Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer (Review)

     The exciting second instalment in the Renegades series, Archenemies continues the thrilling superhero-riddled-tale of Nightmare and Sentinel/ Insomnia and Sketch/Nova and Adrian. To the world, Nightmare is dead. Blown up by the very supervillain/anarchist that Nova shot dead not long after. With this deception in place, she is able to continue her espionage on the Renegades, looking for a way to destroy them from the inside-out. While this happens, she grows closer and closer to the kind and smart Adrian, and develops a relationship with Max, the bandit, for her mission… yah… for her... “mission”. The plot is coming to a close, and the danger is only increasing. With all of Nova’s and Adrian’s secrets piling up, it’s only a matter of time before one of them gets caught by the other… or by the Renegades.
      I was super pumped for this installment in the series. I am a HUGE Marissa Meyer fan and really enjoyed Renegades. In all honesty, it is the only book series about superhero’s that I have ever liked. It balances honoring the classic nature of superhero stories, while mixing in new elements and an analysis on good and evil that was more nuanced then I ever would have expected. All of the characters are rounded and developed, with pasts and motives and reasonable fears and pains. I love how characters that can be so different can be brought together to be so similar, like Nova and Adrian. Everyone in this story thinks they know what’s right, and in that, they are all so very real. My only real criticism of this novel was how it was a filler novel. There were moments that made this story feel more like a bridge from book one to book three. I was hoping for a big showdown in this book, but didn’t really get one, leaving that big reveal for the next novel. Other than that, though, the story was fantastic, and left me wanting more. All in all,  I really enjoyed Archenemies and I give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Wires and Nerve, Volume 2: Gone Rogue (Wires and Nerve #2) by Marissa Meyer (Review)

       The second instalment in the Wires and Nerve graphic novel series, Gone Rogue takes off where there first one left off. Wolf and Scarlett are being targeted by Steele and Iko is still on the hunt to catch the wolf-man terrorist. Through it all, the stakes are high, and if Iko or Cinder make any mistakes, they could end up paying with their lives and the lives of their friends. Adventurous, sweet and quick, Gone Rogue is a satisfying end to the series.
      Very well drawn and designed, Wires and Nerves: Gone Rogue keeps the same blue art style from the previous novel. Not the most visually interesting, the art takes a back burner to the story. It concentrates on the humanity in Iko and the intolerance in others around her. It was a fun and quick read, that I ultimately enjoyed. It IS strange to see the characters I had previously read through somebody else's eyes, but I got over it pretty quickly. Ultimately, I recommend both of the Wires and Nerve graphic novels and give Gone Rogue the rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Wires and Nerve (Wires and Nerve #1) by Marissa Meyer (Review)

      Based on the popular series The Lunar Chronicles, Wires and Nerve is a graphic novel continuing off from where the book series ended. Iko is an android. She is a machine with the mind of a woman. In an effort to help Cinder, she goes on the hunt to track down and stop the wolf-monster-lunar hybrids that the evil queen had unleashed on earth. In the process she gets a little dinged up, but a few wolf aliens are not anything she cannot take with the aid of her friends.

     Minimalistic in its color choices, Wires and Nerve's art style is unique as it has a very friendly feel, and is not overly detailed. It was a little uninteresting to look at visually because of the lack of color diversity (it was mostly exclusively blue). That aside though, the story was simple but friendly. I would feel comfortable to let younger readers look into this book. It's a fun read and an interesting way to look at the Lunar Chronicles, giving a minor side character time to become more developed and rounded. Ultimately, Wires and Nerve was a good graphic novel, and I give it the rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Heartless by Marissa Meyer (Review)

    Wonderfully written and emotionally engaging, Heartless is a telling of how the feared Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland came to be. Before she was a feared and powerful queen, Catherine was a simple girl whose dream was to open a bakery and fall in love. Catherine's life is turned upside down when the King of Hearts decided to pursue her hand in marriage, and her dreams become harder to achieve. Heart wrenching and elegantly written, Heartless brings back a whole slew of classic characters that readers would recognize (ex: Cheshire Cat and The Mad Hatter) along with new ones never before seen in the wonderland universe.
    There is a lot of foreshadowing in this novel, along with deep imagery that made for a deep read. I very much loved this book, even if it hurt to read at some moments. Classic to Marissa Meyer's usually writings, Marissa took a well known classic tale and somehow made it completely her own with a twist. The voice of the narration was clear and unique enough to keep the readers fully engaged in what they are reading. I loved Catherine as a character. Her flawed personality rounded her out as a character and made her seem that much more human. Along side Catherine was a whole cast of characters that seemed very wonderlandish while at the same time stayed human enough to be easily connected to by the readers. Although it is not a happy tale, I still recommend Heartless and give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Heartless by Marissa Meyer (Review)

    Wonderfully written and emotionally engaging, Heartless is a telling of how the feared Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland came to be. Before she was a feared and powerful queen, Catherine was a simple girl whose dream was to open a bakery and fall in love. Catherine's life is turned upside down when the King of Hearts decided to pursue her hand in marriage, and her dreams become harder to achieve. Heart wrenching and elegantly written, Heartless brings back a whole slew of classic characters that readers would recognize (ex: Cheshire Cat and The Mad Hatter) along with new ones never before seen in the wonderland universe.
    There is a lot of foreshadowing in this novel, along with deep imagery that made for a deep read. I very much loved this book, even if it hurt to read at some moments. Classic to Marissa Meyer's usually writings, Marissa took a well known classic tale and somehow made it completely her own with a twist. The voice of the narration was clear and unique enough to keep the readers fully engaged in what they are reading. I loved Catherine as a character. Her flawed personality rounded her out as a character and made her seem that much more human. Along side Catherine was a whole cast of characters that seemed very wonderlandish while at the same time stayed human enough to be easily connected to by the readers. Although it is not a happy tale, I still recommend Heartless and give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer (Review)

    Masterfully written, Marissa Meyer tells the tale of how Levana became the villain she is in the previous lunar chronicles books. It is a heart wrenching of how a disfigured and emotionally abused young girl turns into a monster queen. The character was based on the wicked queen from Snow White, and masterfully incorporated into the futuristic and alien universe.  I loved the detailing that was done in the plot of the entire Lunar series and it held it own really well, but Fairest just extenuated it even more, giving the readers an even deeper understanding of the characters and their motivation. I'll be honest, I cried a fair amount while reading this novel.  Ultimately I loved Fairest and recommend the entire Lunar series. I give Fairest the rating of FOUR AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE STARS!!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Review)

   Androids, action, and Cinderella. Simply epic. If you have read any of my previous reviews, you know how much I adore creative mashup ideas, and unlike a few other books that have disapointed me, Cinder went above and beyond my expectations. (For those who can't figure out the obvious, Cinder is a version of Cinderella) Set in a futuristic world, there is royalty, cyborgs, aliens, and plagues. I could not put it down. Entangled in this world, I followed the life of Cinder, a cyborg that I felt more of a conection to then I somtimes do with real people, and her complex problems. Aint no teenager got problems like Cinder. Cinder is one of those books that entrances the reader, and I have been descovering more and more how truly rare that is. Should you read it?? YES YOU SHOULD! I give it FIVE STARS!