Stars Above Review

Book: Stars Above
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4.5 (final)
Genre: YA sci-fi, retelling
Publisher: Feiwei & Friends
Pages: 400
Release: February 2nd, 2016

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...

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I'm just going to sit here for a moment and agonize over the fact that after reading the final page, The Lunar Chronicles is officially over. After purposely waiting a good six months to read this, I can announce with much sorrow that. It. Is. All. Over. What am I supposed to do with my life now?

Stars Above isn't a novel by itself; rather, it is a collection of short stories that have been released between books, including prequels of each lead character and an additional short story-epilogue from the final book. Which wasn't long enough to satisfy me, but still hit me in the feels.

The prequels themselves were wonderful to read about. Though I did read a few of them before when they first came out between each book, it was nice to have them all compiled into one. What I particularly enjoyed was reading about how different each character was growing up. It's undeniable that they are all their own characters; they each began off with completely different mindsets and problems. So, very briefly from the prequels:

Cinder began doing her absolute best to prove she wasn't a waste of time or just another mouth to feed to her stepmother; Scarlet did her best to prove to her grandmother she belonged at the farm, not with her father; Cress constantly fantasized about pleasing Sybil enough to be recognized by the queen for her work and gain a full Lunar citizenship; Winter learned just how horrifying her stepmother is, and why glamour isn't always what she always thought it was; Wolf went through savage conditions as he was integrated into the queen's lupine army; Thorne had his sights set on becoming the captain of a Rampion from the very beginning; and Kai was just trying to keep calm and find Selene, painfully unaware how his life was going to change in such a short time.

And then we have the additional short story-epilogue. Or, I should specify, this book's bane of my existence. Because. It. Was. ADORABLE.

It's not a spoiler to say that it features a wedding, since it's in the synopsis, after all. Who's wedding, I won't say. But I will say that it was done in such a sweet way, so cleverly executed and very true to individual characters. It really made me feel nostalgic, with everyone coming back together to celebrate and be joyful, not to scheme a grim revolution. Such a relief. Because after everything that has happened, they all deserve a break, and a chance for them to be happy, if not for themselves, then for one another.

Regardless of the wedding going on, Cinder and Kai's relationship was what stole the show. Something Old, Something New is from Cinder's perspective, so of course we were going to get the romance between herself and Kai. And I honestly wouldn't have been happier any other way. Those two were the ones I fell in love with in the first book, so of course I wanted to get as much of them together as I possibly could. 

Cinder and Kai, along with everyone else, were adorable in every and all ways, simply because this short story finally allowed everyone to have time to be together. No crazy queens to overthrow, no looking over their shoulders, no conflict. Just content and bliss, and you could feel it from each character. The bliss was both from the romantic compartment, and the friend compartment. It was optimal of what friends should be to one another, and what romance should be, too. So yes, adorable.

All in all, the perfect conclusion to this great series. I'm really going to miss Cinder and Scarlet and Cress and Winter and everyone. But mostly Cinder. And Kai. *Sighs* And if you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, I don't know what you're waiting for. Go read it!!!