Divided into parts because I have a lot of thoughts on this book.
1. Let’s get the emotional stuff over with
2. Alienating myself from the feelings that come with this book and looking at what I objectively think
3. Freaking out over a character death spoilers of course
4. Final thoughts

1. The entire book there was this underlying sense of fear, I knew something bad was going to happen but not when or where, and I didn’t yet know if the author was willing to sacrifice characters. Apparently, the answer is yes. There are two things that are really emotional and painful for me to read. One, people’s relationships crumbling. And two, seeing people turn down the path of darkness and/or insanity, as is seen in The Young Elites and Give the Dark My Love. Imagine my suffering when both of those things were included. Reid and Lou’s relationship seems so cute and lighthearted in the first book and the start of this book, when they can barely keep their hands off each other, but then Lou’s magic starts interfering and she becomes numb to her true thoughts and feelings when performing magic. It clouds her judgement, and multiple times things she did not intend happen because she isn’t capable of making good decisions. Also can I just say, I'm a sucker for redheaded love interest, if anyone knows any fantasy, sci-fi or historical fiction books with one, let me know.

2. I find it interesting how the author so easily writes emotionally destructive scenes. Ansel and Coco’s relationship goes (sadly) downhill, Beau is there for no purpose other than the occasional joke, Madame Labelle’s backstory could’ve used more development as I enjoyed what was given, and Reid and Lou’s relationship is done so well, but I do find the idea that after all they’ve been through it would nearly fall apart somewhat unrealistic.

3. Proceed with caution because of course there are spoilers.

I tend to think that when an author kills off a character it’s a lazy way to make the reader feel something. I was up at 4 am reading this and I’d be lying if Ansel’s death didn’t hurt. In this case it serves the plot and I’m afraid to see what grieving Ansel will do to Coco, Reid and Lou. And Madame Labelle was also killed, although it seems they forgot. Lou is not completely mentally stable yet and this can’t be good. Their rage at Morgane could result in rash decisions, so much to wonder and worry about for the third book.

4. The ending was the sort where you think everything is over, but then you get another ending. I don’t like this one as much as the first, but reading the first will of course never be the same again. In general there isn’t much witty banter as the first one which was one of the things that made me like it. The whole book overall has a more somber and serious tone, which makes sense considering the character’s circumstances.

This is a story of betrayal. The catchphrase that is mentioned a few times is “Anyone can betray anyone” and Mare soon learns what that means... All in all I liked this book. The prose wasn’t that good and there wasn’t much of it, the characters weren’t unique but I felt I understood what they were like, and the plot had a few twists some could’ve predicted, but I personally got so distracted on what was happening in the moment I forgot to worry about betrayals. Reminds me of the Lunar Chronicles in a way, if they had worse characters (which are the reason everyone likes them). Around 350 pages I was covering my mouth with horror at what we found out, knowing that this was going to cost them a lot. Mare has trust problems now and I completely understand. I will read the other ones, hopefully soon before I forget what happened.

A few quotes from the book I liked:
This world is Silver, but it is also gray. There is no black-and-white. Thought by Mare during the general scene
The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.

said by Maven

I see a world on the edge of a blade. Without balance, it will fall. said by Cal in observation after visiting the village

A classic that feels very nostalgic, and even though this is a children's book I still enjoyed it. Also, the only time I've come across a main character with my name! (Side characters yes, half the set of healer twins from Shatter Me, and the healer without a tongue from Red Queen)

This raised more questions than it answered, but that’s ok. And yes, around half way through Snowfall became less aggravating and I started noticing her character development. By the end she was empathetic and almost kind. And I enjoyed the inclusion of humans in the book! As long as they don’t become the main thing I think that was a great idea on Sutherland’s part.

