Winter by Marissa Meyer

Winter
Marissa Meyer
Genre(s): Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Published: November 12th 2015
Pages: 823
Rating: 5 stars

“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.”

Winter was a wild ride from start to finish, and after how fantastic the first three books were, I expected nothing less.

With our band of heroes heading to Luna in order to overthrow the evil Queen Levana - who's really more of a tyrant than a true queen - and over eight hundred pages, this book requires you to give it your full attention in order to really sink your teeth into it.

Meyer wastes no time in jumping into the story, focusing on a new narrator, Princess Winter. Things from the previous installments are mentioned and explained in a way that refreshes your memory but doesn't hinder the progression of things. Things are still as beautifully described and based on the traditional tales, but with the added action of rallying an army and the final showdown of the series. Every chapter carries vital information, nothing is skipped out, but reading this brick of a book wasn't onerous. I can't count the number of times I was left on the edge of my seat.

Winter also reads very well without the knowledge gleaned from Fairest. Yes, things are alluded to, but it's not totally necessary to read Levana's story before concluding the series.

There isn't really much that can be said about the plot without delving into details from the previous books (and giving away a lot of major points from this one), but it is the perfect ending to The Lunar Chronicles. It takes its time, but things are wrapped up neatly and presented to you with a bow. Characters are developed even further, new relationships are explored, and conflicts are resolved.

What more could you ask for in a series finale? Nothing.