Reviewing: Winter by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

I am simultaneously heartbroken that The Lunar Chronicles are over and super, duper relieved because GOOD GOD this book is huge. I have no idea what I should talk about first, because everything was pretty much flawless (even though there were a couple things that I will mention later). The couples are all here, and excuse me while I cry over Scarlet and Wolf, please. I am also so, so ridiculously proud of Cinder. She accomplishes so much and gets hurt so badly, but she's still herself. Still her stubborn, sarcastic, heroic self. The book does, in fact, kind of focus on her more than in Scarlet and Cress. Cress gets so much stronger and braver (I'm really happy that she is portrayed as brave and strong even though she's not like Cinder or Scarlet), Thorne becomes the hero we all sort of knew he was, Iko is remains the quirky best friend, Winter is crazy strong and lovable (I love how she stays so loving and gentle despite all she goes through), and Jacin, that little prick, is actually a (selective) sweetheart. I AM SO PROUD OF EVERYONE. (And may I just say that my respect towards Kai has skyrocketed). And Cinder and Thorne have more sarcasm! Yes. I love it when they sass each other. I'm not disappointed about what happened. At all. Which is crazy, because with everything that happens you'd think at least one when get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong-- it is emotionally devastating and I'm pretty mentally exhausted right now. I'm probably going to be stuck in this haze for a couple days. But the things that happened seemed like they could and probably would if such a world existed. The ending felt like it was wrapped up in a pretty bow very, very quickly compared to everything else. But I wanted it so badly that I wasn't even mad. I mean, c'mon. Look at everything that they have all sacrificed! They all deserve to be happy, so that Scarlet and Wolf can be together on their little farm and eat tomatoes together. (I think tomatoes are the grossest things ever but each to their own). They all kind of go their own ways, but with bonds that will never be broken and friendships that will last for the rest of their lives. I could legit cry from how close they've all become. As always, Marissa Meyer's descriptions are flawless. The world of the Lunars is beautifully written and the emotions that the characters feel are written in such detailed beauty that you can't help but feel some of it yourself. One thing that became exhausting is the length. It's 800+ pages long. THAT IS TOO LONG. My head hurt, my eyes hurt, everything kind of hurt because I'm suicidal and have to read everything in one sitting. (In case you're wondering, no, I did not read it in one sitting, I read it in two). I finished this in a total of 7 or 8 hours. That's a little more than 100 pages per hour, each page packed with action and important information-- so, yes, my mind is currently numb, thanks for asking. My advice? You know how Marissa Meyer splits her books into littler books? Winter has five (FIVE. I am in disbelief). Read one each day. You'll finish it in 5 days, but you also won't feel like passing out afterwards. (Or you might, if the feels are just too much, which they probably will be). ALSO. Reading Fairest will help your understanding of what happens in this book. A lot. It's not like it's absolutely necessary, but, regarding Levana, you know so much more about why she does what she does. And it's not terribly long. (LIKE WINTER).

Reviewing: How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller

A meth dealer. A prostitute. A serial killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?


I thought this book was going to be way lighter. I thought, y'know, it's kind of a "fun" cover. I bet this is going to be funny and lighthearted. About friendship and bonding and all that jazz.

Well, I was "kind of" wrong. And by kind of, I mean I would be closer to being right if I said the sun was a couple thousand feet away. 

The main character, Flick, is borderline villain the entire book. It crosses over a couple times, and then he is pure evil. I kinda loved it, and I was kinda creeped out by it. (I mostly loved it though. Shhh.) I've always kind of been curious about people's limits (this is where I tell you, no, I am not psychotic). Where do they cross the line? Is there even a clear line that exists between good and bad? 

The characters are all rather insane. And by insane I mean they murder anyone they feel threatened by and decide to kill people they feel don't matter. They only stop because there's a minimum amount of students they can have. How pleasant, amiright? 

Everyone (EVERYONE) is emotionally manipulative. Everyone has skills that make them deadly. If there is a weakness, it's that they're too in touch with their emotions. They care too much. Or else they're just oblivious to the power hungry vultures surrounding them. 

I loved seeing Flick outsmart other students. I loved reading his thoughts, even though they're twisted. He is so incredibly observant, so distrusting, yet the things he loves he will do anything for. He is definitely the part of the book I loved most. He's so unlike other main characters-- meaning, in this case, that at times you have to stop and wonder if he's actually insane, if he's actually good... or if he's just another psycho in a whole school of them. 

The other characters: Joi, Gwendolyn, Mandel... They were all so well-written and fleshed out that all I can do to the author is bow. 

There is no clear good and bad in this book. There are good and bad motives, but doesn't every villain feel that their motive is the best? Their way of getting to their goal is what tells. And even sometimes, it's impossible to tell. 

So, yeah. That was me hopefully forming coherent thoughts because this book blew my mind. If incredibly dark books freak you out, you should maybe think about not reading this. But if you feel like it'd be a walk in the park, you should definitely go for it.