Review - Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer

Fairest by Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (27th Jan 2015)

Blurb:
Mirror, mirror, on the wall.
Who is the Fairest of them all?

Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her "glamour" to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story―a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Well, well, well. If it isn’t a novella that depicts the backstory of the evil queen of Luna, Queen Levana, the sadistic and twisted tyrant of a bitch who is out to destroy Earth. After finishing Cress, I had to read Fairest because a) it’s the backstory of antagonist of The Lunar Chronicles and b) I need more of The Lunar Chronicles!

I’m so happy that I read Fairest because not only does it gave me an insight on Luna before Levana’s reign and life on Luna, but it also introduces Winter who will be an additional heroine in the next book of the series, Winter – duh, Kev – which I am incredibly excited for!

Fairest is set about 16-17 years before Cinder and it focuses on the life of Princess Levana, whose parents were viciously murdered by a shell. Oh, need a recap? No problem, love. Shells are Lunars who do not possess the gift of Lunars. Think of them as squibs from Harry Potter? Due to her parents' deaths, Levana's sister, Channary was crowned the queen of Luna. And what happens to poor Levana?

Fairest was not a very easy read for me, to be honest. I loathed Levana from being introduced to her in Cinder, Scarlet and Cress, so when I went into Fairest, I didn't really bother sympathising with her. But after reading it, I do feel a sliver of sympathy for her. She's been tormented by her sister, Channary. She has been deluding herself for leading herself to believing that the man who she truly loves her is also in love with her. Oh, Levana, you are such a poor soul.

I really enjoyed reading about Luna though. Not much as to what happened to Levana that turned her into the ruthless monster that she is, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I enjoyed Fairest for the world building of Luna. It's innovative and creative for Marissa Meyer to develop and build a planet. It's definitely a good expansion of the series that would introduce Luna to readers of the series and prepare them for Winter.

Fairest would be a really enjoyable read for you if you want to find out more about Levana's back story. You might also want to know what happens to Selene! So I urge you to read Fairest before reading Winter! I liked it for the world building as well as the twist in the plot at the end.

Fairest is out now on hardcover, paperback and eBook.