Marissa Meyer's "Renegades" Book Discussion

***This event occurred on November 15, 2017, from 7:00-9:00pm at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA.***

Buy on Amazon

• Marissa Meyer talked about how Renegades was a long but rewarding journey. She had many good days but many bad days.
• She likes to read in her free time to inspire more writing. She told the group, "There are times when I am reading a book and I feel like the writer makes it looks so easy. But, I know logically that it doesn't work like that." At least I don't feel alone when it comes to my struggles with writing. I'm sure that other writers feel comfort after her comment.
• Marissa started talking about the process of writing Renegades. She first came up with the idea that during her Lunar Chronicles Scarlet tour in February 2013. She passed a construction zone with a location sign in view, but she thought it said "Coming Soon Hero School." The idea came to be a similar structure as the Lunar Chronicles where a male superhero would fall in love with a female super villain, but they wouldn't know that they were arch enemies.
• The novel continued to fall flat on her expectations so she set the book aside a few times so she could finish the Lunar Chronicles and Heartless for the next 3 years.
• After four drafts of different plots and use of characters that fell flat and her deadline vastly approaching, she said she had a moment where she had to wallow in a little self-pity and watch Pride and Prejudice before calling her agent to explain the original idea.
• She got the permission to make a stand-alone novel instead of a trilogy like she had originally signed her contract.
• It cleared her head, which allowed her to finish her novel while making the book into a duology at the least.
• When she was asked about her influences for the novel, she said, "All superhero books, movies, and TV shows, but more specifically X-men." She also said that Sailor Moon had a big impact in making the book because she loves the idea that enemies fall in love but also have secret identities.
• We were able to ask some questions...someone asked what her go to snack was and she said wine. I say that sounds great!
• I asked her what she does when she has writer's block and needs to clear her head. She told me that she likes to "Take a walk, bath or nap and even stare out the window as she draws what the characters in my book are doing."
• She then signed our books!

Some pictures from the event

My view from my seat was pretty good.

I told her that I had a very hard time reading 3rd person POV until I read her Lunar Chronicles series

She said selfies were welcome! I was so happy!

My signed copy of Renegades. It says, "Do you have it takes?" And my answer is, "Heck yes!"

I am so happy. I have many of her books signed but this was the first time I met Marissa Meyer.

Review Wednesday: The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

Title: The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1)

Author: C.J. Redwine
1st Date of Publication: February 16, 2016

ISBN: 9780062360243
# of Pages: 387

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Age Rating: 13+

Buy on Amazon

Book Description:
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.

Setting: Fictional world of several kingdoms
Point of View: 3rd person- Lorelai Diederich, Kolvanismir Arsenyevnek, and Irina

Goodreads Rating: 3.79

My Rating: 4.30

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: The cover is very interesting in a disturbing way. Why is the apple black and dripping as if it is poisoned? It seemed like a Snow White allusion.
View on Title: Who is the "Shadow Queen?" Is it the heroine or is it the villain (who are obviously both females)?

Pros:

• This book was not a let down at all. I really liked the twist on Snow White and the of being a mardushka, in other words "witch." She has the ability to control anyone she touches and uses magic with, which is neat.
• The protagonists are great and I really enjoyed this despite not being a fan of third person point of view books. C.J. Redwine pulled off a difficult task.
• Lorelai's character is the semblance of Snow White but she is so much more than Snow White ever was. She has the power of magic but she is one with nature. 
• She can protect herself and has a great sense of responsibility. She is great with animals and even has a "pet" gyrfalcon which I wish I had one.
• Kol's character shows a lot of strength since he "accidentally" becomes the king of his land in Eldr, which are people who turn into dragons (So freaking cool!). He is given a great deal of responsibility that he was not signed up for and never planned on having to deal with the responsibility of a king, but he takes it on very humbly. 
• Irina is a mardushka like her niece, Lorelai, and is the evil queen who usurped the throne. But, her story is actually sad and you can sympathize with her character.
• The love story, which was bound to happen, was actually sweet and unusual in a good way. Plus, it wasn't completely predictable. The couple in this book are what you would say is the real book power couple in my opinion.
• The world inside the book is interesting because it is fictional and shows several kingdoms. In my version of the book, the map of all the kingdoms are drawn inside the cover.

Cons:

• I felt that the ending became rushed so quickly. I read one chapter where there was conflict and struggle and then all of a sudden it's the end of the book where the build up could have been better and a little more satisfying.

