Winter ** is the last novel in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  This final story follows all of the characters from the previous books as the final war escalates and comes to exciting ending.  Most of the action in this book happens on Luna (the moon) where Winter has spent her entire life.  As the princess she has been subjected to the evil ruling of the queen up close and personal. The result is a broken girl in so many areas.  She longs to be loved and love others and yet her mind is breaking as her nature is in complete contradiction with the behavior of the queen.

While there is plenty of character development for Winter, Meyer allows us to see her mostly through the relationships she has with the other characters that are so well developed.  

Just like the previous books, the vantage point changes between the main characters, and they are quite the group now that the series has grown.  Through each characters perspective we are able to see the detailed final steps that bring upon the Lunar Battle.  Even knowing this is the last book in the official novel series, the twists and turns will keep you turning pages. 

I still am in love with Meyer's ability to fully develop characters.   She is not afraid for her heroes to be flawed and to struggle, which adds a level to the story that many authors never have.  Each character is unique, while obviously being based on a popular fairy tale character - think Disney here...

I also was glad the last few chapters were spent on the conclusion.  This book ends with barely a loose thread.  Each couple is accounted for and set up for the Happily Ever After that fairy tales are so popular for.   I do know that some people do not always enjoy the prolonged endings, but in this case, after investing so many pages to this character's lives, I wanted all the details explained and flushed out.

For the regulars, you know that my taste for violence is not near the average American's - I simply am not a fan of violence, especially just for the sake of being violent.  But this book is about a war, and there was violence, torture, battles, murders, bio-medical warfare and illusions that moved others to violent acts.   There were a few chapters that were difficult to read as my imagination created the scenes just fine.

My other dislike was the length.  This book was more than 800 pages!  Just this one book.  Don't get me wrong, I love to read, and read hundreds of pages a week, but for one book to go on and on in such a way could totally turn a ton of people off.  At least this is the final section of the epic tale so if you've invested enough in the previous books you will want to continue on even with the weight of the pages to hold.

This is one of those series that can suck you in completely.  If you are a fan of fairy tales, science fiction, well created characters and a bit of over the top fantasy, you will most likely enjoy this series.  Just be fair warned that you will have to invest some serious time as each book get longer and there is still a collection of novellas coming! 

This book is getting a five heart rating, because I just loved the series!  Winter was a wonderful conclusion to the series (yes I know there are still novellas to be released...) and I was not left disappointed in the series at all. 

The Lunar Chronicles are suggested for Teens.  And I think it's fine for teens.  As this is a science fiction book with plenty of fairy tale nods, there is violence and war.  So if you are not a fan of books that include some fighting, maybe stay away from this set - but it is always a necessary part of the plot and never over the top (well maybe there are a couple of scenes in Scarlet that get a little graphic, but it is needed).

I do still think this is a wonderful series for adults also. While I'm all for teens getting a special place in their local library to feel comfortable, adults shouldn't stay away from this series just because it is shelved with the teen books. If you are a fan of the TV show Once Upon a Time, you will most likely enjoy this series. 

Curious about the rest of the Lunar Chronicles?  See what I've shared so far!