Winter Review

Mirror, mirror on the wall, is Winter the fairest Lunar Chronicles book of them all?

Winter, the fourth and final book in The Lunar Chronicles series, follows the Rampion crew as they take their final stand against Queen Levana. As the wedding draws near, Cinder and her friends must convince the Lunar people to join their cause. With the help of Winter, the queen’s delusional stepdaughter, the crew may be able to end Queen Levana’s reign once and for all.

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite young adult series and this book was an action-packed end to the series. When I read Cinder, I was bored throughout the first half of the book, but by the end I was completely hooked. While I had minor problems with Winter, overall, I really enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles and I will really miss reading about the cast of characters within this series.

One of Winter’s strengths is the action and cliff-hangers packed into every chapter. One of my main problems with Cinder was the beginning was extremely slow and the action didn’t pick up until the end of the book. Winter reminded me more of Scarlet where the stakes remained high throughout the whole novel.

That being said, I don’t think every part of the story was necessary. I swear almost every character is captured by Queen Levana, their significant other despairs, and then there is a heartfelt reunion with longing stares. If injured, Lunar medicine conveniently saves them. While I loved reading so much about characters I really enjoy, this book could be cut in half and be just as effective. Sometimes, it felt like some potentially powerful moments were skipped in the book to appease the audience.

Another aspect I enjoyed was seeing the characters and their relationships grow. I think out of all the characters, Cress is my favorite, and I love how she grew more confident and brave in her actions throughout Winter. The Rampion Crew is a great group of friends and I loved seeing them depend and trust each other so much.

I have a few minor complaints about some characters. Even though the book is titled Winter and she plays some role in the rebellion, I expected her to play a much larger role. Since the book focuses on so many characters, Winter and Jacin’s relationship really isn’t focused on. While I appreciated to several aspects of Snow White’s story, I never felt as invested in their relationships as others. Furthermore, compared to the other male love interests, Jacin never showed as much depth.

Despite a few issues with Winter, I really loved the final book in The Lunar Chronicles. After finishing it, I have a hard time choosing the next book to read! I give Winter four out of five stars.

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