Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Book: Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles #4.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Number of Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Tags: Love Story, Retelling, YA, #COYER, Love Story

Goodreads/Amazon 

Synopsis: The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

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The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century... 

-MY REVIEW-

*Warning- some spoilers occur*

The Keeper- 3.5 stars- I enjoyed reading about Scarlet's past, but I didn't love it.

Glitches- 4 stars- I really enjoyed reading about Garan and about Cinder and Peony as little girls. Also about how Iko and Cinder met.

The Queen's Army- 5 stars- I loved reading about how Wolf became Wolf, from when he was chosen, to him becoming Alpha.

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky- 2 stars- It was interesting to see young Thorne and his parents, but I found no actual significance of the story.

After Sunshine Passes By- 3.5 stars- This was so sad! It was interesting to see how Cress got to the satellite, but still... Cress...

The Princess and the Guard- 5 stars- This is the first story that I loved. I thought that it was super cool to be able to see exactly why Winter stopped using her gift. I also loved the part when Jacin was holding Winter after her first blood hallucination, and they were both crying together. It was so sad, but also really sweet.

The Little Android- 1 star- This was really dark. I didn't like this one because it didn't have anything to do with the main characters or story line. I felt like there wasn't enough of anything to make it a reasonable short story, and I just didn't enjoy it.

The Mechanic- 4 stars- I really enjoyed reading through Kai's POV. It was cool to see that he already knew that Cinder was important (even if he didn't know exactly why).

Something Old, Something New- 4 stars- I really enjoyed reading about the gang getting back together, but it felt a little strained (even though I was grinning like a maniac through a good bit of it). I also wish that there was more of Cress & Thorne and Winter & Jacin.