Marissa Meyer STARS ABOVE book signing

I was lucky enough to attend Marissa Meyer’s PA signing for her collection of Lunar Chronicles stories, STARS ABOVE, on February 8th. When they announced her list of tour stops, I was on Twitter in the gym and almost screamed! Marissa is from Washington (state, not D.C.) so I never thought she’d come all the way to Pennsylvania.

She brings her own Luna tapestry (the art from FAIREST) on all her tour stops!

The STARS ABOVE tour stop is the biggest book event I’ve been to so far. The Barnes and Noble put a ton of effort into planning activities (themed food and drink specials in the café, dance lessons, crafts), partly because Marissa’s books attract a younger audience, I think. There was plenty for everyone to do while they waited for Marissa.

Marissa’s bubbliness is infectious! She’s someone you want to go out to lunch with and chat for hours. She talked about the short story she wrote before CINDER’s release, and each of the companion stories for the books that followed. STARS ABOVE kind of snowballed into existence when, instead of writing one new story for a bind-up of the previously released ones, she wrote four others…not to mention an epilogue to WINTER!

Then she told us a fairytale, oral tradition-style. She let us pick (from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid), and Rapunzel won by a landslide. Marissa was happy about that, because she’s been telling The Little Mermaid all tour, and she confessed it’s her least favorite. She said she loved the movie growing up (it was the first movie she saw in theaters) but then her grandmother gave her a book of original fairytales, and she realized the ending was less than happy (“Thanks, grandma. What else has Disney been hiding from me?”). She told the Brothers Grimm version with her own snark woven in (“One day, a prince was wandering through the woods…which, if you read fairytales, seems to happen a lot.”), and it was so fun to listen to!

Lastly she took some questions:

• If she ever did another fairytale retelling, she’d be interested in writing about Rumpelstiltskin.
• She loves her book covers, but she didn't have any input on the designs for the first three books. "It was pretty much like, 'This is your cover. YOU LOVE IT.'" But FAIREST was the first cover her publisher asked her opinion about, so she's had more input lately.
• Her next projects include a story in the anthology A TYRRANY OF PETTICOATS and two Lunar Chronicles graphic novels starring Iko. Not to mention HEARTLESS, her Queen of Hearts retelling, coming in November. She raffled off an ARC at the event!

Marissa’s people and the B&N staff had the signing line down to a science. One person stacked your books on the table, another opened each and passed them to Marissa, and a third person took photos. The line went pretty quickly; I was number 36 and met Marissa at 7pm, probably 20 minutes into the signing. She took her time talking to everyone and signed any books you brought…so naturally I brought all of them! I told her how satisfying the end of WINTER was for me, and how clear it is that she treats her characters with love. Then we talked about writing every day, which she said she tries to do when she’s drafting (and not in book tour mode), but she takes weekends off for family time.

And that’s that! Marissa’s talk/presentation might be my favorite of any author I’ve seen so far. She was well-prepared and so enthusiastic! A huge shoutout to the Neshaminy Mall Barnes and Noble staff for a calm, organized, and enjoyable event. Just like the Sarah J. Maas event I attended last fall, there was no stress, and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. I know I did!

She really did luck out with her covers...GORGEOUS!

 

Marissa could personalize one book, so I picked my favorite - the grand finale!

 

What I Read in September...

I try and review the books I read on this blog, but at the moment I'm a little burned out to do full reviews for every one. So I'm trying out a monthly wrap-up style post like a lot of other book bloggers. I do have reviews for some of these books, so I'll link them.

Here's what I read in September!

HEIR OF FIRE by Sarah J. Maas

I reread this in preparation for the QUEEN OF SHADOWS release, and I enjoyed it SO MUCH MORE than the first time. HEIR OF FIRE is the book that really widens the scope of the Throne of Glass series (we meet new characters, introduce new plotlines, see other countries) and I was very overwhelmed when I first read it. I read all the books quickly up to that point, so I didn’t have as solid a grasp on the world as I could have. This time, I understood it better and really loved HoF, even though my favorite characters don’t interact much in this installment.

 

QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas

OH. MY. QUEEN. So much goes down in this book! Without spoiling anything, let me just say: so many things I wanted to happen…they happened! Out of all the ToG books, I’d say this one has the best plotting and pacing, with constant action and stakes. I grew to love characters I didn’t used to care much about (especially Manon. First time I read HoF I was bored by her sections, but in QoS I looked forward to them). Everything that went on in this book made me a little less gloomy about a certain character whose story arc veered off on a completely different (and sort of disappointing) path, ship-wise. I posted a bit more of my thoughts in my QUEEN OF SHADOWS tour post (also non-spoilery). Favorite book of the month!

 

SCARLET by Marissa Meyer

This was a reread in preparation for WINTER in November. SCARLET was my least favorite of the Lunar Chronicles the first time I read it, and while I still like the other books better, I enjoyed Scarlet as a character much more this time. I reviewed the book the first time I read it, if you’re interested.

