Spoiler Alert-The Best Book Series

Whether you read a book a day or a book a year, you probably have a favorite book or book series. Today, I want to share my all time favorite book series. Are you ready? Drum roll please!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

The Lunar Chronicles is composed of eight books, with four of those being extra stories to highlight the backgrounds of certain characters, taking place before and after Cinder’s revolution. The books are: Cinder; Scarlet; Cress; Winter; Fairest; Stars Above; Wires and Nerve; and Wires and Nerve Gone Rogue. Fairest is a prequel to the series, giving background on the tyrant Lunar Queen Levana. Stars Above is a collection of short stories that describe times before and after Cinder’s “revolution”. Both Wires and Nerve books are graphic novels, telling the tale of Iko tracking down rogue Lunar soldiers. The last four books I listed are not part of the main series, but supplement them.

You will find that each protagonist is based on a fairy tale character: Cinder-Cinderella, Scarlet-Red Riding Hood, Cress-Rapunzel, and lastly Winter-Snow White. Even the villains are based on fairy tale characters.

The series takes place in a futuristic society with androids, spaceships, and cyborgs. The moon (Luna) is now a habitable planet. The Lunar people who have taken the moon as their home have special capabilities. Lunars are able to change their appearance and use something similar to mind control. Earth and Luna are not very friendly with each other. Sometimes they try a hand at alliances but it usually doesn’t end well.

In the first installment, Cinder– a mechanic cyborg who lives in New Beijing- tries to cope with her stepmother who treats her horribly, is blamed for her sister’s illness, and her mysterious past that no one really knows about. When she finds herself face-to-face with the handsome Prince Kai, she becomes a part of something bigger.

Scarlet is the second book in the series. Cinder, or as she once was known Princess Selene, is true heir to the Lunar Throne. She escapes from prison with fellow inmate Captain Carswell Throne to France in search of Michelle Benoit. Scarlet, who is Michelle’s granddaughter, meets Wolf, a street fighter and a Lunar solider. While Scarlet does not want to trust Wolf, they are drawn to each other. She decides to take the risk. While on the road Wolf and Scarlet meet Cinder who is forced to kill and use her “glamour” on several soldiers. Now they are all on the run and must stay ahead of Queen Levana.

Cress is the third book in this thrilling series. All four are still on the run; the plot is to overthrow Queen Levana. Their only real hope is Cress, who currently lives in a satellite. Because Cress is an excellent hacker, she receives orders from Levana to track down Cinder’s rag tag bunch. Attempting a rescue, the group gets separated and leaves everyone worn down, upset, yet even more determined. During all that, the only thing handsome Emperor Kai has to worry about is his inevitable marriage to Queen Levana.

The fourth and final installment in the Lunar Chronicles is Winter. It picks up about a month after Cinder kidnaps Kai and he now knows her true identity. Securing a plan for Cinder to overthrow Levana, Kai returns to New Beijing where new plans are made for the wedding of Kai and Levana. Once the plan commences, everyone is reunited with each other- Scarlet with Wolf and Winter with her cousin Selene. Princess Winter (step daughter of Levana) is loved by the people of Luna and is said to be more beautiful than even the glamour of Levana. There are huge plot twists in this book. I don’t want to give any more spoilers so I leave you with this: Who succeeds? The evil tyrant Levana or the true heir to the throne, selfless mechanic cyborg Cinder/Selene?

If you’ve read the series, let me know in the comment section down below what you think.

 

Feature image: https://ipirateluffy.tumblr.com/post/119557481469/charmspeakers-ya-lit-meme-15-protagonists