Critics' Reviews:
“Forget everything you think you know about Snow White. There are no shrinking violets here, just a bold and cunning princess determined to save a kingdom that’s rotting beneath dark magic…. A gripping addition to the retelling genre.” -Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles
“A perfect addition to the fractured fairy[tale] genre…the princess does not need any saving in this tale.” -VOYA
“Filled with complex characters, imaginative and horrible consequences, and sharp twists." -Booklist
“An action-packed retelling of “Snow White”...Great fun” -School Library Journal
“A fully imagined fairy tale landscape.” -Publishers Weekly

C.J. Redwine's Website:
http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/

Other Recommendations:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Review Wednesday: Winter by Marissa Meyer

*DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW UNTIL YOU HAVE READ CINDER. THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILER. If you want to read this series, read my review about Cinder by clicking on the link: Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer


Title: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Author: Marissa Meyer
1st Date of Publication: November 10, 2015

ISBN: 9780312642983
# of Pages: 824

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Age Rating: 13 (Death, Violence)

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description:
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

Point of View: 3rd person- Winter Hayle, Crescent "Cress" Moon Darnel, Scarlet Benoit, and Linh Cinder

Goodreads Rating: 4.51

My Rating: 4.85

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: This is my least favorite cover of the series, but it is as predictable (that's a good thing in this case) as all the other book covers. This one is obviously about Snow White's retelling. I like how the theme of the red is continued through this cover using an apple.
View on Title: I thought the title is very clever because Snow White is a wintery sort of name so it made the most sense to rename her character wWnter.

Pros:

• I have to say Cress is my favorite book of the series, but Winter is the best written one in the series.
• I thought making Winter into a crazy Lunar princess that everyone adores was a good way to show how imperfect she is yet is still loved. It shows how Cinder can be loved as their future ruler if she wins. Plus, she is a great addition to the not-so-perfect perfect team.
• Scarlet's character shows how strong and resilient she is as she is imprisoned as basically an animal in a cage, but manages to become a huge part in Cinder's success. Her compassion for Wolf continues to astound me too.
• Cress expands her comfort zone as she is beside Carswell Thorne and learns how to fight for what's right outside of a computer screen. She becomes less naïve and obviously learns some street smarts as she keeps her expectations of love.
• Cinder becomes even stronger in this book and almost resilient throughout the book even though there were several events that she could have quit and accept defeat.
• The male counterpart characters get even better as the story continues
• Emperor Kai's development grows immensely. You could tell that he knows where his part in putting Cinder on the Lunar throne as the rightful queen. Plus, his love for Cinder is completely adorable.
• Carswell Thorne has become my favorite male counterpart. He learns from Cress's compassion and unfailing love which makes him a better man. He continues to be very protective of Cress and encourages her to be brave and fight. Who doesn't love a man like that?
• Ze'ev Kelsey, or Wolf, development changes very little like Cress. He continues being close to a zombie until he reunites with Scarlet (we all knew they would meet again). I just feel really bad for him since he has found purpose in life which got stripped away from him.
• Jacin Clay is definitely my least favorite male counterpart. I understand that he loves Winter and that he will do anything to protect her, but his best chance was always Cinder and he seemed to constantly just go against what Cinder was doing which caused more problems.

Cons:

• This book is a little slower than the other ones when it comes to the action, but once the action starts it pretty much does not stop.
• For some reason, I did not like Winter's character at all in this series nor Jacin, but that could be because I'm not really a fan of Snow White and never have unlike all the other characters and their stories. I'm just glad she wasn't perfect like the fairy tale.
• And where are her 7 dwarfs? I felt cheated that her little companions weren't "whistling while they work."

Critics' Reviews:

“In this final book in the Lunar Chronicles, the stepdaughter of the wicked Queen Levana joins Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress to defeat the Queen and restore Cinder―aka Selene―as the rightful ruler of Luna. Yes, it's another one of Meyer's very fractured fairy tales, in which she offers a new amalgam of Grimm's fairy tales, science fiction, violence, women's lib, and romance. Our Snow White stand-in, Winter, is beautiful in spite of facial scars, kind to all she encounters, mentally fragile, and in love with her lowly guard, Jacin . . . Meyer's series has sold well and achieved a degree of acclaim. This conclusion's cinder-block size should only drum up further interest.” ―Booklist

Marissa Meyer's Website:
http://www.marissameyer.com/

Other Recommendations:

Entwined by Heather Dixon
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay