Winter by Marissa Meyer | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

Why Did I Listen To This Book?

If you aren’t obsessed with The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, you are truly missing out on one of the best young adult science fiction series on the market. FOR REAL. Of course, being obsessed means that I would take any opportunity available to read Winter, the conclusion of The Lunar Chronicles early, even breaking my habit of reading a series in a similar format and thus, when I was offered an early copy of the audiobook (thanks Greatest Publicist Of All Time Ever) I seized it. Yo, when you read through Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress at a frantic pace, you will TOTALLY understand that driving need to finish out the series by ANY MEANS POSSIBLE. PS, if you hate capslock and excitement and fun, you should probably stop reading this review right this very second.

What’s The Story Here?

GIRL. GIRL. THIS BOOK. Okay, so Winter picks up where Cress leaves off. We start out the book on Luna. Levana, of course is the worst and has Scarlet imprisoned. Meanwhile, she pretends like she is such an awesome stepmother to Winter, but she’s horrible – making Winter witness trials and executions. Winter, who has the kindest soul of all time ever, spends her time keeping Scarlet company in the zoo. Yeah, that’s where Scarlet is being held. Scarlet is right next door to a wolf whose genes were used to enhance the genes of WOLF aka my bae. So, yeah, Winter has also had a long time crush on her guard slash friend Jason. Yes, the same Jason from CRESS. He has got quite the role in this book, y’all.

As for the rest of the gang, Cinder and Cress and Iko and Thorne and Wolf are all on the Rampion and trying to figure out a way to crash Luna and begin the resistance, leading an uprising against Levana. ALSO ALSO to save Scarlet. Wolf is a sad sack for a lot of the book because he misses Scarlet. IN ADDITION! Kai, who is the love of Cinder’s life, is about to marry Levana because that’s the best way he sees fit to save his people, but of course there’s a plan in motion. AND OMG OMG OMG YOU GUYS! I just want to tell you what happens, but then that would totally detract from you exploring and enjoying this book on your own, and trust you want to unravel Winter yourself.

How’s The Character Growth?

I don’t even know how to do this section for Winter without flailing my arms around and yelling about how I love all of the characters, even Levana a little bit because she’s such a douche, but owns it. But, okay, like with Cress, she gets a haircut and some confidence and just, ugh, I LOVE IT AND I LOVE CRESS AND ALL THE CHARACTERS.

And then there’s Scarlet. I keep mentioning her, but she’s the best. I just really felt for her when she was in captivity, but she gets through it and is such a survivor and a badass, and lol, there’s a scene with one of her Earthen friends and it is hilarious. AND HER AND WOLF ARE MY SHIP FOR ALL  TIME EVER. I just love how this all plays out.

And of course, there’s Cinder too who is pretty great as well. She’s coming to terms with being Celene, the lost princess of Luna. AND LEADING THE RESISTANCE. Like, this girl is brimming with bravery and I love it. Essentially, that is this whole review, I LOVE IT. I for serious love everything about Cinder.

What Did I Think Of Winter?

I obviously can’t say much about Winter’s character growth across this series, because this is indeed her book and our real introduction to her as a character. OH EM GEE. OH MY GOD. Okay, so I know I am full of exaggerations and shouty. Winter comes off as a bit naive and weird in the beginning, but then you learn that she’s that way for a reason and that Levana is totally manipulating her. I also loved how while listening to this, I was able to connect Winter’s story with the Snow White story that I am familiar with – minus the dwarves though, but with Levana’s jealousy of her beauty, it was perfect. ALSO, I hate pointing this out but Winter is Black and that was just so awesome to read, I mean, yay yay yay a popular fantasy/sci-fi series where a Black girl is one of the main characters, that is the literal best. I mean, because this series is such a fun read and doesn’t feel like pandering and seems to be quite inclusive. ALSO. Another thing about Winter, her heart is so pure, I love it. She doesn’t do what is easiest, but what is right (like the whole glamor thing). Anyways, as you guys can tell, I am a total fangirl for Winter. She’s a superb character.

How Did I Feel About The Resolution?

No spoilers, but I love love love love how Winter ends. It is the perfect resolution and I am just so happy and satisfied with it. I think Meyer did a great job of wrapping up all loose threads and not leaving some sort of cliffhanger or unresolved questions. Which, straight up, is something I really hate. I liked that there was such a clear ending. AND A GOOD ONE TOO! Seriously, Meyer could not have ended The Lunar Chronicles in a more perfect fashion.

How’s The Narration?

I actually am a little bit surprised at how much I LOVED the narration of Winter. Rebecca Soler is the narrator and of course, she is new to me. Her narration made me love my favorite character of the series, Scarlet, even more. Seriously, she has this awesome French accent that she puts on for Scarlet’s character and it is perfect. AND ALSO HER NARRATION OF IKO AND LEVANA. She does make Winter sound a bit like a space cadet, but given her whole non-use of glamor and how it affects her, that makes sense. ALSO! ALSO! The audiobook is mad long – 23 hours worth, so if you are looking to rush through this book and do not care about nuance, just want to know what happens, read the physical book. If you want to immerse yourself, I highly, highly recommend you listen to the audiobook of Winter by Marissa Meyer. It’s a great way to end the series. AND AND AND! The very last track is an interview between the narrator and Marissa Meyer and it is so fascinating to listen to.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS SERIES – mainly for the ships and the fairytale factor.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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