rule - when Cinder releases her speech encouraging the public to join her rebellion some Lunar folk begin to fight back only to be struck down by the Queen's soldiers. These people are used to being forced into submission that even the slightest attempt at rebellion is met with brute force. The juxtaposition between Earth's benevolent ruling and Lunar's totalitarianism is striking and I love how Marissa Meyer is able to produce such stark differences between the planets.
The lifecycle of Cinder's character from a poor servant girl, abused by her step-mother, and forced into a slave-like existence to powerful freedom fighter turned Queen of Lunar is one that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Marissa Meyer's writing is unparalled. She is certainly a Queen in her own right and I'm excited to see how much further she can develop this unvierse.
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