Audiobook Review: Stars Above (Novella Collection) (The Lunar Chronicles #4.5)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Narrator: Rebecca Soler

Audiobook Length: 9 hours 58 minutes

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies? With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

CONTENTS
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a young Winter and Jacin playing a game called the Princess and the Guard…
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century…

Stars Above is the novella collection for the Lunar Chronicles series. I read this after finishing the series and it was nice to have some gaps filled in for the different characters plus a fun epilogue story to wrap everything up. There are tons of options for how to read this collection as some mix it in with the novels and others read it before or after. I enjoyed reading it after, but I am not sure if I would do the same exact order if I read the entire series again.

The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.

Michelle Benoit, Scarlet’s grandmother, is tied together with Princess Selene in this story of how it all begins. I love how it not only gave a nice reminder of the love that exists between Scarlet and Michelle, but how the secret plot involving Selene began and how she ended up as Cinder. It was a very interesting beginning to the series and fits well if you read this before the first novel, although most people do not recommend it under after, at least, Cinder.

Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….

I loved this story as it showcased the dynamic of the Linh family. Cinder is brought to them when she is young, and she tries everything that she can to fit in with them. Not only is she trying to be a part of a family with many members that do not fully accept her, but she is also trying to be as useful as possible. In this story, Cinder’s gift for being a mechanic is introduced and I love how this was explored along with her cyborg traits, which all play a role in the main series.

The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.

This was a very interesting backstory for Ze’ev and how he became Wolf/Alpha Kessley. Not only does it give the tale of how he came into Levanna’s army, but it cemented the idea in the readers mind just how evil Levanna is supposed to be. She took young boys and turned them into “soldiers” and how each member approached the cause differently. This is one story I wished I read before Scarlet as it helps the reader connect further with Wolf and his childhood before meeting Scarlet and the rest of the resistance.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.

This one goes into Carswell Throne as the reader knows a lot about his personality and general motives, but there is not a lot of information about his backstory in the main series. I still love that the type of cargo ship he wanted was called a Rampion as that is the type of plant associated with the Rapunzel fairy tale. Not only does this novella give a nice introduction to Thorne’s sly and flirtatious ways, but it also introduces Kate Fallow, who is featured during the main series and this tied everything together.

After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.

This story was not quite my favorite out of all the novellas, but it was nice to get a little bit of background into how Cress was put on the satellite. It was a sad story, though, as she was very young and placed there by herself by Sybil Meara.

The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a young Winter and Jacin playing a game called the Princess and the Guard…

Winter and Jacin are childhood friends, and both play a major role in the fourth and final novel in the main series. This novel was a very sweet introduction to their time together when they would play and be there for the other. As Winter does not like to use her Lunar gift in the main series, this tale lets the reader explore her decision and how she became a little mad as a result.

The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.

While this one does not necessarily feature a backstory about a main character like the other novellas, this one does link in with the main series. There is an appearance from one of the main characters plus the story fits within the main series’ timeline. I was not expecting to like this story, but Meyer managed to fit in new characters and a new story within a short number of pages. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking although I wish that there were more tie-ins to the main series to make it feel like part of the set and not a brief tangent.

The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

This one was adorable as I loved Kai’s character. It was joyful to read how excited and nervous he was around Cinder and to see how he felt during those initial moments. Since these are just the same events from Cinder, but from a new perspective, there is not a lot to learn with this story; however, I loved to see his side of the meeting and I wish he was included more in Cinder as I would love his POV expanded.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century… 

This story takes place after the events of the main series are complete. The reader gets a chance to catch-up with all the main characters as they gather for a wedding. Each character and couple have their stories wrapped up in some way. I liked that each romance ended differently as they fit the different couples. The one for Cress/Thorne would not have fit Winter/Jacin, etc. and I liked how Meyer kept this consistent from the time we first see the couples meet to the time they reach their story endings in this novella.

I cannot believe that this is the final novel in the Lunar Chronicles series. I honestly did not think this one would live up to the hype, but I found myself loving it by the end. I do have some preferences for characters and storylines, but everything flowed well together and I loved this collection of novellas to tie up all the loose ends. While I have not seen updates for a release date of the animated series, I really hope that it is soon, so I can see everything that I read further come to life.