Novel Review: Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection by Marissa Meyer

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5
Genre: YA Sci-fi Fairy-tale Retelling, Novella Collection
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.
Wishlist Thursday. Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

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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...

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. It's beautiful and goes along with the other colors so well. The image works well for a last collection of the series. I love it.

Review:

A couple of these stories had been released before, but I’d only read one of them, and there’s a nice variety here.
There’s a story featuring Scarlet and her grandma when she was little, during the time that Cinder was first brought over. There’s Wolf’s past, when he was first brought into the army and went through the transformation. Cinder’s story, and Cinder and Kai’s first meeting through Kai’s eyes. There’s a little mermaid-based side-story featuring different characters.
My favorites, though, would have to be Thorne’s story, from when he was growing up and rebelling against his family, and how he helped a girl classmate. Thorne is fun and a sweetheart even when he tries not to be. And Cress’s story, when she was taken from the other shells and used for the queens surveillance. Her story is just sad and hopeless.
But, of course, the main story that everyone is looking forward to, the last one, a last little epilogue. I will admit that I’d wanted more from the other characters point-of-view. But aside from that, it was perfect and adorable. We get to see all the characters again, see how they’re doing and what the world is like now, and there’s a wedding and scheming and it’s just so cute. I love it.
This series could not be more perfect and I will always be wanting more of it. I’m just kind of obsessed with the characters and everything about it.