Reading is my ESCAPE from Reality!

Interesting back story for Levana with hints at the histories of other characters. Read this one, but only after you read Cinder, Scarlet & Cress.

This book tells the story of Levana from the time she was a naive, self-conscious young girl (with a huge crush on a married guard) to when she becomes Queen. I am completely hooked on The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, & Cress) and waiting patiently anxiously for Winter to be released. I enjoyed reading this book and finding out some of the background on other characters as well as Levana. The book also includes the first couple chapters of Winter, which I didn't read because I am torturing myself and waiting until November.

Levana is never a likable character, even knowing the horror she suffered at the hands of her older sister, Channary. With a sister like that, and parents who didn't care, it is understandable that Levana became the person she is throughout the series. But, reading her thoughts and what she was willing to do made me realize she was always a self-centered girl who used her powers to control others and get what she wanted and never seemed to feel bad for any of her actions. In other words, she is irredeemable and awful. So, don't worry about feeling sorry for her and not being able to hate her as we readers have from the beginning. 

This a short, easy to read story. It doesn't have the power or energy of the other books, but it isn't really supposed to. This is just a background of Levana, some insight into her character. It helps you appreciate the rest of the series even more.

Recommended to:

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles (of course). I highly recommended this series to fans of fairytale re-imaginings paired with a bit of fantasy and sci-fi.