I loved seeing some backstory on Levana and Winter! This novella is a perfect companion to the Lunar Chronicles series, because before Levana was just a generic bad guy, but now there's all this great depth to her character.

Levana is completely crazy insane certifiable nutso! It was very creepy being inside her head, and seeing her excuse her own evilness and justify to herself the murdering of people. She actually begins to believe her own lies, and she starts to think that she is doing good! Those are the worst kind of bad people; the ones who truly believe the lies in their own head.

Levana is so completely self-centered that she can't even see the cruelty and violence that she is abusing others with. She doesn't see their pain or how she is manipulating them, and she just lives in this fantasy world that does NOT match reality at all.

I started to question everything Levana was saying through the story. She is the most unreliable narrator that I think I have ever read. I had to look backwards at all her interactions with other characters, and ask myself what that scene would have looked like from the other POV. It certainly makes for an entertaining read!

I was glad to see that although it is just a novella, the story had it's own plot and depth. It may be short, but it is still a fully developed story. There are great moments of tension and action. The characters have strong personalities, and there is never a dull word in the whole book!

I loved seeing baby Winter growing up alongside baby Jacin! Knowing how tragic and unusual their childhoods were will help bring more depth to the story once "Winter" is published.
I'm so excited for that next book! How will I survive until then?!

Fairy tale castles, court intrigue, jousting tournaments, Ancient Vows to be broken, mysterious plagues and murder, knights walking around looking hot, and of course, a princess who must fall in love before the proverbial stroke of midnight... What's not to love?! I devoured this book, and adored every second!

I immediately connected with Rosemarie, the main character. I felt like I could BE her. She is introverted, but tries so hard to be extroverted. She worries a lot about making the right decisions, and seeks God's wisdom, but is not always sure how to apply it. She wishes she were more courageous, but when backed into a corner, she gets all fierce and righteous. She has so much compassion for others that it causes her great pain and distress. She is socially awkward, and totally adorable. She is completely naive and innocent, but that is what makes her glorious.

I love love love the characters of all three of the knights! They are each so distinct in their personalities. Collin and Bennet are so romantic; they made me laugh and giggle. I love how Collin is such a clown, always light-hearted and making jokes. I love how Bennet is all about the intellect and the art. He's a poet at heart, I think.
Derrick is just smoldering and chivalrous and strong and sweet and manly and thoughtful and... yes, I liked him. a little. OKay, a LOT! I fell in love with Derrick pretty much right away.
All great men, but Rosemarie can fall in love with only one!

The plot had a lot of great twists and turns, and I was on the edge of my seat and gasping and crying and freaking out when crazy stuff happened! There's a lot of plotting and spying and fighting for political power. Rosemarie's struggle to assert her political control over her courtiers, the sheriff, and the abbot, was so compelling. I was cheering for her to show her strength, and enforce her laws!

I thought the author did a superb job with showing a strong Christian message without being preachy or moralizing too much. The Christian message flows easily with the story and with the character's development. Not an easy thing to write, but this author succeeds brilliantly! I was inspired and refreshed by the positive themes in the story!

For being a princess story, this book has a surprisingly low level of cheesiness. The writing is fresh and has a delightful clarity. The pacing is perfection. The world-building strikes just the right balance. The dialogue is neither too formal (No "thee"s and "thou"s like olden times), nor is it too informal like modern language. Everything about the world and the writing and the characters and dialogue paints this exquisite picture of a medieval world. It flows really well, and easily draws you in.

I desperately need the next book! Why didn't you tell me it was part of a trilogy?! Cliffhangers... Gah!

Disclaimer: This book was received from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions herein are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

I basically cried through this entire book. My heart is entirely broken into little pieces. It's going to take me a long time to get over the book hangover from this one. I have been completely swept into the Tiger world, and I'm not sure I will ever totally emerge.

The mystical Indian setting and the mythical quests and prophecies just keep coming in this book! The whole Tiger world is absolutely enchanting. I love how the magic is entwined with old Hindu myths!

I fell in love with each of these characters, and I was cheering and groaning and laughing and crying for them through all four books. The tension keeps building, and the story becomes more epic as it goes along. The stakes are higher through every quest!

The philosophy keeps getting deeper as the characters learn more about themselves and their true destiny. I loved Kelsey's interactions with the Phoenix, and the depth of her character as she struggles with moral lessons and emotional truths. She's always growing and learning; one of the many things I love about her. She has such a good heart, that she can even influence the most evil people she encounters. As always, Kelsey does stupid stuff and makes mistakes, but she always faces up to things and rarely makes the same mistake twice. I love her humanity in the midst of her glorious strength.

