How to use this Page

Title: Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: 2015
Source: Local Library

Summary: The war for Luna is on. Cinder and all her friends are running an underground rebellion, while Kai works on the political scale to quietly undermine Luna. It's a dangerous game they play, with consequences for both worlds. Meanwhile, the broken and mad princess of Luna, Winter, may end up being the wild card of this war after all.

First Impressions: For as many moving parts as this book had, I think Meyer did a pretty good job of pulling it all together, and giving all characters relationships with each other, not just their love interest.

Later On: You definitely could not read this book first of the series. There are too many threads that have to get tied up from other books. But it's a giant fat book that I could not put down. It dragged me through all the ups and downs, through the tangled and interweaving storylines, to the triumphant and still slightly somber end.

Meyer also does something nice in that almost every character on the good guys' side has at least one scene with every other character where they're working together and depending on each other. The story is not broken out into one couple does this, another couple does this. You get the sense that this whole set of eight people (plus Iko) all really like and support each other and they can work together, even with their differences. For a series that's structured as four romances, it's a way of showing that people still have important platonic relationships outside their love story that I really appreciated in a series aimed at teens.

I do wish we'd gotten more of Winter earlier in the series. While she had some great character moments, she veered into the poor manic mystic territory a lot, and I mean that both in the manic pixie dream girl sense and in the mental illness sense. The lunar people loved her so much that she impacted the course of the war, but mostly because of how beautiful she was, not for anything she ever really did. I was not entirely satisfied with her characterization, which is a shame in the book that was named for her.

More: Smart Bitches Trashy Books
Forever Young Adult

Add a Comment

We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending Feb. 7, 2016–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.

(Debuted at #1 in Young Adult) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: “World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in one another tested with each step closer toward safety.” (Feb. 2016)

(Debuted at #6 in Children’s Fiction Series) The Lunar Chronicles: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer: “The enchantment continues…The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories – and secrets – that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic.” (Feb. 2016)

(Debuted at #12 in Hardcover Fiction) The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel: “In Lisbon in 1904, a young man named Tomás discovers an old journal. It hints at the existence of an extraordinary artifact that—if he can find it—would redefine history. Traveling in one of Europe’s earliest automobiles, he sets out in search of this strange treasure.” (Feb. 2016)

Add a Comment

Marissa Meyer has landed a deal with the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. She plans to write a young adult duology of graphic novels called Wires and Nerves.

Meyer (pictured, via) revealed in a blog post that she has had an aspiration to write a graphic novel since she was a teenager. The story takes place within the Lunar Chronicles universe; it will pick up after the events described in the fourth installment of the main series Winter.

The Washington Post reveals that Douglas Holgate will create the illustrations for this project. The first book will be released in January 2017.

Add a Comment

Our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books has a lot to offer!

Add a Comment

The cover has been unveiled for Marissa Meyer’s forthcoming young adult book, Heartless. According to Meyer’s blog post, the story for this standalone novel will be a prequel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think? Entertainment Weekly reports that Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, has scheduled the release date for Nov. 08.

Add a Comment

The cover has been unveiled for Marissa Meyer’s forthcoming young adult book, Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection. We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think?

According to Meyer’s blog post, this book will contain nine short stories set in the Lunar Chronicles universe. Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, has scheduled the release date for Feb. 02, 2016. (via The Fandom)

Add a Comment

We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending Nov. 15, 2015–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.

(Debuted at #4 in Hardcover Fiction) The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King: “There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. ‘Afterlife’ is about a man who died of colon cancer and keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors.” (Nov. 2015)

(Debuted at #4 in Children’s Fiction Series) The Lunar Chronicles: Winter by Marissa Meyer: “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.” (Nov. 2015)

(Debuted at #15 in Hardcover Nonfiction) Troublemaker by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley: “Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost. That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology.” (Nov. 2015)

Add a Comment

Hey, readers! Once again, we’ve brought out the Upcoming Titles feature to give you a sampling of the books being published this month! As always, this is by no means a comprehensive list of forthcoming releases, just a compilation of titles we think our readers (and our contributors!) would enjoy.

