by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends, January 27, 2015)
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.
Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.
Carolyn's thoughts on the book:
As an enthusiastic fan of the Lunar Chronicles, I found Fairest to be an insightful and interesting addition to the novels. The evolution of the relationship between Earth and Luna (leading up to the events in Cinder) is explored more than in any of the other books, as is the national weakening of Luna. It shocked me to discover just how petty and vapid the royal family (and the entire court) of Luna was - in a distorted way, Levana may have been the most clever and driven of everyone. Magrinalized by everyone, from her parents to her sister, it's easy to see why Levana ended up who she is - but that doesn't mean that you're not horrified while your heart is breaking for her.
Fairest is by far the most psychological of all the Lunar Chronicles. Levana is a fascinating character, and Fairest reads more like an in-depth character study than a regular novel. The book is far shorter than any other books in the Lunar Chronicles, more of a novella than novel (although not nearly as short as the bonus Lunar Chronicles short stories). The book isn't plot driven; rather, the twisted character development is what propels the story along and engages the reader. In the other books, the artful weaving of the different plotlines and the evolution of the overarching plot is where the brilliance lies, but in Levana's Story, it's the masterful way the author convinces the reader to sympathize with the protagonist and yet abhor the choices she makes. Some authors choose to shy away from developing much of the psychological backstory of their antagonist, fearful that victimization will somehow be seen as excusing their villain's actions, but Marissa Meyer fearlessly delves deep into Levana's warped past - and strikes the perfect balance by foiling Levana's tragic backstory with her cold and tyrannnical nature seen in the other novels.
Fairest is a great addition for fans of the Lunar Chronicles - Levana's Story will fill you with sympathy and revulsion, a delicate balance between empathizing with a mistreated, marginalized young woman and being horrified by the ruthless and rationalizing ruler she becomes.