Stars Above

Stars Above

By Marissa Meyer

  The Enchantment continues…

  I finally got the chance to read it!!! I was so fond of that cover since the minute I saw it and decided to read it. Well…yes, I hadn’t read Cinder back then…just a brief knowledge about this wonderful series. And as it turns out…it’s fantastic!!! I love this book! And I won’t tell you that I turned to Something Old, Something New immediately when I got this book. I definitely didn’t do that. I definitely didn’t turn to the last page of Winter and Stars Above as soon as I got the books. By the way…the ending is perfect. Although I was a bit disappoint with the ending of Winter…but that was all well after I read Stars Above! Ladies and gentlemen…welcome—Stars Above! The novella of The Lunar Chronicles!

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

  Before anything was told…I must confess, I haven’t read the clips of Heartless yet. I tried to…but then I think it’ll be torturous to wait for more than a half year until the book comes out…so…nope! I’m not going to read the whole story until the time is here. I know Marissa Meyer’s stories are wonderful and don’t want to torture myself like I finished The Heart of Betrayal and A Court of Thornes and Roses. So…don’t ask me whether the story is good or bad—I DON’T KNOW!

  Now…we get nine stories, right? The Keeper, Glitches, The Queen’s Army, Carswell’s Guild To Being Lucky, After Sunshine Passes By, The Princess and the Guard, The Little Android, The Mechanic, Something Old, Something New. Each of the story is about one characters on the Rampion…only The Little Android isn’t. And to be honest…I don’t particularly like it. I’ll tell you why, but let’s start with The Keeper first! 

  The Keeper

  “Unorthodox?” Grand-mere chuckled. “What were you expecting? A baby doll?”

  Yes! The first story is about Scarlet!!! But wait, that’s not all! We also get to know Michelle Benoit for the first time. As you can remember in SCARLET, we only caught a glimpse of her grand-mere, and then…sadly…she was died. The Keeper is about Scarlet and her Grand-mere. One fled from her irresponsible father, and the other, well…about how she kept Princess Selene under secret. 3.5 stars to this story, since it isn’t bad. But…somehow not really exciting too. But I really love how Scarlet and Michelle got alone with each other, two head-strong females, and of course, Scarlet’s unusual boldness.  

  Glitches

  “She wanted to belong to them.”

  This is the story about Cinder, how she first saw her stepmother, and how she tried to fit in. Also, the death of Garan, her stepfather. It is really a tiny tiny story, not much, but it shows how Cinder tried to blend in and be…useful. She wasn’t used to her cyborg part, nor did she remember anything. But all Adri showed her was disgust, and showed no love to her. I don’t really blame her for that…but…she could at least be nice! (Frustrated…you know how terrible Cinder’s adopted family was…except for Peony.) Besides her family, this was how Cinder and Iko first met. I know I hardly mentioned her in my previous reviews…but…she is important. Really, really important. And of course, one of Cinder’s best friends. 3.5 stars to Glitches, for it shows the inner side of Cinder’s loneness in the family.  

  The Queen’s Army

  “She wants a show,” he said. “This time, don’t hold back.”

  Guess who the story is about??? See? The QUEEN’S army!!! So that can be only two!!! Ready for the answer…3…2…1…Wolf! Did you guess it right? Congratulation if you did! And if you were wrong…don’t worry, your love one will be there, soon.

  This story is how wolf joined Levana’s special operative project. How he became an Alpha…a quite…unexpected way, and how he went to the Earth. This is one of the stories I love in this book, I think it’s absolutely fun to read this…cruel progress and improvement. And how…crazy Levana was. 4 stars to this story…it’s worth it, and great to read. 

  Carswell’s Guild To Being Lucky

  “Oh, we’re discussing literature, Professor.”