This was a very unique read, with a lot of twists and turns. It does, however, take a while to get going. The plot gets slow at times but it’s still intriguing, if you’re a patient reader you will properly enjoy this. At first I was kind of bored of Nemesis (which is why this book took me so long to get through), but after a while (100 pages or so in) I started to enjoy her and find the complexities and depth of her character captivating. Points for the world building, it was exquisite and I definitely wanted to learn more. I think having dual POVs and plot lines would’ve made this better as well, with perhaps Tyrus' or Donia's. I kind of picked this book up because of a cool cover and a not bad synopsis. Reminds me of Skyhunter if Skyhunter was from Red’s perspective.

The ending was good, after a roller coaster ride I think it ended quite neatly. I like how it’s not a cliffhanger that forces me to read the rest of the trilogy, which I don't think I'll do, purely because I feel like the writing style is a bit too drawn out for the quality of the plot itself. It's the kind of book that relies on twists and the unexpected instead of just an interesting plot. Spoilers can ruin this book.

The characters and setting are the heart of this book. I enjoy every single one of them, although I must say Zofiya is probably my favorite. I really like seeing how Severin learned something from each of his fathers, and how they made him who he is. I appreciate Zofiya’s unique view on the world, and Enrique’s narcissistic but unsure personality is really entertaining. Laila is a more generic, but still nice character. Tristan is also interesting and unique.
The writing style is also really descriptive and captivating.
“He taught him to eat and how to hunger for things out of each and how to steal without ever looking like you lack for something... ‘Half of winning, my dear wallet, is simply looking victorious.’” Page 168
“He showed Séverin and Tristan how to take back what belonged to you. How to make a harness that let one slip down roofs and into windows, how to pay off the right guards, how to step with a light foot. He never used the word ‘steal.’ ‘Take what the world owes you by any means necessary’ Pride had said. ‘The world has a shit memory. It will never pay its debts unless you force its hand’” Page 227
The cover is beautiful! And it suits the story so well, dark and elegant with magic. I must admit this wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was good nonetheless.

Read the series first, although this book was released before Winter, so you could read it in Cress and Winter (I was a bit confused in Winter since there was a lot of backstory I didn’t know, and reading Fairest answered a lot of those questions, but reading it afterwards didn’t have that much of an impact on my reading experience). I recommend taking a few days (maybe three or four) after Winter, which is jam packed with action and suspense, and then read Fairest. I read it a few months after Winter, and I was fine because I still remembered everything else quite well. You read the series first and learn things along with the main characters and protagonists, and then you see all this from the villain's perspective. Marissa is not trying to justify the horrible things Levana did, she’s trying to make us sympathize. Also, the foreshadowing in Fairest is almost a spoiler, it’s so present, so I really enjoyed it along with the references to things I know from the other books, it’s like me and the author are in on a joke.
I’m always impressed by Marissa Meyer’s characters, in fact they are my absolute favorite thing about the series. Yes, the plot is great (although Winter was a bit too much) and so is the word building, but it’s the characters that make this my favorite series. Meyer is also an absolute master at writing her villains, Levana is absolutely cruel but also cunning. The most dangerous kind of villains are the smart ones. At the same time, in this book, we see how Levana came to be who she is. Her family was abusive, she was manipulated and glamoured at a young age and forced to hurt herself by her own sister, as well as having immense power at a young age (how many 16 year olds wouldn’t make rash decisions?), and her personality also impacted her decisions (the want for more power, the throwing herself into being a good queen while simultaneously being a tyrant, etc.). I almost feel bad for her, of course her being extremely mentally ill does not excuse the terrible things she did, because even when she became queen regent, she still had humanity left in her. She felt horrible and disgusted at first when thinking about killing Selene. And didn’t haveto attempt it, but she convinced herself that she would make a better queen, which might be true but does not justify killing a three-year-old child. Another interesting thing about Levana is that she genuinely believes a lot of things. She really thought Evret was in love with her, she genuinely believed that she’s a good queen. It’s kind of sad how delusional she is. In a way, she’s similar to Winter, except Winter was driven to that by not using glamour, while Leavana was (partly) driven to that because she was almost addicted to glamour. She could not live without it. Winter was like the positive version. She imagined a pet wolf after he died, while Levana imagined that her people loved her when they didn’t. I pity Levana, while I admire and sympathize with Winter.