Review: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer
Publication date: Nov. 10, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Category: Young Adult - Sci-fi
Source: Purchased
Summary: 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. Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? (greads.com)

My Thoughts

In my humble opinion, there are few authors who can create an ensemble cast of characters, bring them all together in one book and then make you care about every single person (and robot). Marissa Meyer manages to do exactly that and it’s never more evident as it is in Winter, the epic conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles series. I was blown away by her storytelling and how every loose end gets tied up in a way that did her characters justice. I’m writing this review weeks after reading it and looking back, I’m still in awe.

I’m going to keep this as spoiler free as possible (however, you must have read the four other previous books!) and filled with enthusiasm because I have nothing but love for Winter (the book and the newest heroine to the team!). Princess Winter is the step-daughter of the evil Queen Levana who, as you can imagine, was hardly the picture of love and warmth. Winter’s face is scarred (guess who’s fault that is?) but in spite of that, she has the kind of inner and outer beauty that touches the hearts of everyone who knows her. And the person who recognizes this most is her childhood best friend and palace guard, Jacin. He wants nothing more than to protect her but Winter is stronger than anyone gives her credit for. She’s the final piece of the puzzle that the team of Cinder, Scarlett, Cress, Kai, Wolf, Thorne and Iko needs.

Winter inevitably crosses paths with our favorite heroes and despite the title of the book, all the heroines get plenty of their own chapters and scenes. I thought Meyer did a great job of letting us spend time with everyone, mixing up the pairings (not romantic ones, don’t worry!) and bringing a whole new dynamic and energy to the series. You can feel that this it is for them. The moment that they have to take down Queen Levana or die trying. Watching them come together and work individually reminded me of why I fell in love with this series. There’s Cinder’s determination and humbleness. Scarlett’s feisty and strong-willed nature (she made me laugh out loud!). Cress’ personal growth and intelligence. Winter’s kindness and bit of craziness (she made me laugh too). And of course, there’s the men — Kai, Wolf, Thorne and Jacin — who care for them and fight alongside them. But let’s be real. This series belongs to the ladies.

Basically, Winter is everything you can hope for when a series you love ends.

Do I recommend?

Yes! If you haven’t picked up the last book, you should! Meyer won’t disappoint any of her longtime fans with this one. And if you’ve never read the series, do yourself a favor and start it now that all the books are out!