Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.
I want to start off by addressing this cover, this series always has stunning cover art and I do judge a book by it's cover, not aggressively but there is always a small part of me affected by the cover. This cover is stunning, they all are but this is my favourite, the fire, the veil, it's haunting and dark and yet has a sadness about it. It tells me so much about the book with just images. I love it.
This is the sentiment throughout the book. I loved it, and I know I'm supposed to keep my opinion to the end, but this simply can't wait. Within Cinder, Queen Levana is simply the bad guy - the evil queen, and yet within Fairest we delve into her past. How her beginnings were full of good intentions and cruel treatment. I was surprised Cinder's mother was so vicious, it was a genius and realistic twist. Levana's struggle was so engaging to read and I didn't want it to end. I flew through the book and wished I'd read it slower.
From her hard childhood and bullying from her sister, orphaned and alone Levana falls in love with a guard. Hint: Winter's father. Being the only person in the palace who is kind to her this doesn't surprise me but the way it develops, the way her mind becomes confused and obsessed with what she thinks love is and what it should be. You see a child caught up in something, her immaturity being her greatest downfall. Her insecurities having this huge power over her and yet still trying to do better but repeatedly doing worse. Levana honestly seemed like a victim, this changes only as she becomes more twisted with power after her lover's wife dies. She becomes terrifying, eventually killing the man she loves and becoming the Levana we see within the series. We meet Winter and Cinder as children and see her "death" being plotted.
As it's in first person, we are able to see all of Levana's thinking, the way her mind works. She rationalizes all the sick things she does and you can almost understand her reasoning. Which is messed up and really is a technique so sophisticated, it perfectly shows the relevance of YA fiction. It is smart and new and fresh. It follows the same feel as the previous novels but gives a new insight into the villain, the kind of which I haven't seen since Harry Potter. This novel makes Levana a person, not simply a two dimensional, cardboard villain for our hero to fight. She now has a journey and a background and a heart. I honestly fell a little in love with her and now hope she gets some form of a happy ending in the final book. Yet before this book I couldn't have cared about her at all.
Overall this book is more than just a bridge to keep us going until Winter. This is a solid beautiful asset to the series and has made this more than you're average YA dystopian series. I love it.
Winter is out this November.
Happy Reading!
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