Without further ado:

November 1st

• Infinity Lost by S. Harrison

November 3rd

• How To Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras
• Traffick by Ellen Hopkins
• Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins
• Need by Joelle Charbonneau
• The Wrinkled Crown by Anne Nesbet
• Black Wolves by Kate Elliott

November 10th

• Winter by Marissa Meyer
• See No Color by Shannon Ginny
• Consent by Nancy Ohlin
• Da Vinci’s Tiger by L. M. Eliott
• Soundless by Richelle Mead
• A Bitter Magic by Roderick Townley
• Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

November 17th

• Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler
• The Game of Lives by James Dashner

November 24th

• Promises I Made by Michelle Zink

Happy reading!

Add a Comment

Hot New Releases & Popular Kids Stories It's important to keep up on the hot new releases and popular kids' books as we enter the gift giving season!

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Feeling villainous? The latest installment of Meyer's sci-fi fairytale series spotlights the big baddie herself, Queen Levana. Travel through time (and space, of course) to discover how the Lunar Chronicles' most infamous ruler got her start. Books mentioned in this post Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles:... Marissa Meyer Sale Hardcover $12.59

Add a Comment

Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.

To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.

Three young adult authors, Gayle Forman, Libba Bray, and E. Lockhart, will appear together at Barnes & Noble (Tribeca). Meet them on Tuesday, January 27th starting at 6 p.m. (New York, NY)

The next session of the “How I Learned” storytelling session will take place at Union Hall. Join in on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:30 p.m. (Brooklyn, NY)

Writer Marissa Meyer will celebrate the latest book from The Lunar Chronicles series, Fairest: Levana’s Story. Check it out on Thursday, January 29th at the 92Y starting 7 p.m. (New York, NY)

Add a Comment

Popular series, a new addition to the American Girl conglomerate, and a Disney Frozen book make this month's selection of best new kids books totally a kids' choice list!

Add a Comment

• First up, my little sister.  My daughter recently had her third birthday so my sis came up with a craft involving what she calls Do It Yourself Cupcakes. Each cupcake sported a teeny tiny cover of one of my child’s favorite books.  Then we took them to her daycare where she delightedly set about pointing out all the books she knew.  I have zero crafting skills but if you do then you might want to try this sometime.  It was kind of friggin’ amazing.

• Now in praise of Kevin King.  The Kalamazoo Public librarian has long been hailed as one of the best in the country.  Fact.  Children’s authors and illustrators everywhere know his name.  Fact.  But when a man attended a summer reading kickoff  for Kalamazoo Public Library with a gun, who confronted the fellow and asked him to please leave?  Kevin King.  So basically, he’s an amazing librarian AND he has the guts to talk to someone packing heat around children.  Kevin King, today we salute you.  I don’t know that many of us would have the courage to do what you did.

• Look, we all talk about how we don’t have enough of one kind of book or not enough of another.  But what do we actually DO about it?  Credit to Pat Cummings.  She doesn’t take these things lying down.  Check out the Hero’s Art Journey Scholarship then.  As the website says, “The Children’s Book Academy is proud and excited to offer merit scholarships for writers and illustrators of color, identifying as LBGQTI, or having a disability, who are currently underrepresented in the children’s publishing industry. In addition, we are offering scholarships for low income folks who might not be able to take this course otherwise as well as to SCBWI Regional Advisers and Illustrator Coordinators who do so much unpaid work to help our field.”  The first and only scholarship of its kind that I’ve certainly seen.

• Sometimes it’s just nice to find out about a new blog (even if by “new” you mean it’s been around since 2012).  With that in mind, I’d like to give a hat tip and New Blog Alert to The Show Me Librarian.  I believe it was Travis Jonker who led me to St. Charles City-County Library District librarian Amy Koester’s site.  It doesn’t have a gimmick.  It’s just an honestly good children’s librarian blog with great posts like this one on Reader’s Advisory and this one on picture book readalouds.  Them’s good reading.

• Jules would never alert you to this herself, but don’t miss this interview with the woman behind the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog as conducted by Phil and Erin E. Stead.  Even if you know Jules you’ll learn something new.  For example, I had no idea she enjoyed Marc Maron’s podcast too.

• Speaking of Jules, who is the most tattooed children’s author/illustrator (since we already know the most tattooed bookseller)?  The answer may surprise you.

• “There’s not just one way of believing in things but a whole spectrum.”  That would be Philip Pullman talking on the subject of fairy tales and why Richard Dawkins got it wrong.

• I’m sorry.  I apparently buried the lede today.  Else I would have begun with the startling, shocking, brilliant news that they’re bringing back Danger Mouse.  Where my DM peoples at?  Can I get a, “Crumbs!”?  That’s right.

