Fairestby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 10 This is the backstory of Queen Levana, before she became the Lunar Queen, as well as the how and why she focused on perfecting her "glamour" and a harsh political mind. This is book four of The Lunar Chronicles, if you read this where the author intended -- between Cress and Winter -- and it takes a complete break from the main storyline of The Lunar Chronicles (and contains spoilers for the first three books).Levana's story is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" (as confirmed by the author), and that parallel is quite obvious. A fellow Tart suggested there could be some inspiration from "The Snow Queen", including the name of the male protagonist: Kai. After reading Fairest, I can see aspects of "The Snow Queen" or things that can be interpreted to fit it, but it's still mostly depicting Levana as the Evil Queen with Winter as Snow White ... pretty hard core. It's interesting and different for two big reasons: it focuses on the Evil Queen rather than Snow White, and it's from the Queen's perspective. I love that we get this backstory, and it's placement in the order works well, partially because we already know she's the enemy. I found it odd that Levana was scarred in the same manner as Cinder. The book opens with that information, but it's not till after the mid-point that it becomes clear just how intentional and perfect that similarity is. The book also opens by painting Levana in such a way that we might empathize with her, but that's quickly dismissed as each new revelation about her past shows the hows and whys of her becoming evil. I love how this is tied to her perfecting her "glamour". I'm glad the author didn't try to portray Levana as "good" or hint that she might be redeemable in the future; that path is taken far too often, and I enjoy when villains revel in their evil ways. This story, however, did something different. Levana is delusional. She believes in her fantasies to the point of believing them real or twisting reality with excuses and her powers to make it fit. It's a madness, and it gets worse as time goes by (a different kind of madness than that suffered by those who don't use their "gift", which mostly takes the forms of hallucinations). The madness renders her naively childlike; she often doesn't understand -- or refuses to see -- the truth. And yet, when it comes to political strategy, she's a fast learner, and her thirst for power is stoked by her madness and her innate cruelty to the point of actually helping her in this strategy! There's an interesting juxtaposition between Levana and her older sister (and Cinder / Selene's mom) Channary. Channary is cruel as well, but in more of a careless and spoiled way; she thinks of things as a game and manipulates without controlling. I enjoyed the change in her that Levana notes after Selene is born. Levana takes things very seriously. Too seriously. But it's warped by her delusions and complicated by how she uses her power. I feel so much pity for Evret (Winter's father and Levana's chosen husband after his wife dies in childbirth); what Levana does to him is viscerally horrifying. We're given a glimpse into understand what he's put through on the few occasions he's able to speak freely with Levana. Yet, even when his words hit home, she doesn't really comprehend, and she's quick to twist it to suit her own viewpoint. One of the best things is how we come to learn and appreciate that Evret can't bring himself to hate Levana, even after everything she's done to him; instead, he pities her! It's quite powerful. I also love that Winter is dark skinned! Many people from Luna are, and though they can change it with their glamour, there is no racism. Levana herself wears multiple skin tones before settling on one. I love that Lunars view Earth like Earthens do the moon. There are some beautiful uses of this in the story as well, as the simple reminders that this story takes place on the moon, like notating the crescent Earth in the sky. The end of this book rises to quite the climax. I wasn't expecting it to play out that way, though I knew Evret had to get out of the picture somehow. That being said, it was perfectly handled, combining Levana's plans for power with her inability to comprehend the depth of the consequences. This story also gives us some necessary backstory for Winter as we head in to her book, and I'm excited and hopeful to see how some of these characters will interact. While I didn't get drawn into this story in the same way as the other books in The Lunar Chronicles, the way the author handles Levanas delusions, madness, and reasoning is impressive and hooked me in a different way. Definitely a must-read for the full experience. Written: April 10, 2017
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