Review ~ "Windwitch" by Susan Dennard

Title: "Windwitch"
Series: The Witchlands, #2
Author: Susan Dennard 
 
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Published: January 10, 2017
Publisher: TorTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: I received this arc from the publisher for being a part of the Witchlanders

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Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

Review ~ "Queen of Shadows" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: "Queen of Shadows"
Series: Throne of Glass, #4
Author: Sarah J. Maas

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Published: September 1, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 648
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought

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The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Top Ten Tuesday #64: Ten Books With Amazing Fantasy Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 
 
This Week's Topic:

Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them

 

Since the majority of the books I read are fantasy, I decided to list the ten books with my favorite fantasy settings.

 

1.

 

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

 

7.

 

8.

9.

10.

I love how unique each one of these fantasy worlds are. It's amazing to see what each author creates. And I also really like how not each fantasy world includes magic or strange creatures. What are your favorite fantasy worlds?

Review ~ "Fire Falling" by Elise Kova

Title: "Fire Falling"
Series: Air Awakens #2
Author: Elise Kova

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Published: November 19, 2015
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

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Soldier… Sorcerer… Savior… Who is Vhalla Yarl?

Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?

Fire Falling is the second book in the Air Awakens Series.

Review ~ "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: "A Court of Mist and Fury"
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Author: Sarah J. Maas 

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Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 640
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought 

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Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Review ~ "The Mirror King" by Jodi Meadows

Title: "The Mirror King"
Series: The Orphan Queen, #2
Author: Jodi Meadows

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Published: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 531
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought

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Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.

HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.

Review ~ "The Winner's Kiss" by Marie Rutkoski

Title: "The Winner's Kiss"
Series: The Winner's Trilogy, #3
Author: Marie Rutkoski 

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Published: March 29, 2016
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 484
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought 

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Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

Review ~ "The Shadow Queen" by C.J. Redwine

Title: "The Shadow Queen"
Series: Ravenspire, #1
Author: C.J. Redwine

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Published: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Balzar + Bray
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 387
Format: Hardcover
Source: MeL Cat

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Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

Review ~ "Reign of Shadows" by Sophie Jordan

Title: "Reign of Shadows"
Series: Reign of Shadows, #1
Author: Sophie Jordan

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Published: February 9, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult, Retelling, Fantasy
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: MeL Cat

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Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Review ~ "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson

Title: "A Girl of Fire and Thorns"
Series: Fire and Thorns, #1
Author: Rae Carson
 
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Published: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 423
Format: Paperback
Source: Own
 
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Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. Most of the chosen do.

Review ~ "Truthwitch" by Susan Dennard

Title: "Truthwitch"
Series: The Witchlands, #1
Author: Susan Dennard

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Published: January 5, 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover 
Source: Bought 

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On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Review ~ "Ruin and Rising" by Leigh Bardugo

Title: "Ruin and Rising"
Series: The Grisha, #3
Author: Leigh Bardugo

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Published: June 17, 2014
Publisher: Henry Hold and Co.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 422
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

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The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review ~ "Infinite" by Jodi Meadows

Title: "Infinite"
Series: Newsoul, #3
Author: Jodi Meadows

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Published: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy
Pages: 418
Format: Hardcover
Source: MeL Cat

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DESTRUCTION

The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT

Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE

The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.

Review ~ "Air Awakens" by Elisa Kova

Title: "Air Awakens"
Series: Air Awakens, #1
Author: Elisa Kova

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Published: August 27, 2015
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic
Pages: 377
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

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A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

Review ~ "Siege and Storm" by Leigh Bardugo

Title: "Siege and Storm"
Series: The Grisha, #2
Author: Leigh Bardugo

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Published: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 435
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

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Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Review ~ "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: "A Court of Thorns and Roses"
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas

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Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

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A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Review ~ "The Winner's Crime" by Marie Rutkoski

Title: "The Winner's Crime"
Series: The Winner's Trilogy, #1
Author: Marie Rutkoski

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Published: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Pages: 402
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

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Following your heart can be a crime

A royal wedding means one celebration after another: balls, fireworks, and revelry until dawn. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement: that she agreed to marry the crown prince in exchange for Arin's freedom. But can Kestrel trust Arin? Can she even trust herself?

Kestrel is becoming very good at deception. she's working as a spy in the court. If caught, she'll be exposed as a traitor to her country. Yet she can't help searching for a way to change her ruthless world...and she is close to uncovering a shocking secret.

This dazzling follow-up to The Winner's Curse reveals the high price of dangerous lies and untrustworthy alliances. The truth will come out, and when it does, Kestrel and Arin will learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Review ~ "The Winner's Curse" by Marie Rutkoski

Title: "The Winner's Curse"
Series: The Winner's Trilogy, #1
Author: Marie Rutkoski

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Published: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Pages: 355
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

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Winning what you want may cost you everything you love. As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Review ~ "Falling Kingdoms" by Morgan Rhodes

Title: "Falling Kingdoms
Series: Falling Kingdoms, #1
Author: Morgan Rhodes
 
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Published: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
 
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Treacherous betrayals, secret alliances, unforeseen murders, and forbidden love— The world of Mytica will hold you captive: AURANOS - Privileged Princess Cleo is forced to confront violence for the first time in her life when a shocking murder sets her kingdom on a path to collapse. LIMEROS - The king’s son, Magnus, must plan each footstep with shrewd, sharp guile if he is to earn his powerful father’s trust, while his sister, Lucia, discovers a terrifying secret about her heritage that will change everything. PAELSIA - Rebellious Jonas lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making. Witches, if found, are put to death, and Watchers, immortal beings who take the shape of hawks to visit the human world, have been almost entirely forgotten. A vicious power struggle quickly escalates to war, and these four young people collide against each other and the rise of elementia, the magic that can topple kingdoms and crown a ruler in the same day.

Review ~ "Fairest" by Marissa Meyer

Title: "Fairest"
Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5
Author: Marissa Meyer

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Published: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 220
Format: Hardcover
Source:  Library

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In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.