Scan barcode
A review by imme_van_gorp
Winter by Marissa Meyer
5.0
|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh wow, this series really went out with a BANG! This book was so much better than all the other ones. There’s no competition whatsoever. The plot was so much more engaging, there was actual suspense, the characters had a lot more depth, the romances felt more developed, and the overall pacing was finally what I wanted it to be. This book might have been the longest out of them all (800+ pages), but there wasn’t a moment of boredom for me. I was constantly engaged with the storyline and I genuinely cared about seeing what would happen to all the characters.
Other than the fact that basically every aspect of this book was better than the previous ones, I think a big part of my love for this book was also due to the new protagonist: Winter. She might have been the last person to join the crew, but she already became my favourite almost immediately. She was absolutely batshit crazy, had a complete heart of gold, and a surprisingly strong will: She was endearing, sweet, funny and unique. Winter’s slowly developing insanity coupled with the fact that everyone adored the beautiful and gentle girl regardless of her shattering mind made her into such an incredibly interesting character to read about. I was captivated by every single one of her scenes.
Of course, I also loved Winter’s romance with Jacin. Their love was completely forbidden because Winter was a princess while Jacin was merely a guard, but that didn’t stop either of them from falling deeply for each other. They have been friends since they were both young children, and Jacin has taken care of her for almost just as long. The trust between these two is super strong and the devotion was almost just as intense. They would have done anything for each other, and I constantly swooned over Jacin’s protectiveness of her; he would have let the whole world burn to save her, and the only reason he was one of the good guys was because it would make Winter happy. They are the epitome of grumpy guy with sunshine girl and their dynamic was lovely to see unfold.
One of the big surprises for me was how much I also loved the friendship between Scarlet and Winter. They are such opposites, but both strong women in their own way. Whereas Winter is delicate, Scarlet is fierce and blunt. Their dynamic was pretty amazing to see; I loved seeing the care Winter had for Scarlet and the reluctant protectiveness Scarlet felt for Winter in return. The fact that Scarlet kept nicknaming Winter by calling her “Crazy” was oddly endearing to me as well. I just loved these two so much.
When it comes to all the other characters; Thorne, Cinder, Cress, Kai, Wolf and Iko, I have to say that I actually really liked them here as well. I’ve struggled to connect with a few of them in the past, but this book really sold me on all of them. They were each so amazing in their own way, and I loved seeing all the relationships and friendships the crew had with each other.
When it comes to the plot, I’m not going to get into it much, but I just want to say again how much more I loved it than the previous books. So much was actually happening here, and the action never wavered, but it wasn’t just action for the sake of it: Everything served a purpose and felt important. Nothing felt like filler.
For me this book gave us the perfect ending to this series. Everything turned out exactly the way I would have wanted it to. That is, apart from one little thing, which is the fact that Cinder’s evil stepmother and stepsister got a happy ending: I would have loved to see those monsters burn instead.
'The Lunar Chronicles' series:
1. Cinder - 3.0 stars
2. Scarlet - 4.0 stars
3. Cress - 3.0 stars
4. Winter - 4.5 stars
Companion Novels:
Fairest - 3.5 stars
Stars Above - 4.0 stars
Oh wow, this series really went out with a BANG! This book was so much better than all the other ones. There’s no competition whatsoever. The plot was so much more engaging, there was actual suspense, the characters had a lot more depth, the romances felt more developed, and the overall pacing was finally what I wanted it to be. This book might have been the longest out of them all (800+ pages), but there wasn’t a moment of boredom for me. I was constantly engaged with the storyline and I genuinely cared about seeing what would happen to all the characters.
Other than the fact that basically every aspect of this book was better than the previous ones, I think a big part of my love for this book was also due to the new protagonist: Winter. She might have been the last person to join the crew, but she already became my favourite almost immediately. She was absolutely batshit crazy, had a complete heart of gold, and a surprisingly strong will: She was endearing, sweet, funny and unique. Winter’s slowly developing insanity coupled with the fact that everyone adored the beautiful and gentle girl regardless of her shattering mind made her into such an incredibly interesting character to read about. I was captivated by every single one of her scenes.
Of course, I also loved Winter’s romance with Jacin. Their love was completely forbidden because Winter was a princess while Jacin was merely a guard, but that didn’t stop either of them from falling deeply for each other. They have been friends since they were both young children, and Jacin has taken care of her for almost just as long. The trust between these two is super strong and the devotion was almost just as intense. They would have done anything for each other, and I constantly swooned over Jacin’s protectiveness of her; he would have let the whole world burn to save her, and the only reason he was one of the good guys was because it would make Winter happy. They are the epitome of grumpy guy with sunshine girl and their dynamic was lovely to see unfold.
One of the big surprises for me was how much I also loved the friendship between Scarlet and Winter. They are such opposites, but both strong women in their own way. Whereas Winter is delicate, Scarlet is fierce and blunt. Their dynamic was pretty amazing to see; I loved seeing the care Winter had for Scarlet and the reluctant protectiveness Scarlet felt for Winter in return. The fact that Scarlet kept nicknaming Winter by calling her “Crazy” was oddly endearing to me as well. I just loved these two so much.
When it comes to all the other characters; Thorne, Cinder, Cress, Kai, Wolf and Iko, I have to say that I actually really liked them here as well. I’ve struggled to connect with a few of them in the past, but this book really sold me on all of them. They were each so amazing in their own way, and I loved seeing all the relationships and friendships the crew had with each other.
When it comes to the plot, I’m not going to get into it much, but I just want to say again how much more I loved it than the previous books. So much was actually happening here, and the action never wavered, but it wasn’t just action for the sake of it: Everything served a purpose and felt important. Nothing felt like filler.
For me this book gave us the perfect ending to this series. Everything turned out exactly the way I would have wanted it to. That is, apart from one little thing, which is the fact that Cinder’s evil stepmother and stepsister got a happy ending: I would have loved to see those monsters burn instead.
'The Lunar Chronicles' series:
1. Cinder - 3.0 stars
2. Scarlet - 4.0 stars
3. Cress - 3.0 stars
4. Winter - 4.5 stars
Companion Novels:
Fairest - 3.5 stars
Stars Above - 4.0 stars