Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy Novel for Teens

You’ll like this if you like: The Lunar Chronicle Characters or Marissa Meyer’s Writing.

Cleanliness: In the last short story, Kai and Cinder kiss. As do Wolf and Scarlet for their wedding. At one point, Kai and Cinder fall asleep while talking to each other.

Hero Type: Varied—depends on the story.

There are nine stories in Stars Above:

• Scarlet’s story is from both Scarlet’s perspective and Michelle Benoit’s (her grandmother). It reveals how Cinder was left in Michelle Benoit’s care. It also covers the story of when Scarlet went to live with her grandmother.
• Cinder’s story starts when she’s taken to live with Garan and his family before Garan catches the plague.
• Ze’ev’s (Wolf’s) story begins as he’s selected to be a part of the special Lunar army before he fights his way to the top of the pack.
• In Carswell Thorne’s story, Thorne charms girls and finagles a good grade in school.
• Cress’s story starts just before Sybil takes her to the satellite to hack for the Lunars and live in isolation.
• Winter and Jacin’s story covers how they grew up together and Winter’s decision to not use her Lunar powers.
• The story of Mech6.0 (or Star) begins with her experiencing emotions androids shouldn’t feel. This story was inspired by The Little Mermaid, and it’s the most heart-wrenching.
• Kai’s story begins as he takes an android to an unexpectedly cute mechanic named Cinder.
• The final story is of all of the characters after the Lunar Chronicles, and it’s from Cinder’s POV. They gather together at Scarlet’s farmhouse to celebrate her marriage to Wolf.

First of all, I loved getting a glimpse of the characters both before and after the Lunar Chronicles. The backstory and layers of depth Marissa Meyer’s has added is impressive. Her writing is beautiful and enchanting, as always. The stories are very emotionally impactful; I cried during Winter’s story and Star’s story. Though these short stories did lack the breathless excitement and twisting plot of the rest of the series, I really enjoyed them. I didn’t realize how much I missed the Lunar Chronicles crew until I got to see them again.

Read a Sample of Stars Above

Do you think The Lunar Chronicles has more of a sci-fi or fantasy slant? Which is your favorite Lunar Chronicle couple? What other sci-fi or fantasy novels for teens do you enjoy reading? Which is your favorite of Marissa Meyer’s books?