Book Review: Stars Above

tayjeannemead
May 2
2 min read

Cover art for Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Author: Marissa Meyer

Published: 2015

Format Read: Paperback

Genre: Fairytale Retelling/short stories

My Rating: 4/5 stars

I currently base my reviews loosely around the CAWPILE system developed by Book Roast on YouTube. I modify the categories depending on the format of the story I’m reviewing.

My star ratings are purely by my opinion and not measured by any particular metric.

SPOILER WARNING: This review will contain spoilers! Proceed with caution!

Summary

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 excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Characters

I know almost all these characters already (Still love Jacin and his love for Winter). The only new character was Star (or Mech6.0). Like Iko, she grew a personality and it was very sweet how she took Miko’s place so that she and Dataran could be together.

Atmosphere

Each story had its own setting, but all remained true to the series’ feel.

Writing Style

These were a bit darker than the rest of the series, but her writing is still (mostly) fun to read. Clean and sometimes pretty clever.

Plot

Each short story was a piece of the larger story, filling in or expanding out some part of the backstories of our characters. Fun little snippets, especially the Wedding of Scarlet and Wolf.

Intrigue

About half of these stories we technically already know, so it has a little of the “I’d like to have read that” feel, but didn’t necessarily have the hold of a fresh story, like with Mech6.0 or the wedding.

Logic

Everything follows the rules and logic of the series and makes sense with the personalities of the characters.

Enjoyment and Final Thoughts

Overall it was ok. Many of the stories were dark or sad and I was struggling with it. I just want them to be happen and everything to be done!

Would I Recommend?

Yes, I would. Especially if you like the rest of the Lunar Chronicles, just be warned, these stories are a little less fun than the core series.