 

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner

For those read-book-before-seeing-movie people (like me), let me save you the trouble: THE SCORCH TRIALS book is NOTHING like the movie. There is one plot twist from the book that the movie keeps (and that might spoil part of the book if you see the movie first) but it’s executed in a completely different way. I’m not torn up about the movie’s changes though, because I didn’t like the book much. I have trouble investing in the Maze Runner series because of how plot-driven it is. Crazy things just keep happening to the characters without much explanation, and as a reader, there’s no way to figure out the mysteries without being spoon-fed by the author. Even after I finished THE SCORCH TRIALS I was still a little confused. I own book three, THE DEATH CURE, and curiosity will probably drive me to read it at some point. The movie was fun, (gross at some parts, but fun) and staring at Dylan O’Brien’s face for two hours is anything but torture!

 

CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers

This was part of a Courtney Summers bind-up called WHAT GOES AROUND. Parker used to have it all together: popular girl with popular boyfriend, head cheerleader, great student. But suddenly she starts drinking and skipping classes. Her school counselor, parents, and the new guy in class try to figure out what’s wrong, but Parker won’t talk. Something bad has happened…and it might just be Parker’s fault. Courtney Summers writes AMAZING high school stories. Spot-on dialogue, a hint of mystery, and stark portrayals of real issues.  

 

SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers

This is the reason I bought the WHAT GOES AROUND bind-up. SOME GIRLS ARE was banned from a school reading list, so fans of the book donated hundreds of copies to local libraries. I wanted to see what the book was about, so I bought myself a copy. It’s an intense look at bullying and mean girls. Regina was a member of a Plastics-esque clique (like the Mean Girls, they coordinate their outfits and adhere to certain rules) until false rumors spread around school about her and Anna the clique leader’s boyfriend. Now she’s the victim of harsh bullying, and the only person who (sort of) gives her the time of day is the boy she bullied at the height of her mean girl status. Some of the bullying in this book is so cruel it made me gasp out loud. Such an important read.

 

BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of her childhood growing up African-American in the 1960s and 70s. The entire book is written in verse, and the poems give such a vivid picture of her childhood. She tells about living in the South vs. North, how her grandfather was more of a dad to her than her biological father, and how she fell in love with writing. Race is a factor of the book but not the focus—it’s about all aspects of Jacqueline’s childhood. Here’s my favorite poem from the book:

WHAT WE SAW by Aaron Hartzler

This book is based on the Steubenville rape case of 2012. A girl at Kate’s school accuses four varsity basketball players of rape, dividing the town as everyone makes up their own mind about the events that occurred at the party in question. Kate attended that party but left, drunk, before the alleged assault, and the knowledge of “That could have been me” drives her to find the truth. I did a full review of this book and think it’s such an important commentary on society’s victim blaming tendency. Full review here.

 

CRESS by Marissa Meyer

I continued my reread of The Lunar Chronicles with CRESS. My favorite book of the series so far, it was just as fun the second time. So many lines had me laughing out loud, namely: “We’re on a spaceship, Cinder! In space!” My full review is here.

 

Overall, I had a solid reading month. A lot of rereads in preparation for new books in some series, but I really enjoy finding new tidbits in books I've read before. Also a lot of heavy subject books with the Courtney Summers bind-up and WHAT WE SAW. I'm in a let's-be-conscious-of-how-society-views-women mood lately. 

What was your favorite book of September?

Book review: CRESS by Marissa Meyer

(this review is free of spoilers from both CINDER and SCARLET)

High above Earth where conflict between Earthens and Lunars runs rampant, Cress sits in her satellite alone. Taken from her home on Luna (the moon), Cress has become a skilled hacker for Queen Levana, the Lunar Queen. But her life is lonely, and she spends most of her time playing computer games and crushing on a certain Captain we recently met in SCARLET (though Cress has never met him). She thinks he is PERFECT! 

When Cress makes contact with our group of heroes, she believes she will finally be rescued. But, in true Lunar Chronicles fashion, the attempt doesn’t go quite as planned. Now the girl who hasn’t set foot outside her satellite—or combed her insanely long hair—in years will have to figure out how to survive in the midst of this battle, as well as decide where her loyalties are.

Confession: the whole reason I started reading the Lunar Chronicles was to get to CRESS. Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales (Tangled is my Disney obsession!) and when I saw this book was coming out, I just NEEDED to read it. Obviously, I had to get through the first two books first, and I didn’t expect to adore them as much as I did, so that was a bonus. When I finally got to read CRESS, I was so excited, and it did not let me down. It’s the biggest book so far, contains tons of POV switches, and we get several pivotal scenes that Lunar Chronicles fans have been waiting for (particularly one regarding Cinder and her prince...)

Cress was as adorable as I’d hoped she’d be. Naïve and hopelessly romantic, she learns throughout the book that there’s more to love than being the damsel in distress. She’s a bit of a fangirl (we can all relate, I’m sure), and I identified with her the most out of any Lunar Chronicles character. She’s out of her element but manages to hold her own along with the other characters. Speaking of other characters, we continue to follow Cinder and Scarlet’s journeys in CRESS. I admire Marissa Meyer for taking on such a huge cast of characters and devoting time to each. She also introduces us to important characters in earlier books, so we are already invested in them by the time they take center stage. For example, we met Cress in CINDER, and now in CRESS we are briefly introduced to our fourth and final female protagonist, Winter. And can I just say, I cannot wait for her story to unfold!

