Stars Above

 Stars Above by Marissa Meyer 400 pages

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 excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

My Thoughts: This was a nice little epilogue for everyone. I did enjoy reading it. It's not necessary to read and it was a little long, but I did enjoy it. I loved getting back stories of several of the characters we didn't know much about.

Winter

 Winter by Marissa Meyer 827 pages

 Synopsis:  Princess Winter is admired for her grace, kindness and beauty, despite the scars on her face. She's said to be even more breath-taking than her stepmother, Queen Levana...

When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.

But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even find the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter claim their happily ever afters by defeating Levana once and for all?

My Thoughts: I love Winter and how crazy she is! This poor girl, despite how awful Levana has treated her, she decided to NOT use the Lunar gift and instead went mad. Winter is a very strong character and such a wonderful character. I love how everything ties together at the end. 

Fairest

 Fairest by Marissa Meyer 272 pages

Synopsis: Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. 

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I loved getting Levana's backstory. She was such an interesting character. It also shows how one can grow up and the consequences of the actions of how she grew up and the work she didn't do to heal herself shows how damaging it can be.

 

Cress

 Cress by Marissa Meyer 552 pages 

Synopsis: In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

My Thoughts: Book 3 did not disappoint. I love Cress as a character. She grows so much in this book. Rapunzel is one of my favorite stories and this book did not disappoint on the retelling of her story. Queen Levana continues to be a wonderful villain. 

Scarlet

 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 464 pages

Synopsis: Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison―even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does―in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

My Thoughts: This book was based off of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and it did NOT disappoint! All of the characters are hilarious. I loved being able to focus on another character in the same world, but continue the story from the first book and the first character we were introduced to. 

The Merchant of Death

 The Merchant of Death Pendragon book 1 by D.J. MacHale 375 Pages

Summary: BOBBY PENDRAGON is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world.

And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.

If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....

My Thoughts: This book is a great book for a kid who loves adventure stories and new worlds. The main character is a boy, which you don't find many of those in young adult land. If you like adventure, this series is for you. You've got your bad guy who is going to be around for each book in the series and you've got a different world for each book as well. 

EXTINCTION by DOUGLAS PRESTON

 EXTINCTION by DOUGLAS PRESTON  (PGS 370)

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand–acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire's son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators. As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection but on extinction.

Dune, The Graphic Novel Book 2: Muad'dib by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin

 Dune, The Graphic Novel Book 2: Muad'dib by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin -163 pages

This is the second of three books in the graphic novel adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. I am enjoying reading through it so far. Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides and his journey on Arrakis after his father, Duke Leto Atreides, is assassinated. Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, go on the run from the Harkonnens who assassinated the Duke. They run into the Fremen and others. I've seen the movie Dune: Part One and am eagerly anticipating Dune: Part Two coming later this year. I liked this one and rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

DIABLO MESA by PRESTON & CHILD

 DIABLO MESA by PRESTON & CHILD Pgs 385

Lucas Tappan, a wealthy and eccentric billionaire and founder of Icarus Space Systems, approaches the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute with an outlandish proposal—to finance a careful, scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site, where a UFO is alleged to have crashed in 1947. A skeptical Nora Kelly, to her great annoyance, is tasked with the job. 

Nora's excavation immediately uncovers two murder victims buried at the site, faces and hands obliterated with acid to erase their identities. Special Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned to the case. As Nora’s excavation proceeds, uncovering things both bizarre and seemingly inexplicable, Corrie’s homicide investigation throws open a Pandora's box of espionage and violence, uncovering bloody traces of a powerful force that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets—and that threatens to engulf them all in an unimaginable fate.

TIME'S CONVERT by DEBORAH HARKNESS

 TIME'S CONVERT by DEBORAH HARKNESS  436 Pages

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one, and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor -- the young employee at Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for -- is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both -- forever.

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS BY MIKE CAREY

 THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS BY MIKE CAREY  pgs 407

Not every gift is a blessing. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh. Melanie is a very special girl. Emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end, The girl with all the gifts is the most powerful and affecting thriller you will read this year.

One of several children immune to a mutated fungal disease that has eradicated free will and turned the rest of humanity into cannibalistic zombies, a gifted young girl escapes the safety of a special school and helps guide mankind's survival.

I found the book to be a very interesting read, but I have not, as yet, watched the movie.