Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Hardcover, 256 pages

Release Date: January 26, 2016
Published by: Delacorte Press
Stand-alone
Source: Own
For fans of: DEAR, Diversity, Girl Power, Sci-Fi, Series Enders, YA

     The enchantment continues….
     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 exclusive never-before-seen 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.
     The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
     Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
     The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
     Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
     The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
     After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
     The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
     The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
     Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century…

*MY THOUGHTS*

          It’s always hard to review anthologies because there’s so many stories to review individually. This one was a little easier since I had read some of them before. Even still, I really loved each of these stories and I’m glad they were given as special additions to the Lunar Chronicles Story!
     The Keeper: I loved this story because Scarlet was actually my favorite of the series. Seeing more about Scarlet, Cinder, and Michelle was fun. It also really showed how smart everyone involved in the situation was. From the doctor to Michelle, just everyone involved. And last but not least, there was a very cute “to grandmother’s house we go” vibe with Scarlet on her way to the farm. I did really like it. Rated 4 Stars.
     Glitches: I had read this one before and loved it. It was of course sad to see what happened to her step father and I hated what she got in return from the rest of his family, but it was really cool to see where it was originated. It was definitely nice to see some of the older characters again as well. Like Peony. Rated 5 Stars.
     The Queen’s Army: Again, this is another one I loved because Wolf is my favorite. I read this one before too, but I read it before I read Scarlet. Because of that, I was scared of Wolf. I mean all that he went through in this story was scary. Add all that on to the talk of Levana and thurmages and this story was definitely cool. Rated 5 Stars.
     Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: I really liked this one. It definitely showed the classic Thorne. It was so funny to see what all he did in school and how much of a scammer  he was even then. I thought this was a great story! I didn’t think I could love Thorne anymore than I already did, but after reading this, I do now! Rated 4 Stars.
     After Sunshine Passes By: I had actually been looking forward to this one. Since I loved the other pre-ludes, I knew that I would love this one. And I did. Of course it was very sad and I hated the thurmages even more, but it was still a good look at Cress. Rated 3 Stars.
     The Princess and the Guard: This one was fun. Well at the beginning anyways. When things got deeper, it began to get sad. I hated to see what Winter went through and of course I hated to see at that point the bad guys won because of a misunderstanding. It was definitely better at the beginning. Rated 4 Stars.
     The Little Android: I tagged this one to read a long while ago but never got to it. I finally did and I thought it was pretty cute. I liked seeing the likeliness to the Little Mermaid. It was definitly not the Disney version though lol I’m glad Meyer did it only as a short story because I’m not sure I could’ve handled the end of a full story that way. Rated 3 Stars.
     The Mechanic: This one was very cute. I love Kai and have been on the Kai and Cinder ship since reading Cinder. It was cute to see the two of them and their very first interaction and how they felt about each other. I loved seeing the two of them all over again. Rated 3 Stars.
     Something Old, Something New: I think I’m the only person on the planet who didn’t flip forward and read the last story first. That’s what I love about reading thhough, the anticipation of getting to the best part. And I’m glad I waited. I LOVED it. It was perfect. I also loved it because I’m overly sentimental. I’m getting married and I can’t lie, this made say aw so much that I started thinking about my own future wedding lol It was definitely cute and I loved having the entire gang all back together. Rated 5 Stars.

     I love that these stories are all in one place now. I hate the series is mainly over (I say mainly because if you haven’t heard there will be graphic novels with Iko as the main character and I am STOKED.) I can’t wait to see what else Meyer has in store for us. 
Overall, I give this

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