I was so glad to see a happy ending, although it squeezed my heart! It really couldn't have ended any other way, and I am satisfied with the conclusion to all these marvelous adventures, but I'm also longing for more.

This series just gets better and better! The action is pretty much non-stop with this book, and the adventure is wonderful. Just amazing story-telling! It's so great to see all these little details falling into place, and the world-building, the myths, and the magical objects are so imaginative. The story arc gets more and more grand and epic as the books go on.

I loved the dragons so much! Each dragon is unique and interesting and magical. The quests and trials were all so different. It really kept my interest, even after all the quests that had come before.

I usually don't like love triangles, but this one is just so well-written! I can't help it; I love it! It works because ALL the characters in the triangle are well-developed, and not just used as a plot device to ratchet up the tension. The relationship between Kelsey and Ren and Kishan just gets more and more heart-breaking and complicated, and I adore every touching scene.

Kelsey is more of a wreck than ever, and I love her for it. She gets confused and says the wrong thing, she's scared out of her mind, she's weak and helpless; but through everything, she just keeps on. She is beginning to show the most wonderful drive and determination in the face of impossible odds and impossible feelings and crippling fear. She summons up courage from somewhere, she thinks deeply on the lessons of life (usually getting it wrong, as we humans do), and she just keeps on. I am so proud of her for being stupid and sarcastic and sweet, for staying humble and selfless, and for her undeniable humanity.

Once again, I stayed up until 2:00am reading this book. I just couldn't put it down! I don't know how I'm going to survive through reading the next book in the series without a soul-tearing, heart-breaking meltdown.

My heart is dying! I can't even handle this wonderful series. My life is falling apart, and I'm crying four times a day or more. I just keep reading and reading and ignoring real life, because these books have completely captured me.

I liked that the first third of the book was set in Oregon, and the rest of the book back in India. Somehow even boring old Oregon took on a luster and a glow of magic!
I was glad to see that the pacing was better in this book than in the first one. The writing has definitely improved, and the adventure parts of the story were more carefully thought out with more complex puzzles and better plot twists. So happy with this writing!

Kishan and Ren are my heroes for all time. They are both my favorite people in the world. I just want to hug them, kiss each cheek, and make them be happy! I am totally in love with them both. I love how they are different in many ways, (and their personalities show through the writing in delicious detail) but they are also very similar too.
Kelsey continues to amaze with her vulnerability, her strength, and her character development. She's smart as a whip, and runs circles around those stupid tigers! I just adore her character. Every step of the way through the story, I'm cheering for her, and crying with her, and holding my breath in fear and suspense right along with her.

The only thing that annoyed me was the excessive use of italics, and the TWO love triangles. I mean, one love triangle is enough for any book, but TWO?!?! Was that really necessary? Okay, but I still loved every second of it. If you had to write two love triangles, you just did it right, because I adored every chapter. haha!

I am IMMEDIATELY picking up the third book in this series. Oh yeah. I'm not even waiting a second before getting my eyeballs on that new chapter. There are very few series that I have ever read straight through all the books without stopping to read something else; this is one of them.

I loved loved this book! The magic and mystery, the adventure and mystical Indian setting, the sweet romance and puzzling myths... all these drew me in and made me forget that I was reading a book!
I loved all the characters; the delicious Ren, and sweet Kelsey, the enigmatic Kishan, and grandfatherly Mr. Kadam.

The romance between Ren and Kelsey is sweet and slow. Ren is such a gentlemen, and his tiger situation makes things so complicated and interesting. My only complaint is that sometimes Ren is just TOO perfect. I mean, give the guy a couple of adorable flaws! But towards the middle and end, we began to see more of his inner struggle, and I think it's in keeping with his character that he tries so hard to be perfect and say the perfect thing all the time. We find out later that inside he's falling apart just like everyone else.
I liked Kelsey's character a lot, and seeing her dealing with the adventures, the danger, and her feelings for Ren was a wonderful roller coaster ride! I was right there with her through every chapter!

I loved Kishan's black tiger character! He's so deep and dark and angry at the world, but with a good heart, despite all his flirting and teasing. He really intrigued me; I wanted to solve that mystery behind his character.
Mr. Kadam is just adorable, and I wish we had more of his backstory. He's kind of a static character, but his steady reliability is definitely needed in the story. I would like to see more character development for him in the rest of the books.

I wish the adventure were more prominent; sometimes it feels like the romance takes center stage, and the adventure doesn't have the development or depth that it could have had. There are lulls in the action, and the pacing can be slow in places, especially in the beginning. The first 60 pages could have been condensed down to about 6 pages. Still, it is never boring! Even the bland scenes in the plot are charged with questions about what will happen next.

