Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles: Levana's Story

Book review by Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media
Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles: Levana's Story Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Absorbing prequel from the evil queen's perspective.

Marissa Meyer Science Fiction 2015
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 23 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that rabid readers of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series will want to get their hands on this prequel. It's the shorter story of how the Lunar Queen Levana got to be her evil self. As the fairy-tale homage unfolds, we see Levana become more like the queen in "Snow White": more ambitious, envious, vain, insecure, and completely lacking in empathy. She's embroiled in assassinations by stabbing, gunshot, and fire (a near-assassination in that case) and brainwashes a man into having sex with her (not described, but she's 16 at the time). Her sister Channery is a worse queen, ordering her favorite seamstress' feet removed so the poor woman can concentrate on her sewing, as well as sleeping with lots of men (never described) before becoming pregnant, happy that she doesn't know the father of the baby. So with the mature content, this is definitely a teen series. The great thing about this one is the opportunity to get up close and personal with the series' antagonist. The positive message lies in readers realizing it's possible to find a little empathy for those set so firmly on the wrong path; nothing is really 100 percent good or evil or black or white.

Community Reviews

dragon.elf
dragon.elf Adult
July 6, 2016
age 13+

Great story and writing, but WAY too short

Five Stars for story and writing, Four Stars for content Marissa Meyer has managed to write the origin story of the villain in The Lunar Chronicles in a way that the reader can sympathize with her on a certain level, but it is still obvious that she is not a good person. Levana's childhood was very difficult, but it is show to us as an explanation, not an excuse for her behaviour. I thought the story was very well written, and the characters were well developed for a short novella - even the ones that just appeared in Fairest . And I really loved how all the little connecting pieces to the rest of the series fell into place and have begun to make even more sense. I can't wait for Winter! I gave the content 4 starts because there was a lot of talk about Levana's older sister, Channary, sleeping with guards and soldiers, and also a huge part of the story revolved around Levana's odd lust for Evert, to the point where she forced him to marry her...and it was really awkward... IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED that there is a VERY LARGE excerpt of Winter in the back of Fairest. It's not so large that it cuts into the length of the actual book too much though. And the inside of the book has a gorgeous illustration of the Lunar palace

This title has:

Great messages
Hippocampus
Hippocampus Adult
April 19, 2015
age 15+

Fairest

This was a great book! But, had some parts that where not so ok. Their was violence and I CRIED at the end of the book. I highly recommend it for teens.

This title has:

Educational value
Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Princess Levana is furious with her sister, Queen Channery, when she makes Levana give a speech at their parents' funeral while she runs off to fool around with a palace guard. At 15, Levana tries to look tearful as her sister's new Lunar subjects line up to offer their condolences. But she doesn't care all that much that her distant parents were assassinated. She cares more about a guard named Evret, whom she has a crush on, introducing her to his very pregnant wife, Solstice. Jealousy begins to get the better of her to the point of obsession when she uses her skill in glamours to make her look exactly like Solstice. When Solstice dies in childbirth, Levana thinks it's fate. She'll make Evret care for her by looking like Solstice permanently. Of course he may need extra persuading -- the kind only mind control can provide. Evret must never see her as she is, disfigured in a fire long ago, especially since she will be queen one day. No one must ever see.

Is It Any Good?

Readers love to hate Queen Levana, especially by the end of the third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cress. We're rooting for her to get left at the altar almost as much as we're rooting for Cinder to kick her butt. FAIREST is a worthy prequel to a great series, and not only because it fills in a few holes after the first three books about what life on the moon is like, where Winter came from, and what happened to Princess Selene and her mother; it's because we get to see things from Levana's perspective, and it's positively haunting.

Fairest shows Levana slowly devolve from a lonely, neglected teen into an envious, spiteful, and murderous queen drunk on power. She's awful, but as readers see how she got to be that way there's no getting around having a glimmer of empathy for her. It's great added depth to the story and to the whole Lunar Chronicles series.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about protagonists and antagonists. How many stories do you read from the antagonist's perspective? Is it jarring to see how Queen Levana thinks? What do you think her biggest weakness is?

  • Did you like having this background to The Lunar Chronicles? Why do you think author Marissa Meyer wrote this prequel book in the middle of writing the main series?

  • Would you want a "glamour" to make yourself as beautiful as possible? If so, would you wear it all the time as Levana does? Or do you agree with Evret that it's more important to show others who you really are?

Book Details

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