• I don’t read much YA.  Usually I’ll pick out the big YA book of a given year and read it so that I don’t fall completely behind, but that’s as far as I’ll go (right now deciding between We Were Liars and Grasshopper Jungle).  But I make exceptions and Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles fall into that gap.  Now I hear that Meyer wrote a prequel called Fairest giving her villain some much needed background.  That’s cool enough, but the cover?  You only WISH you could see more jackets like this:

• Speaking of YA, and since, by law, nothing can happen at this moment on the internet without some mention of The Fault in Our Stars at least once, I was rather charmed by Flavorwire’s round-up of some of the odd TFIOS merchandise out there.  Favorite phrase: “for the saddest party ever.”

• It’s important to remember that school library cuts aren’t an American invention.  They’re a worldwide problem, a fact drilled home recently by the most recent post on Playing By the Book.  If you’re unaware of the blog it’s run by the wonderful Zoe Toft and is, to my mind, Britain’s best children’s literature blog, bar none.  Now Zoe’s facing something familiar to too many school librarians and it’s awful.  Does anyone know of a British children’s literary magazine along the lines of a School Library Journal or Horn Book?  The fact that her blog hasn’t been picked up by such an outlet is a crime.

• “I should think there would be more chance of your child choking to death on a chocolate bar than of becoming seriously ill from a measles immunisation.”  As a woman with a child too young at the moment to be vaccinated against diseases like measles, every parent that refuses to get their own children vaccinated is a threat to mine.  So I read with great interest what Roald Dahl felt about vaccinating your kids.  It ran on BoingBoing back in 2009 but this kind of thing never dies.

• Father’s Day has come and gone but it’s never too late to look at a bunch of adorable pictures of dads reading to their kids.  Particularly when one of the dads is married to yours truly.  See if you can spot him.

• And the award for Best Summer Reading List of All Time goes to . . . Mike Lewis!  His Spirit of Summer Reading list for reluctant readers can only be described in a single word: Beautiful.  Designed flawlessly with books that I adore, this is the list I’d be handing to each and every parent who walks in my library door, were I still working a reference desk somewhere.  Wowzah.

• A whole exhibit on Appalachian children’s literature?  See, this is why I need my own private jet.  Why has no one ever given me a private jet? Note to Self: Acquire private jet, because it’s exhibits like this one that make me wish I was more mobile.  You lucky denizens of Knoxville, TN will be able to attend this exhibit between now and September 14th.  Wow.  Thanks to Jenny Schwartzberg for the link.

• So pleased to see this interview with Nathan Hale on the Comics Alternative podcast.  Love that guy’s books, I do.  Great listening.

• New York certainly does have a lot of nice things.  Big green statues in the harbors.  Buildings in the shape of irons.  Parks that one could call “central”.  But one thing we do not have, really, is an annual children’s book trivia event for folks of every stripe (librarians, editors, authors, booksellers, teachers, etc.).  You know who does?  Boston.  Doggone Boston.  The Children’s Book Boston trivia event happened the other day and The Horn Book reported the results.  One could point out that I could stop my caterwauling and throw such an event myself.  Hmm… could work. We could do it at Sharlene’s in Brooklyn… it’s a thought…

• C.S. Lewis on the Three Ways of Writing for Children and the Key to Authenticity in All Writing.  Need I say more than that?

• Daily Image:

There are bookshelves that seem kooky or cool and then there are bookshelves that could serve a VERY useful purpose, if you owned them.  Boy howdy, do I wish I owned this because useful is what it is.  It’s a “Has Been Read” and “Will Be Read” shelf.

Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Cinder, Scarlet & Cress
Marissa Meyer
YA

This review has me torn. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Cinder. On the other hand, I had a hard time moving from book 1 to book 2 because main protagonists change. Is this a revolutionary way to avoid the sequel slowdown? Or does it kill the reading momentum?

But one thing at a time. First, Cinder.

Basic premise: A retelling of Cinderella as a cyborg/lunar girl living in a future Beijing in which the Queen of the Moon threatens to attack and enslave (or destroy) earth. Cinder, a mechanic and adopted daughter of the archetypically evil stepmother and one evil stepsister and one nice stepsister, is (spoiler alert!) secretly the rightful heir to the lunar throne. She doesn't know it yet. She thinks she's just a mechanic, who is also partly cyborg, and thus despised by most. Cyborgs are considered de-humanized by the cybernetic parts. Add to that, earthens suffer a plague caused by a viral strain introduced by runaway lunars.