The setting in the jungles and temples of India is absolutely enchanting! Everything is so mystical and different, the food, the cities, the hotels, the clothing, the traditions, and all the magical temples and spiritual myths. I was wondering a little about what part Hinduism would play in the story, since the characters actually call on the blessings of pagan gods; but it blended well with the magic curses and magical objects into a fine fantasy story. It is not overly religious; it's just a fairy tale with old Hindu myths woven in.
I am picking up the second book in the series immediately! I can't wait another second to keep reading!

A thoroughly enjoyable book! I'm amazed at the original and interesting concepts this author comes up with, and so nicely written too. I'm especially enchanted with the bees! The magic system of earthlines in this world is fascinating!

I love how Mirasol gets to know the Master better and better. Seeing their relationship develop so subtly is just delightful. Mirasol is a wonderful character; she's so unsure of herself, but she's also decisive and independent! Love her so much!

It's also interesting that most of the main characters don't have a name until close to the end; they are always addressed by their title, as though the title and job description they have completely encompasses who they are. Another brilliantly subtle commentary on how Mirasol feels wearing the heavy responsibility of being Chalice.

I also love how it's always "Chalice" and never "the Chalice". So formal and ponderous!

At first it seemed to me there was too much use of flashback, and not enough dialogue; but that got better towards the middle and end. Otherwise, it's beautifully written! Love the characters, love the plot, love love love!
Reading it the second time is even better! Just a beautiful story.

There are no words to describe how much I love this series! I stayed up until 2:30am reading this book. I read the whole thing in 7 straight hours. Could NOT put it down for a second. So much action, and emotional stuff going on, and relationships, and intrigue, and war, and spies, and plot twists, and funny wise-cracking dialogue, and suspense, and excitement, and heart-breaking moments! Agh! This book has everything!

I was crying uncontrollably at the sad parts, then 2 pages later there would be some delightful joke that would set me laughing, so I was pretty much hysterical through half the book!
When I finished, my brain was racing and my heart was full. Massive book hangover!

I love the parallels with the original Rapunzel fairy tale, especially the fact that Thorne is the "prince", who originally is blinded by thorns. Aha! See what the author did there?! There are tons of delightful little details like that all through the book.

I adore Thorne and Cress together. They have such a fun dynamic between them, and it's not quite what you'd expect either. They are quite the unique couple.
I love seeing Cinder continuing to grow, and Scarlet and Wolf as well. So many wonderful characters, and they are all real in my eyes, so that I'm emotionally attached to them! Just great writing.

I am going to die before Winter comes out. I NEED that last book in the series NOW!

I really enjoyed reading this glossary bit by bit. It's great to have something like this to pick up when I only have a minute or two to read. I think by now I have memorized nearly all the names of the Valar, and I can even tell the difference between most of the sons of Feanor! It's great to see all those little historical facts of Middle Earth laid out and explained. It's incredible how Tolkien kept it all so organized in his writings!

Gah! I love this book so much! Even better than Cinder if that is possible.
My brain is exploding! There are so many layers to this book. While reading, I had to walk away from the book for a few seconds and take a couple of deep breaths before I dove back in. Inhale. Exhale. Try to stay calm. My heart was racing so fast while I read the action scenes, and my muscles all tense with the suspense.

Even thought the narrative switches between more characters in this book, the changes never felt awkward or annoying. Seamless writing in every respect!
I loved seeing more of the world outside the Eastern Commonwealth, especially the scenes on the train and the rubble of Paris after WWIV. So much history and background to the setting gives it color and makes the world believable.

The writing is a bit more forceful in this book. We're not tentatively feeling our way through, like we were in the beginning of Cinder, getting to know the world little by little. We are dropped right into the middle of a maelstrom of dirty politics, criminals, and spies, and our characters are thrown into the action with barely time to breathe.

I adore Scarlet's character so much! Her interactions with Wolf are complete perfection from start to finish. She's gritty and tough, but also tender and compassionate. I love how determined she is, and how she draws strength and resolve from her love for her grandmother. Such a well-rounded, beautifully real, fantastic character!

I loved seeing Cinder making friends with the most unlikely people, struggling to make sense of her new situation, and showing herself to be the marvelous person we met in the first book! I was glad to see that while the focus is on Scarlet, Cinder's part of the story does not lose momentum.

I am in love with "Captain" Thorne! He's so goofy and charming and adorable! I cant' wait to see his character developing more as I read the next books.