CRESS also has my favorite cover of the series so far (and one of my favorite covers of the year). So many reasons to pick this book (and the entire series) up! Waiting until next year for WINTER is going to be a struggle!

Book review: SCARLET by Marissa Meyer (SPOILER-FREE!)

Last month, I became OBSESSED with the Lunar Chronicles series. I read all three of the books that are out during my spring break, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them! I've been meaning to write this review for a while, so here we go! (This review will be spoiler-free, so if you haven't finished CINDER yet, you can still check it out!)

The books in the Lunar Chronicles series are all fairytale retellings set in a futuristic world. CINDER, the first book, retells the story of Cinderella, where Cinder is a cyborg living in New Beijing (check out my review of CINDER here). SCARLET, book two in the series, explores a new version of Little Red Riding Hood.

Scarlet lives on a farm in France with her grandmother. As the story begins, her grandmother has gone missing and the police seem to be doing nothing to help find her. Convinced her grandmother has been captured, our heroine in a red hoodie decides to take matters into her own hands and sets out on a search for answers. Along the way she meets Wolf, a mysterious streetfighter who might have those answers Scarlet seeks. But after sneaking into a fighting match, she quickly sees the violence Wolf is capable of. Should she trust him?

After reading CINDER and loving the protagonist so much, my first concern was that we wouldn't see much of Cinder and Kai in this new installment. Boy was I wrong! This book rotates through several points of view, including our favorite cyborg! No spoilers about what she's up to in this book, but I enjoyed her sections even more than in the first book. I didn't like Scarlet quite as much (I think because I became so attached to Cinder, I looked forward to her sections more than Scarlet's), but Marissa Meyer did a great job at making her voice and personality different from Cinder's. Scarlet is spunky, passionate, and doesn't always think before she acts. At times her decisions had me screaming at the book, but I was still flipping pages like crazy!

As far as romance goes, I felt it happened a bit too quickly in this book, especially after the slow burn in CINDER. But there is plenty of action in SCARLET, too, much more than in the first book, because the world has been set up and now we're launched right into the conflict with the Lunars. We see some sections from Prince Kai's point of view, too, as he attempts to deal with the growing tensions between Earth and the Lunars.

Overall, this was a great sequel to CINDER. We see the two storylines begin to weave together, and we are set up very well for CRESS, book three. I highly recommend these books...they're my favorite series I've read so far this year!

Are you loving the Lunar Chronicles? Who do you prefer: Cinder or Scarlet?

I'll have my review of CRESS up soon. Get ready for some Rapunzel! 

Book Review: CINDER by Marissa Meyer

In this futuristic retelling of Cinderella, Cinder is a cyborg (which means she has some robotic body parts, like a hand and a foot) and a gifted mechanic. She lives in New Beijing (the old Beijing was destroyed after the fourth World War) with her stepmother and two stepsisters. At the beginning of the story, the Emperor’s son, Prince Kai, brings Cinder one of his android robots to fix. Cinder discovers that this android carries information that is very important to Kai (and perhaps the future of the country).

 

Meanwhile a plague has broken out, killing Kai’s mother and threatening to take his father, too. When one of Cinder’s stepsisters falls ill,  the stepmother volunteers Cinder for medical testing, a series of experimental trials conducted by the palace doctors in an effort to find a cure. When the results of Cinder’s tests are unexpected, she begins to question who she is.

 

I know the plot sounds strange, and mixing fairy tales and sci-fi seems odd, but somehow it WORKS. I’m not really a sci-fi gal, but this new world was well-developed. The idea of cyborgs and androids fit right in and wasn’t clunky within the story, I think mostly because of Cinder’s voice. She still functions as a human (she doesn’t talk like a robot or anything), but she just happens to have a computer in her head that can link her to any information on the internet within seconds. Pretty cool! Unlike many Cinderella stereotypes, Cinder is strong, sarcastic, and caring. She adores her younger stepsister, the one who catches the plague, which was a refreshing twist on the original Cinderella story.

 

Honestly, CINDER really only uses Cinderella as a springboard. The plot is completely new. There are small pieces from the original tale—an orange car Cinder is trying to fix up to be her ride out of New Beijing, the yearly festival thrown by the palace—but CINDER follows its own story arc. I think that’s one of the reasons I adored it so much. It’s such a creative, original story.

 

CINDER is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles series. The next two books continue Cinder’s journey while introducing new characters: SCARLET (Little Red Riding Hood) and CRESS (Rapunzel). The final book, WINTER, has not been released yet, but I believe it will focus on Snow White.

 

I’ve been starting a lot of new book series lately, and this one is by far my favorite. I was so excited every time I picked the book up. I bought SCARLET and CRESS and cannot wait to read them!

 

What do you think about fairytale retellings? Have you read CINDER?