There is nothing more terrifying than a character who can justify their evil deeds. Queen Levana is just one of those especially terrifying villains. Just by seeing her ghostly veiled face within the mirror frame on the cover of ‘Fairest’, you know that there are going to be some atrocities committed by this character within the book’s pages. And you would not be wrong.

This novella was published before the final book of The Lunar Chronicles, and it tells the backstory of the series’ main antagonist. It definitely did not disappoint; I devoured it in the course of only a few days. Even though her story is told vaguely through the main series, the series of events leading up to the start of Cinder feel fresh and unique as they are told from the villain’s point of view.

I forget from where it comes, but there is a saying that goes something like ‘The evil queen is just the princess who was never saved’, and I think that Queen Levana is the personification of this saying. In a scene reminiscent of the Hound from Game of Thrones, Levana was disfigured by her sister as a child, leaving her lonely and petrified of being laughed at, so she uses a glamour to hide her true appearance and appear beautiful to everyone who lays eyes on her.

Fairest is essentially the story of what happens when the prince doesn’t love the princess back. All of the books in the series (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Winter) reflect a fairy tale and they remain true to them in that they are full of true love and happily ever afters, whereas this story shows the other side of love. Levana’s love for her husband is selfish and obsessive as she tries desperately to pretend that he loves her back.

I find it interesting that in most stories, the hero has a fatal flaw that they learn to conquer in the end, bringing about their happily ever after. For Levana, it is the other way around. When she finally conquers her selfish fatal flaw in the name of saving her kingdom, her story ends in tragedy, setting up the events of The Lunar Chronicles.

I really enjoyed this story. Marissa Meyer has quickly become one of my favourite authors. I love the way that she twists popular fairy tales into her own stories. The world of The Lunar Chronicles has been completely brought to life and I simultaneously want to be part of it and stay well away from Levana and all of her evil tyranny. I am currently reading Stars Above on my kindle, which is a collection of short stories showing bits of backstory from all of the supporting characters of the series, and I hope to read ‘Heartless’, Meyer’s new book, soon, which I believe is based on the backstory of the Queen of Hearts.

Have you read The Lunar Chronicles, and if you have, what did you think of it? If you haven’t read it yet, what are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments.

Book Review - Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern

This was originally posted on my former blog, mysleepyfairytale.wordpress.com on 30th March, 2016.

Where Rainbows End, or Love, Rosie, as it is more popularly known is one of the sweetest, most heart-warming books that I have ever read. Upon finishing it last night, well into the early hours of the morning with the heavy weight of sleepiness settling over me, I found myself turning the final page with a warm feeling in my chest and a smile on my face. If the aim of this story is to encompass the feeling of falling in love, then I think it succeeded.

Back in January, I watched the film Love, Rosie, on one of those rare quiet nights in at university when I felt like I needed a good rom-com in my life. I loved it immediately. The characters, the story, the soundtrack, the imagery, and the general feeling of the film was me all over. And when I found out that it was based on a book, I knew that I had to read it. I bought it the next day.

Where Rainbows End is, however, very different from the film. Although the characters, concept and heart of the story remain the same, there are several big differences. Personally, I found that this did not detract from either of them, but instead gave me more to look forward to as I was reading the book without knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

The book is about best friends, Rosie and Alex, who grow-up together but circumstances cause them to suddenly live on different sides of the world. The book follows them through their lives as they remain in contact, struggling to both fight off and come to terms with their feelings for each other. But life is never as simple as that and sometimes reaching a happily ever after takes a fair bit of time and effort.

The most unique thing about this book is that it is written in the form of lots of different documents – letters, emails, chat-room messages, newspaper clippings, and even a couple of obituaries. By writing in this unconventional prose, Cecelia Ahern has perfectly encapsulated a sense of life that many books fail to do. As we read from the points of view of different characters, their believability is so strong that I almost feel like I really know them.

I also feel like this form lends itself perfectly to the romance genre. There is a romanticism to letters that is often forgotten nowadays, and if this book had failed at everything else, the one thing that it has definitely done for me is give me a new goal of writing more letters. As we rifle through Rosie’s assortment of lifelong documents, we explore the journey of the characters’ lives in a new and revealing way.

So many themes are explored in this book, but some of the ones that stood out to me were love in every form – family, friendship and romantic – following your dreams, and the circle of life. All of the characters strive to achieve their personal goals in life, and I feel that this adds a whole other dimension to the story, making it more than just your typical romance novel.

One of my favourite concepts of the book is the use of mirroring between the generations. Rosie is best friends with Alex, and her daughter, Katie, is best friends with Toby. Alex dreams of becoming a doctor and Toby dreams of becoming a dentist. And both pairs struggle to realise their true feelings for each other. I thought that this was a very clever way of encouraging Rosie to act on her feelings, as she did not want her daughter to make the same mistakes that she did.

I also found that the timeline of the story was important. Unlike in the film where Rosie and Alex reach their mid-thirties, in the book they go all the way to fifty without recognising their feelings for each other. There is something so poignant about the thought of going half a lifetime without finding your soulmate. This may be just because I am used to reading stories where the characters are much younger at the point of their happily ever after. However, I believe that the concept of finding love at fifty is important. It reflects reality in that sometimes it does take a long time, but the end isn’t what is important; it’s the getting there that matters. All of the characters lead full lives and their years do not go to waste.

But their romance is pretty important too.

I’m so pleased that I found this book. It is bursting with all of the happiness and heartbreak of life, stitched together in a unique way that tells a beautiful, poignant story of true love. I highly recommend it to everyone who loves a good rom-com or chick flick, or who just needs a little bit of love in their lives. Where Rainbows End is practically the definition of the word ‘love’.

And if you don’t feel like reading, then at least watch the film. For Sam Claflin, if nothing else.

Star Rating: 4/5

Author: Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of First Publication: 2004

BOOK REVIEW: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This was originally posted on my former blog, mysleepyfairytale.wordpress.com on 16th September, 2014.

I think it’s something extraordinary that, while I’d usually have about five books on the go and switch between them, as soon as I started reading The Maze Runner, all other books were forgotten. Honestly, this book is something special. From the moment I opened it, I fell in love. The moment I closed the last page, I felt like I had been told the meaning of humanity.

The book opens with the protagonist, Thomas, waking in an enclosed space with absolutely no memory of his identity, pulling us in with the first and possibly most important mystery – Who is Thomas? Soon after, we are introduced to the other characters: tough Alby, sweetheart Newt, scary Gally, lil’ Chuck, and later, superhero Minho. And let’s not forget the plot’s trigger, our gorgeous, independent lady whose name I shall not mention.

It is impossible not to become attached to these characters, even the most despicable of them. They all have their own set of unique traits and flaws, and Dashner builds the different relationships between them beautifully.

Quickly, we learn that nothing is quite right in the Maze, a horrible place with seemingly no escape, where the boys have been living for years. And not only are they trapped; they’re trapped with the Grievers! The Grievers are awful, half-machine half-animal creatures that stalk the maze, coming out mainly at night. You don’t want to get stung by them (although they also offer worse ways to go), or you’ll have the Changing to look forward to. Not much is known about the Changing because the only ones who have been through it refuse to talk about what they saw, but their pain is obvious. No one is the same after the Changing.

The entire book is a thrill to read, with twists and turns right up until the last page. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted.

Who would I recommend this to?

• Sci-fi fans
• Hunger Games fans
• Anyone who is interested in seeing the film (read the book first!)

Star Rating:

(The Maze Runner will be in cinemas from 10th October, 2014)