Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The first three books of the Lunar Chronicles

Cinder (Book 1) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (Book 2) by Marissa Meyer

Fairest (Book 3.5) by Marissa Meyer

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Let me start out this review by saying SPOILERS BELOW!  After the first picture, all bets are off.  I can’t review these books without using details, because some of them get me feisty.  I actually wrote these reviews on paper last night because I had many #feelings.  I randomly found this series from my library through the Overdrive app.  I’ve listened to all three books that way.  Cinder is #1, Scarlet is #2, and Fairest is #3.5.  I’m on a waiting list for #3, but […]

Be careful what you wish for…

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This is a Cinderella tale told from the point of view of one of the ‘ugly’ stepsisters.  In the original story, Cinderella’s father married and brought his new wife and stepdaughters to his home.  The stepsisters were spoiled and enjoyed privileges that Cinderella did not, and lived a life of leisure. Not so in this version.  Here, the Jane and Maude Montjoy are the sisters.  They live in a dilapidated house and do all of the chores to try to survive.  Their mother is set […]

“Never give up on your dreams, and never let anyone tell you that what you love is inconsequential or useless or a waste of time. Because if you love it?…That is never a waste of time.”

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Sigh. I really wanted to love this quirky and cute little book. And for a little while, I did. A modern, geeky take on Cinderella? A love story where the interaction takes place mostly over text? Cons and Cosplay? It all sounded great. The first two-thirds of this story worked for me. Elle lives with her horrible step-mother and horrible twin step-sisters in the house where she grew up. Her mother died when she was really young and her father died a few years ago, […]

Not that bad until the end

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Cinderella meets zombies.  There’s your synopsis in three words.  But for the most part, it’s a lot more than that. Exley doesn’t just stick zombies in your stereotypical Cinderella story.  She explains what the characters know about how the zombies (or vermin, or turned) came to be.  The story takes place in England during the aftermath of World War I.  While the shell shocked men are coming home from war, a devastating bout of ‘influenza’ sweeps the country, killing millions.  Only they don’t stay dead. […]

Glass Slippers or Grass Slippers?

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This was an interesting take on the world of Grimm’s fairytales with emphasis on the idea of grim.  A young woman wakes up in a castle with no knowledge of her past or even her own name.  The only thing that seems familiar is a silver thimble in the pocket of her dress.  She is given the name “seamstress” and made to work with a group of other women, most of them old and frail, stitching intricate beading and lace onto beautiful dresses. From the […]

I Have to Scale a Tower Naked? Where Do I Put My Sword?

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The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C. Hines (2009) – Okay, I broke a few of my self-imposed reading rules when I picked up this book, and I’m glad I did.  I don’t usually select a book that’s in the middle of a series, and I tend to skip “reworked” fairy tales when I want to read fantasy.  As usual, rules are meant to be broken, and I totally enjoyed this book loosely based on the original Little Mermaid. In this fantasy realm, Snow White, Sleeping […]



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