Marissa MeyerFairest: The Lunar Chronicles - Levana's Story

I loved the first three books of the Lunar Chronicles, so it was a no-brainer when I decided to purchase this one. It didn’t take long to realize this book is nothing like the others, and seems more to be a cash grab than anything else. I’m blaming the publishers, because that seems like the most likely explanation of why this exists as a standalone book. I kind of wish I had just bought Winter, the real fourth book of the series, but it’s not available as a paperback yet.This book is a prequel to the first three books, and is told from the point of view of the main antagonist of the series, Levana. Fairest is much, much shorter than the rest of the series, at 222 pages (and those pages had larger font and fewer lines than in the other three books) compared to around 400+ for the rest of the series.I went in hoping for another well structured novel set in the Lunar Chronicles universe with well written characters and a moving plot. I know Levana is the bad guy, but a novel from her point of view should at least give me the motivation for why she is such a horrible, evil queen and wants nothing more than to kill Cinder. Unlike the characters in books 1, 2, and 3, Levana and her sister Channary are pretty much evil from the beginning, and I guess I have strong hatred for flat, one-dimensional characters because this is what annoyed me the most about this book. There is never any explanation for why Channary is such a wretched person, but towards the end of the book you find out something happens to Levana at the age of six to make her the way she is. I kind of wish the author had Levana start out as a good, kind person and slowly turn evil as the book progresses so we can see some character progression and evolution into the evil person we know her to be. I just needed something so we could have a little sympathy for Levana. In comparison, the Hound in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire goes through something very, very similar to Levana’s childhood trauma, and ends up being a troubled but ultimately very sympathetic, well developed character, and I feel like I know him so much better than I know Levana, even though he is just minor part of ASOIAF while this whole book is about Levana. Just being “greedy for power” isn’t cutting it for me for motivation to kill a three year old. The rest of the book just seemed to be an excuse to name drop characters from the first three books which caused some major eye rolling from this reader. Overall, I was just disappointed by this book.

Favorite Quote:“Just one more lie she’d constructed for herself to escape into, never realizing she was welding the bars of her own cage.”Well. I got some insight in Lavana that honestly I’m not sure I needed. Haha. She is definitely crazy. An interesting read though. To read how she justified her actions to herself. How deep her insanity was.Honestly reading the things she did were disturbing. How her justifications to herself even sounded ok to her is something I personally will never understand but honestly just reading it kinda creeped me out. Creepy, yet interesting. I think I disliked her more in this than I ever did in the four part series.Overall I can’t say I liked it considering I don’t like Levana, but I did like having more to the Lunar Chronicles. Seeing a young Winter, seeing that Cinder’s mom was also a terrible person. Haha.It’s strange, you start to sort of feel bad for Levana and then she does something that completely wipes out your sympathy. That it’s not enough to stretch over her actions, definitely not enough to warrant what she actually does. Most of her pain and insecurities she brought upon herself and what she did to Evret was just. Oh man. Disgusting. Unforgivable. Makes me want to reread the end of Winter.