As Fate would have it, the crown prince, Kai, is looking for the lost lunar heir, and comes to Cinder to repair  a broken android that may hold the answers to the lost princess's whereabouts. Cue: meet-cute.

The rest of the book is action-packed unraveling of the plague, who the princess is, the love interest between Cinder and Kai that all lead up to the annual ball where (spoiler alert!) the princess does not get her prince. In fact, he sacrifices her to the Lunar Queen to save earth.

Despite how much is going on in this story, it held my attention and was a fun read. Definitely a dessert book. My youngest loved the book so much, she asked if we could get the second book. We listened to both as audio books. We got it. We almost didn't get through.

Scarlet begins with a wholly different protagonist, namely, a character based on Little Red Riding Hood, with a parallel story about the people who helped Cinder escape from the moon, hide her and transform/heal her as a cyborg. It was very jarring to trade out one main protagonist for another, and in this instance, Scarlet is a very angry 18 year old, which makes it hard to feel empathy for her. She constantly lashes out. But we stuck with it (partly due to a very long car ride) and eventually, about halfway through the book, were able to listen without checking the clock.

I'm not sure I'd have bought the third book, but Scarlet ended in the middle of said long car trip, so we did. Cress follows the same pattern as Scarlet, introducing yet another new main protagonist and another retelling of a fairy tale, Rapunzel.

All of the main female lead's stories are connected and interwoven. The writing is tight and filled with action. And I admire Meyer for coming up with a novel way to avoid the sequel slowdown. I'm not sure introducing a new protagonist as the lead works particularly well. The reader is forced to alter heroes from one protagonist to another, while also following the original protagonist's main story as it unfolds in a sort of b-story role.  Clearly, these books have sold exceptionally well, so something is working. Maybe it's my misperception that I'm getting hung up on. This isn't a trilogy. These are chronicles, loosely related stories that are nevertheless connected and do move forward toward a common goal. Still, it was jarring to move from book 1 to 2. And yet, here I am on book 3. Like I said, these books have me torn.

For other great May treasures, click on over to Barrie Summy's website. Happy reading!

Add a Comment

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

When I reviewed Cinder, my main comment was:

My big complaint is that I figured out all the twists about 1/3 of the way through. However, I liked the world enough that I kept reading. Only to find that nothing really resolves, the stage just gets set for the next big adventure.

Some of that "no resolving" is still true. I think this series will end up more like being one long book instead of four separate ones. The world-building and politics involved just keep getting MORE awesome and I did not figure out everything going on with this one.

You guys, it's sooooooooooooooooooooo cooooooooooooooool. We have a few storylines going on here--

1. Scarlet's grandmother has disappeared and the police have closed the case, refusing to see the foul play that Scarlet does, so it's up to Scarlet to find her. She gets help from a street fighter called Wolf.
2. Cinder has escaped from jail with an annoying American who happens to own a spaceship, which is helpful. Of course, the spaceship is stolen, which is why he was in jail in the first place.
3. Queen Levana is not happy about Cinder's escape and gives Emperor Kai three days to find her and hand her over. Kai doesn't understand what the queen wants with her, and grapples with his own feelings at betrayal at Cinder being a Lunar. But he must do what he can to stop a Earth/Luna war, which Earth would surely lose.

I love that Cinder put Iko's personality chip in the spaceship. I love Iko's take at suddenly being a ship. (Also, the ship is called the Rampion, and the next book is Cress which both make me think Rapunzel, but Rapunzel with a spaceship? Very, very intriguing.)

Scarlet lives in France, so we get to see more of Meyer's futuristic world, and get a broader sense of the international politics at play, as well as more the Luna threat.

Cinder is learning to use her Lunar mind-control and glamor gifts, but they always make her feel squeamy and guilty. Until she uses them, which just feels right. This is an interesting issue and I'm curious to see where it goes.

This one also has a lot more action-- more fights, more jumping from trains, more crazy spaceship rides, just a lot more action and movement than Cinder does.

While the immediate story gets (some) resolution, it really just opened up many more questions. This world is so intriguing and Meyer's take on fairy tales is so fresh, I really can't wait for the next one.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Add a Comment

Title: Scarlet Author: Marissa Meyer Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Publication Date: February 5, 2013 ISBN-13: 978-0312642969 464 pp. ARC provided by publisher Marissa Meyer fans will not be disappointed in Scarlet, Book 2 in The Lunar Chronicles. It has all the heart-pounding action, humor, and touches of romance that Cinder has. Scarlet centers on Scarlet, the granddaughter of Michelle

Add a Comment

Starting with Cinder, Marissa Meyer has created a new world where a cyborg mechanic, Cinder, meets Prince Kai, who would like her to fix his bot. Cinder becomes embroiled in passing along deadly information and trying to discover her true background. This is a fun start to a great series. Scarlet comes out in 2013 [...]