  Oh! Of course, you’re not, Mr. Thorne. Remember how Thorne told Cress about the “hero” part? And he confessed that the only reason he helped Kate was because his horrible math score? Now, we’re getting the entire story about it!!! See how Thorne flattered with EVERY girl in school. EVERY GIRL. And how he…well…spent his time on doing useful thing. 3.5 stars to this story…I’m actually a bit disappointed with this story. It somehow…lack of Thorne’s charm? Well…not as funny when he was presented as usual. He was rather…a jerk inside the story? However…he wasn’t so hopeless, after all. There was still something good inside him…thanks to stars.  

  After Sunshine Passes By

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  This is about Cress story!!! But really…I’m so disappointed with it. Like…I’ve already got the almost same story in Cress! Only this time isn’t narrated but the exact scene of it. This was the story about how Cress was brought to the satellite…as we know…her life-long prison. I could only give it 3 stars…for it gives us the emotion of Cress. But truthfully…it wasn’t so impressed as the others.

  The Princess and the Guard

  His eyelid twitched. He didn’t look at her and he didn’t smile—but she caught it, just for a moment. The light entering his eyes.

  Really…this story is much better than After Sunshine Passes By. I do love Cress…but this story gives us more detail! Winter and Jacin, the Princess and the Guard. They play together, survive the cruel court together, and support together. Jacin always stands beside Winter, and Winter is always the love one. The majority of this story is about the servant who was saved by Winter but suicided later. It’s about how Winter refused to use her glamour and how her scars came from. We got more details and the…hum…original Winter? The one wasn’t so…crazy…and didn’t suffer that much. Yet she never changed her kind heart even in the brutal court, I think that’s perfect. Many changed because of the environment…but not her, never Winter. The part that she saved the servant reminded me one of the parts in Once Upon The Time, the TV series. When Snow thought she was helping the Evil Queen…but actually…not. I wonder if there are similarities between them. 4 stars to this story, because it is really great! And it somehow covers the fact that we don’t actually get a lot of Winter and Jacin in the Lunar Chronicles series.  

  The Little Android

  She couldn’t exist in a world without him.

  This is a story not about Cinder, Kai, Scarlet…or anyone else on the Rampion. Only Cinder appeared in a short part of this retelling of Little Mermaid. To me…the original story of Little Mermaid is kind of a blind love. (Well…of course Disney’s version doesn’t included.) She gave up everything just for love: her life, her voice, everything. This is a sacrificed I’ll never do…no one will ever separate me from my books for exchanging a boyfriend. (Wait…what?) I’m not sure about my feeling toward this short story…it’s like…umm…not bad…but not as impressed as the previous retelling. Just…hum…like that. It wasn’t hard to finish this story…but it also gives me no urge to know more. So…3.5 stars?  

  The Mechanic

  There was something about her that went beyond an unexpected reputation.

  Ahh!!! I don’t really like this kind of story…like looking through the same event under other’s eyes. But…it’s Kai! How can you not love it! Besides…it isn’t a surprising new…of course…that Marissa Meyer does have great writing. I don’t feel bored while I was reading this story…I…(swoon)…you know…here comes the fangirl. 4 stars to the first impression of both Cinder and Kai, how they first met at the market place and how they…attracted each other. 

  Something Old, Something New

  She had every intention of being blissfully happy for ever, ever after.

  Oh my stars. I love this story!!! Do I have to mention this is my favorite of them all? Of course not!!!! This one is perfect!!!! 5 stars, definitely 5 stars!!! This is the wedding of Scarlet and Wolf, after years pass…after Cinder abdicated and turned everything on Lunar right. Cinder was invited to their wedding…of course…and the others. But…Scarlet hates paparazzi…she only wants a simple wedding with all her friends and Wolf. So…you know…they all get crazy ideas…so here everyone comes! Prepare to bring Scarlet her wedding!!! The story is so cute and full of giggling and wowing. And of course, all our beloved couples have their moment, especially Cinder and Kai!!! Really…the protagonist of this series still remains Cinder…no matter how the wedding or the last book’s title is…the ending is still Cinder and Kai, our Cinderella and Prince Charming.  

  I love this book, and it’s one of the best novellas I’ve ever read before. If you love the Lunar Chronicles, make sure to read this book!