Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4.5
Published: Feiwel and Friends, 2016
Genre: YA fantasy, sci-fi, short fiction
Pages: 369
My rating: 4/5 stars

Description: “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.” (Goodreads)

Thoughts:
Let’s be honest – after reading the four main Lunar Chronicles books, I would take anything in the Lunar Chronicles universe I could get my hands on. I was excited to find out about this book of short stories. I always read the short stories when they were in the back of the core novels, so some of these I’d already read, but I enjoyed them and didn’t mind a few more anecdotes about the world and characters.

This was such a fun read! Parts of the main series could be intense, dramatic, and sometimes stressful, and this book had the characters in a lot more soft, cute, happy scenes. While I loved the drama of the main series, this was a much more fun and relaxing read (with the exception of some of the backstories, which could be just as sad/dark/intense as the main series). I got to really enjoy the characters instead of fearing they’d be captures and/or killed.

There were some sad and even dark moments in Stars Above, specifically in the stories that told the background of the characters, but there were also so many cute moments. It was nice to see some of my favorite characters in cutesy, warm situations after being, you know, hunted fugitives trying to take down an oppressive regime. No spoilers, but we had a wedding and an engagement? It was too much for my hopelessly romantic heart. I adore each of the couples in the main series, but romance was obviously not a priority in the main series so it was great to get some more cutesy moments with them in Stars Above. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from these stories but I got more than I could have asked for, and it made my heart happy.

Of course, there were some moments that were boring or slow throughout the book. Personally, it’s hard for me to really enjoy short fiction. It’s tough to get into a story or feel for a character when it’s only 20-50 pages long. This collection was, for the most part, an exception, most likely because the world was already established and I already knew and loved these characters prior to reading it. But I will admit there were certain stories I didn’t quite love. I found “The Queen’s Army” and “After the Sunshine Passes By” to be a bit too drawn-out, and I wasn’t too invested in Thorne’s backstory “Carswell’s Guide to Getting Lucky.” That being said, I did adore “The Little Android,” “Glitches, ” “The Mechanic,” and “Something Old, Something New.”

Stars Above something that’s really for fans who already have an established love for the main Lunar Chronicles series. It’s not a necessary part of the series, but I personally loved getting all of the extra tidbits and backstories of the characters, plus a little taste of their fates after the main series ends. I definitely recommend it for those who would love a little more of the Rampion Crew – I know I did.

Some Quotes:
“He had wondered why she liked books so much, and if it had anything to do with why he liked spaceships. Because they would take you somewhere far, far away from here.”

“I will accept any amount of monsters my mind gives me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

“Her wound was proof that she had been to battle and survived.”

Read my other Lunar Chronicles reviews: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter

Recommend for fans of: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Thriftbooks

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