4 STARSA twisted fairytale that shows the dark side of an happily ever after. Told in the POV of our favorite evil Queen from the explosive debt that shook the YA genre with a fairytale that has been told time and time again, but not quite as delicious and addicting as CINDER!Levana story is finally told, and it is enough to make you recoil in revulsion, yet, find a tad bit of sympathy for our evil Queen that's determined to rule the world, making all cower and serve her evil purposes.Marrissa Meyer is a MASTERMIND of a storyteller!! I love everything this woman writes. She creates the most unique, addicting, oddly disturbing in this case, worlds that could awaken any feelings that have never been roused. Meyer's takes this story by force with her vivid details, developed characterization, flush writing, uniquely enthralling world-building and tantalizing anticipation that seizes you from the first page and does not let up until the very end. FAIREST is another exquisite hit for Meyer's!When I read CINDER last year I fell head over heels in love with the unique fairytale world, but I despised, yet was fascinated with the evil villain Levana. I had a love/hate relationship with her. On one hand I thought she was despicable and the worst kind of evil, but I also found her the best villain for the story, and this series wouldn't be the same without her. She fit so well with the complex world and all her evil jabs were so riveting as she unleashed her manipulation and wrath on whom ever she chooses. She's as evil as it comes, and I loved the lengths she would go to get what she wanted. She was the perfect villain for this world. She's vile, evil, manipulative, selfish, conceited with her "false beauty" and willing to kill anyone who gets in her way to the throne she wants, and I LOVED every second of all that evilness.But in FAIREST we get to see how she became the evil queen everyone feared and despised, and the reasons that turned her heart to ice. And trust me, none of what she does is excusable, but you can kinda understand how she was able to become so cruel. I loved reading Levana's POV, it was engrossing to see how she went from the shy, naive, lonely, disfigured girl, to the unstoppable evil queen that bathed her palace walls in blood to rise to the top. And with the power she wielded, she became unstoppable. In a way I felt sorry for Levana, and at times caught myself even liking her (I said at times, not always. ;) She was very lonely, tortured by her older sister and disfigured by her cruelty. We didn't get to know her parents, the former king and queen of Luna, but from what I gathered from this book, they didn't care about Levana either. They pretty much abandoned her and didn't so much as bat their eye when she was around. And with extreme self esteem issues due to her disfigurement and lack of love, her hate manifested and grew into something evil. Then slowly, very slowly she began to see life very different, a dark place that bent to her will. And when her sister Queen Channary died, leaving the now crown princess Selene the heir to the Luna throne, Levana was able to become the queen regent that would rule all of Luna until Selene turned thirteen. With no one left to stop her, Levana now had the authority she needed to rule all of Luna with an iron fist, lashing out with her cruelty and thirst for blood. Now, if only she could get rid of Princess Selene . . . . THE PLOT: Fifteenth year old Levana becomes crown princess to all of Luna after her parents are brutally murdered by a shell seeking retribution for the their ill-willed rule. She's always been neglected, unloved and wanted by everyone including her parents and torturous sister. And after the forced "accident" the made her disfigured, she is more ugly then anyone could of imagined. She tries to brighten her life by using her glamour to hide her true self by wearing a false mask of beauty. The exact opposite of what truly lies on the outside, slowly becomes the inside, until she is falsely beautiful, but truly ugly both inside and out.Each day torment by her sister Channary, now the Queen of Luna, and exiled by the rest of the court, Levana finds herself daydreaming about a handsome guard who she blindly thinks cares about her. But he's uninterested and ten years her senior, and married to the most beautifulest woman in all of Luna, and she just so happens to be carrying his child. But Levana doesn't care, she stupidly thinks he loves her, and each day her desire and false love grows, becoming hardened and forceful, and viscous and deceiving, until one day she is determined to take what she wants, one way or another he will be hers . . .Levana's world slowly starts to unravel, but for her, it starts to come together. She will marry the man she wants, she will become his child's mother, she will take what should be hers, she will murder for what is rightfully hers, and she will stop at nothing to not only be the queen of all Luna, but the Empress to all of earth. . .Power, blood, murder, destruction and false beauty bath the path to Levana's evil reign, and she will hold nothing back has she takes what she's destine to have. Fate has given her all the glories in her world, because she is the best Queen that has ever sat on the Lunar throne, because she is . . .THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL . . .Levana's story takes us through the mind of a sociopath, and the fascinating back story of how she became the evil Lunar Queen. FAIREST is a must read for all Lunar fans, I think it'll give you an open mind to the woman behind all the evilness in The Lunar Chronicles. She's an evil, heartless, despicable women, that's equal parts intriguing as she is revolting, and has quickly become my new favorite villain!Overall, FAIREST was just what I needed to see this world from both sides. This book had great back story and we get to see true glimpses of Levana's true self. I think it puts her character into perspective and helps us understand (but not agree with) some of her choices. This book was a great addition to THE LUNAR CHRONICLES that brings it's own wicked story and is definitely a must read for any Lunar fan!!!

This was another Christmas present to myself, using the money given by family members, and I'm very excited to have finally read it. I have been wanting to read Levana's origin story FOR AN AGE. Meyer's 'The Lunar Chronicles' is an extremely inventive series, and what I liked best about it was the way that it used famous fairy tales and turned them into a whole new story. I always felt however that Levana's character was a little one-dimensional compared to others. I didn't understand her actions, until now that is. She really wasn't joking about Cinder's mother! Yikes!We get to see so much more of Levana's descent into cruelty and madness, and WHY it happens. Her abusive family, particularly her sister, allows her to grow up with a very twisted perception of what love actually is. I found myself feeling sorry for her even when she did unthinkable things, because I could more easily see WHY she did them. And what became very clear was that she cared a lot about the future of the planet and the people that lived there. Everything that she did was in order for Lunar to prosper, not just purely selfish reasons.I found no real faults here. It was a wonderful addition to the already rich world of The Lunar Chronicles, with more of an insight into Selene and Winter's lives too, and I liked the nod to Sybil Mira's rise to the top as well. Meyer did a great job adding more complexities to the characters, adding some great new ones (good and bad) and it's made me even more excited to get hold of 'Stars Above'!