Add a Comment

What's so remarkable about Cinder is how well Marissa Meyer translated this very old fairy tale into modern and futuristic terms. She takes a character that is often pigeonholed as being too compliant, too nice, and makes her into a fiery heroine who you can love and cheer for. Even the romance — typically clichéd [...]

Add a Comment

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) relaunched its website as writers around the globe prepare to write a 50,000-word novel draft in November. The writing marathon organizers counted more than 90 published novels that began as NaNoWriMo projects.

The updated site added new new badges and upcoming pep talks from writers like Marissa Meyer and Nick Hornby. The site also added a wide range of NaNoWriMo merchandise, everything from clothing to thermoses to pencils to pre-sale winner shirts.

Here’s more from the release: “With NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program, that community crosses age boundaries into K-12 classrooms around the globe. The YWP allows kids and teens to set their own word-count goals, and offers educators high-quality free resources to get nearly 100,000 students writing original, creative works. Although the event emphasizes creativity and adventure over creating a literary masterpiece, more than 90 novels begun during NaNoWriMo have since been published, including Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and Cinder by Marissa Meyer, all #1 New York Times Best Sellers.”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Add a Comment

Title: Cinder Author: Marissa Meyer Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Publication Date: January 3, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-0312641894 400 pp. Reading copy via local library With one of the most eye-catching covers in awhile, coupled with an awesome concept, Cinder was high on my list of must-reads for 2012. I'm happy to report that it's just as fun as I thought it would be. Cinder takes the

Add a Comment

Did you happen to miss any of the 18 stops on the Cinder Blog Tour? That's right: 18 stops! Well you're in luck! Below are all the direct links to the blog tour stops! Read through them and find out some cool stuff about Marissa, Cinder, and more! And don't forget to become a fan of the Lunar Chronicles series on Facebook!

#1: Intergalactic Academy
In which Marissa Meyer discusses How the Awesomeness that Is Firefly Inspired The Lunar Chronicles

#2: Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing
The History of the Lunars

#3: The Book Rat
Building a Cyborg: How Cinder Changed Throughout Revisions

#4: Reading Vacation
Marissa Meyer's CINDER Inspiration photos

#5: Working for the Mandroid
A Deleted Scene from the First Draft of CINDER

#6: The Apocalypsies
A video of Marissa Meyer and her friends making Shrimp Wontons and disussing other important matters from the book, such as considering Prince Kai’s favorite foods.

#7: My Bookish Ways
An interview with Marissa Meyer

#8: Bookalicio.us
Marissa Meyer discusses her road to publication: from writing to getting and agent to getting a publisher!

#9: Mermaid Vision Books
An interview with Prince Kai!

#10: The Fable Faerie
An interview with Marissa Meyer

#11: Manga Maniac Cafe
Another interview with Marissa Meyer

#12: A Backwards Story
An in-depth interview with Rich Deas, the designer of the cover for CINDER

#13: Laura's Review Bookshelf
Marissa Meyer discusses the timesless allure of the Cinderella's Ball

#14: Bibliophilic Monologues
Marissa Meyer provides the CINDER music playlist

#15: The Book Cellar
An interview with Marissa Meyer

#16: Almost Grown-Up
An interview with Marissa Meyer's sidekick: her husband!

#17: Rambling

Add a Comment

CINDER by Marissa Meyer is probably one of the most anticipated titles for us in 2012. And we want to get the buzz going on this fantastic book and series that combines fairy tales, the future and space. This is not your ordinary fairy-tale retelling...

So watch this space for the big cover reveal later today at 5PM EST.

In the meantime, here are some "rejected" covers that we will be posting throughout the day to whet your appetite and for you to guess what the story is all about....

Marissa was able to get some friends to help out with our cover reveal and they drew up some ideas of what they would have the Cinder cover look like.

First Cover: The Pumpkin Carriage Spaceship by Leilani Adams

 

Second Cover: The Prince Charming Alien Abduction by Kaya Aman

Stay tuned for cover #3!

Add a Comment