The first books I bought because of BookTube. They are the sort of books I would never in a million years pick up, yet now, somehow, I am in love.
Can Winter please come out already?
[This review is SPOILER FREE!]
When I first started Cinder I thought I was far too old to be reading this series. Then I fell completely in love with the series and my heart just melted. I am not someone that would typically pick up a fantasy novel, but these came so highly recommended on BookTube that I couldn't resist. They are now my second favourite book series of all time.
The world building is perfect. You get just enough information at every point to be able to really picture what's going on. I would love for this universe to be used again in further books by Marissa Meyer.
I don't want to say too much about the later books because I don't want to give away any spoilers. But here's a little bit about each of the main characters...
Cinder: Still my favourite person from this series. I feel like the character development has been spot on with Cinder. She has the biggest journey to go through and I feel like it's being done at the perfect pace. It doesn't feel rushed or dragged out. I just adore her and she is totally someone that I'd want to be friends with if she was real.
Scarlett: I know a lot of people that love Scarlett the most, but for me she takes a very definite second place. She's still an amazing character and her relationship with Wolf makes me smile a lot, but there was something about her that I didn't find as likeable as Cinder. Still an incredible book though.
Cress: This was my favourite book, but Cress was my least favourite character. It sells her as not being a damsel in distress, but I personally found her a little bit whiny. Like come on girl pull yourself together. She seems very immature compared to Cinder and Scarlett despite being similar age wise. Perhaps because she has been locked away and hasn't had that human interaction? Either way although I liked her it wasn't anywhere near as much as Cinder or Scarlett.
Queen Levana (Fairest): I can't say much without giving any of the plot away so I'm going to keep this brief. She's definitely one of my favourite baddies of all time. I always thought she was an interesting character but after Fairest I just fell completely in love with her - although I don't think that was the intention? Oops. How do I always end up liking the bad guys?
Of course they are based (although very loosely) on the fairy tales, so each character does still have to have their knight in shining armour. I love the relationship between Cinder and Kai so so much. It's a tiny bit predictable but still ridiculously cute. I like Scarlett and Wolf but I felt like he slips out of character at points in Cress which for me takes away from it a little bit. I love the man that ends up with Cress, but their relationship just doesn't do it for me. I don't find it that believable and I feel like it feeds into her weakness in comparison to the Cinder and Scarlett. She's very obsessed with falling in love and it's a bit needy. Cinder and Scarlett do just fine on their own. Their relationships enhance their lives, but aren't the centre of it.
My only criticism is that I'd like to see a little bit more of a development in the relationships between Cinder, Scarlett and Cress. There's a fair bit of romance but not a whole lot of friendship which is disappointing.
Finally once a character is introduced they remain in the books throughout the series.
Also you should definitely read all books in order. There is a storyline that flows between the books and otherwise you'll get confused / ruin them.
I would highly recommend Fairest, but even though it's a prequel I would suggest you read it after Cress to avoid spoilers.
Overall this series is incredible. I'd definitely definitely recommend picking it up!
10/10
Please note: They are based on Fairy Tales, but they are NOT young child friendly.
Cinder is the only book I'd say would be okay for a child under 11/12.
Scarlett and Cress I'd say would be okay for a child over the age of 12, but it's something definitely to be done on an individual basis.
However Fairest has quite a few sex references and some violence even I found disturbing, so please don't think you're giving your six year old a safe fairytale. It is definitely not appropriate for young children.
World: 10/10
Mystery/Suspense: 9/10 (I have to take a point off because I did guess a few plot twists before they happened.)
Comedy: 8/10
Relationships: 7/10
Cover: 7/10
Overall Other Rating Score: 41/50
Then I would highly recommend Legend by Marie Lu. It has a similar plot in a few ways (minus the fairytale element). There's a sort of love story, a lot of suspense and plot twists, and some hunting down of information/people.
You should also check on Wattpad for Marissa Meyer's short stories, all based in the same universe. Glitches is my personal favourite and contains some extra backstory for the character of Cinder.
... flower it would be a rose. Beautiful, but sometimes painful.
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