“Fairest” is the backstory on the Lunar Chronicles antagonist; Queen Levana—the evil queen. It’s set before the events in Cinder, but I have to agree with the author that it would be good to read in-between “Cress” and “Winter”. This book was what made me devour the rest of the series in two days.Princess Levana hates the sight of her true self. After an incident when she was a young child, her body is now covered in burns. Hiding behind the glamour from her bio-electric manipulation, she hopes that one day the people of Lunar will forget about her ugly self. Suffering from her beautiful sister’s endless torments, Levana finds solitude in the friendship with a guard whom she has a big crush on. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she device a plan to get him through manipulation. She just need to look like his deceased wife.Oh. Wow. I. Can’t. Even.This book is everything I never knew that I really wanted, needed and desired.In my reviews of the first three books, I’ve mentioned how much I wished for more information on the character’s past. Their motivations, and what made them to who they are.And this book did just that, and whoa… Even now—three days after I finished the book—I’m still baffled with feelings over this book.What I loved the most: Beautifully described, I loved how the author managed to make me feel Levana’s self-loathing without making her whiny. I sympathized with the young princess whose trust was shattered by none other than her older sister.Of course, that only lasted until Levana turned psychotic. But you know… I pitied the little girl who was tortured by her older sister through her entire upbringing.I can’t stress how amazing I found the character development. Often in books, I find that the author doesn’t give their characters enough flaws, but that is not the case here. Levana was crafted to perfection. Her scars, her ambitions, her motivation and even her delusions tugged on my heartstrings.Alright, I’m going to talk about the plot next, because… feelings. So pardon the spoilers.As horribly as it is, I actually rooted for Levana to receive the love of her guard husband in the end. Even though their entire relationship was one-sided from the beginning, I felt she deserved that much. For someone to just… love the fragile, shattered girl inside of her, despite her grotesque scars.In a way, I think that had she had someone to love her, Levana would have become a great Queen instead of the evil one. Of course, then we wouldn’t have the series, but you know… I’m invested in this character damn.The plot isn’t cute or lovely at all. But it is amazing.The story follows a teenage Levana as she nurses her school girl crush on her married guard, tries to avoid her diabolic sister and practices her glamour to perfection.Many years after the incident, Levana still has nightmares of the time where her sister—Cinder’s mom—held her down as flames licked her skin. We see how she lives in the shadows of her sister, and how she is tormented on an everyday basis.It wasn’t pleasant to read this story. The bullying from one sister to another. The insecurities. The self-hatred. It made my stomach churn, and while I still hate Levana’s character in the chronicles, it made me want to jump into the book to give the poor princess a hug, and take her far away.As the story goes on, we see how Levana finally snaps after she meets the wife of her crush—his very pregnant wife. Obsessed, Levana starts spiraling after Winter is born. Taking on the form of his dead wife, Levana basically tortures her crush into her bed. And after that, she forces him to marry her—although, she claims he had a choice, but we all know he hadn’t.There are so many sides to Levana. She’s smart and ambitious—something her older sister definitely isn’t. When it comes to court business, her words are often overlooked, but it’s clear that she is as manipulative in politics as she is in her everyday life.When Cinder is born, Levana’s sister—Channary—starts to cough more and more. It is discovered that she has an incurable lung disease, and eventually, Channary passes away.And that’s how Princess Levana became Queen Regent, as a placeholder until Cinder—or Selene as she is named—is of age to overtake the throne.The power turns the already delusional girl into a psychopath. Her paranoia grows, and she finds herself envying her step-daughter, wishing that her husband finally gave his heart.Her envy extends to the baby Princess Selene(Cinder). And she starts dreaming that the girl didn’t exist. Somehow, her daydreams turn into reasoning as to why the true heir had to be killed. And what better way to do it, than with a fire? At least, Levana is merciful enough to let her niece’s life end there—a courtesy that Channary didn’t show Levana.Of course, us semi-sane people can’t follow that kind of logic. But it becomes her excuse, her reason to kill off the true heir.After the death of the princess, Levana’s guard husband starts to feel a bit unsettled by the rumors. And it spirals into fights about when he wants to give her his heart for real. After a while it’s clear to Levana that she’ll never receive his love, and then decides to kill him too.I mean… THAT was clearly the logical thing to do to your so-called beloved. O_oWhile the story gives an in-depth look into Levana’s life, we also see how the biological warfare is created in order to take possession of Earth. We see Lunar’s inner workings, and it prepares us pretty well for the last book “Winter” who will follow Levana’s step daughter.I just… this book is my favorite. By far.I would recommend this to everyone. Even if you haven’t read the Lunar Chronicles. Since the book is set before the events in “Cinder” it can technically be read as a stand-alone.Especially to all my writer-friends who might struggle to craft the perfect villain. This story would probably serve as inspiration for many—I know it does for me.Just…. Read it. You most likely won’t regret it

