Fairest

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 30, 2015

Review

Meyer presents fans of the Lunar Chronicles a small novel, maybe a novella, as they patiently wait for WINTER to be published. The book is appropriately titled FAIREST. The slim plot fleshes out Queen Levana's obsession with power and her dependency on the skill of glamourizing to hide her appearance. Readers will not become sympathetic to the Levana's life by seeing her decisions and power plays she makes in her teen years. Readers will want to start reading the series with CINDER instead of this slim volume, due to the lack of foundation to the larger story arch of the Lunar Chronicles. Unfortunately, as a fan of the Lunar Chronicles, this reviewer felt this offering was weak in development and lacking the plot tension that made CINDER so intriguing. Although Levana's decisions borders on horror with the dependency and manipulation that goes on, time passage happens without any reader engagement. This may not be a necessary read to enjoy the next installment in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Overall Book Score: fair