Winter

School Library Journal 11/01/2015 Gr 8 Up—In the final installment of the "Lunar Chronicles" series (Feiwel & Friends), readers are introduced to Princess Winter, the beautiful stepdaughter of the villainous Queen Levana. Forced to scar her own face as a child and driven mad by her refusal to use her Lunar gift to control people, Winter is still adored by the Lunars, especially her childhood friend and guard Jacin. Meanwhile, Cinder, now aware that she is Princess Selene, the true heir to the Lunar Kingdom, makes her way to Luna with Iko, Kai, Cress, Thorne, and Wolf in order to rescue Scarlet and overthrow Levana. In a society where manipulation, glamour, and bioengineered wolf-men all serve to strengthen Levana's rule, Cinder must rely on truthfulness and kindness in addition to physical strength if she is going to gain allies and create peace between Earth and Luna. This volume may be the series' conclusion, but there are plenty of obstacles and battles that the protagonists must overcome before their happily ever after. Meyer excels at transitioning back and forth between multiple story lines and holding readers' interest. The book has an open-ended conclusion, giving fans hope that further chronicles may be on the horizon. Like the previous entries in this widely appealing series, this title features strong heroines taking control of their destinies set against a fully developed and imaginative world. VERDICT An ambitious and successful finale.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