I absolutely love this book which is a prequel to the main books in the series;  Cinder  & Scarlet  & Cress  . You can read this book if you wish prior to reading Cinder however the bonus 3 chapters included in the back for the new book due out later this year;  Winter  will obviously ruin the first three books in the series if you read them so avoid these at all costs if you wish to read this book first.All the books are a brilliant read and the story-line keeps building with new characters being introduced that fit seamlessly into the plot and it's subsequently a fantastic series. Marissa Meyer is a new addition to my favourite authors list and I have the final book in the series;  Winter  already on pre-order and I cannot wait to read it later this year. The series has been unputdownable and I have enjoyed every minute reading the books.This book is extremely interesting as it is Queen Levana's story and tells of Levana's childhood and the events leading up to Cinder. We truly get to see what has made Levana the way she is and her awful childhood with her sister Channary who was not a nice big sister to her at all. Channary has been made out to be quite a reasonable Lunar Queen I think in the previous books but we get to find out what she is really like. We also find out the reason why Levana looks like she does and the reason she wears a wedding ring that she hides with her glamour which I think was mention in the previous book; Cress although I could be wrong and it may have been an earlier book. We get to find out why the mutants were created and more about Cress and Winter and it really is a book worth reading and especially if you have been as hooked as I have been to this series. A love interest in the form of Evret is introduced and just why Levana is looking after a child that isn't hers. A very interesting and illuminating read to the series.A fantastic series with a new fresh take on the Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White tales and as I mentioned above I have read all four books in the series in fast succession as I loved the series so much and was immediately hooked. If you are a fan of dystopian or YA then I think you will love this book and this series and I can't wait for the next one due to be released in December this year. CinderScarletCressWinterWinter

Levana has always been unloved and is thought of as the ugly one in the family, hiding behind her glamour. She has always been in love with guard Evret and, even though he is married, she is sure he feels the same way too. Levana’s sister Channary is queen but does not care about Luna or the running of her kingdom, Levana is determined to step up but as her hunger for power grows will she destroy everything she cares about.Fairest is a really enjoyable prequel story to the Lunar Chronicles, about the villain, Queen Levana’s past. I like how we got to see more of Luna and how we got to learn more about the Luna/Earth back-plot.Levana is not a good person and while I can’t sympathise with her, I can understand how she ended up like she did as her life lacked affection and having to hide her face in a world that judges on beauty. Levana reminded me a lot of the character The Phantom of the Opera as she is crazy and hides who she is behind a mask. I feel very sorry for Evret as all he was doing was being nice and he ended up being used in a horrible way. It was nice to see baby Cinder and to learn more about Winter and Jacin.You don’t have to read this book to enjoy the rest of the series but it does add to it. I would recommend Fairest to fans of the Lunar Chronicles.

My Review from GoodReads:Fairest is, first and foremost, the beginnings of Levana and how she came to be the person that she is in the present books that we have read before this. It is an origins story, and looks into the development and personality of a young Princess who rose to become a Queen, all through her own selfish desires.This book shows that Levana, despite how she is and her selfish attitude at times, is a resourceful, political and smart girl, someone who has knowledge and desires, the makings of being a truly good Queen. There is no doubt that she loves her country, that she wants to better it, but even with all of this, she is still a despisable character, mostly because she goes about things in a way that will only ever benefit her, even though she tries to make herself believe that it's for the benefit of those around her.I like that Levana has development, and I have a better understanding of why she is who she has become - with a sister as malicious and atrocious as Channary, I don't doubt she'd be a little messed up - however, her actions are appalling, and you still greatly dislike the character, even when you have a better feel of why she is as cruel and selfish as she has become. No matter what, you're never going to like Levana, because she's always been selfish, it's just that it got worse as she got older, especially when her visions of grandeur got bigger.Throughout the book, I noticed that there was one prevalent thing that Levana desired, a thing she herself lacked but thought she had, something she dearly craved, and still pursues, and that is love. You learn that, no matter what, Levana's actions are all in pursuit of love; love from a man who is not hers, love from the people who have come to fear her, the love of a planet that would eventually come to loathe her as well. She's only ever wanted to be loved, it seems, and because of that, I've come to pity the character that is Levana. I still dislike her and think she's unjustifiable in what she does, however, Fairest has given me reason to feel pity for the character and how she is. It's a small book, but how it makes you feel afterwards leaves an impression on you, and honestly, I feel this light prequel is a strong one.TLDR; Fairest gives good background, adds depth to Levana, and further expands on the Lunar Chronicles. I really enjoyed it, and think that it's a great addition to the Lunar Chronicles series.Now to wait for Winter... gaaargh!I have a review present on my blog, too: http://queen-of-rambles.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/read-reviewed-fairest-by-marissa-meyer.html