Stars Above by Marissa Meyer // bookreview

This is a collection of short stories by Marissa Meyer about characters we all know from the Lunar Chronicles.

There are stories that take place before the events we read about in the previous books and others that take place later. There is a story included where we read a scene we already know (and love) form an other character's point of view. Another one of the short stories is a retelling of the little mermaid where we learn about characters that we never even heard of before.

I absolutely loved the Lunar Chronicles and was so very excited when I found out this book was coming out. You can imagine my expectations where high - probably a little too high. I did like this book but I did not love it as much as I expected to. The stories were all great but I would have preferred to read about what the individual characters did after the last book ended. (A little like the scenes after the credits of a movie... does that make sense?).

These stories were all short stories, so I understand that we have to skip over a few details but I did not like the way how major problems from the last book were simply explained in a few sentences. I would have rather not known how they solved it and for it to simply remain a mystery.

I still enjoyed Stars Above and loved seeing all my favorite characters again. If you loved the Lunar Chronicles I would definitely recommend to get your hands on this book.

What did you think of Stars Above?

Favorites of 2015 // Reviews

Last year I did my first ever yearly favorites post. I still love everything I mentioned back then and I really enjoyed writing that post. That is why I decided to do it again this year! These are all products I repurchased in 2015 and want to recommend for everyone to try!

Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara Waterproof: This my favorite make-up product discovery of the year! Never have I ever owned or tried another waterproof mascara so I cannot compare this to any other one. Before I use mascara I will use an eye lash curler and this mascara helps my lashes keep their shape better than any other one did. It also separates my lashes very well and helps them keep their volume.
A problem I had with every other mascara I used before (not so much with the non waterproof Glamour Doll Mascara but still) is that after a while of wearing it started crumbling. I do not wear mascara on my bottom lashes (they are naturally black, so I do not really need to (not that anybody "needs" to)) but I still had problems with that. This has never happened with the waterproof version of the Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara.

Garnier Fructies Hair Mask Oil Repair 3: One of my (probably not that important but still) new year's resolutions is not to buy any other hair mask but this one. I tried other brands and formulas but this just works best on my hair. I have dry hair and this really helps me keeping it sleek and shiny. I can tell a definite difference in my hair after using it which is not the case with every hair product. This one is probably my favorite hair care product in general.

Pantene Pro V Conditioner For Straight Hair: This is another all time favorite hair product that I have repurchased multiple times. This does make my hair feel moisturized, sleek and shiny but it also makes my hair "straighter" than usual. It also helps my hair stay straight after I straightened it or blow dried it straight.

Lunar Chronicles By Marissa Meyer: Best book series I have read in forever! I freaking love it and I am so sad I have already finished it. It does not happen very often but this book series actually had an amazing final. Cinder is the first installment in the Lunar Chronicles which is a science-fiction retelling of Cinderella (which is even more amazing than it sounds). The story continues in Scarlet where we still follow Cinder on her path but also get to know Scarlet's story which is a retelling of the Little Red Ridinghood. The third (and thickest) book is called Cress where we meet a new main character of the same name who is stuck in a satellite orbiting earth - and not in a tower like we would expect from Rapunzel. The last and final book is Winter where we meet our last main character. By book four we are following a lot of main characters but that just makes the whole plot just so much more interesting and unique. If you do not know what to read next and you like science-fiction, fairytales or adventure - give the Lunar Chronicles a try! I have yet to hear about somebody not liking this series. Have I mentioned I love it? ;)

What are your favorites of 2015?

Winter by Marissa Meyer // Review

Winter is the fourth and (as far as I know) the final book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It actually comes out today  (11/10/15) but Amazon sent me my copy early.

You can check out spoiler-free reviews of Cinder, Scarlet and Cress on my blog if you are thinking about starting this series (which you should!!!).

Winter is retelling the story of snow white while still following the stories of all the other characters. Basically, with every book there are at least two main characters added. That means that now we are following eight (or nine) main characters (and of course queen Levana) which could be confusing but somehow it is not. I like switching perspectives with almost every chapter, I do not think I have ever read a book that does that.

It is an wonderful conclusion to an even more wonderful series. I am hardly ever happy with endings when it comes to book but this time I am - I am also devastated that I finished the book way too fast. Well, let's just hope Marissa Meyer will come out with a new book as fast as possible - tomorrow maybe? Needless to say I gave this books 5 stars on Goodreads, right?

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS!

Cress by Marissa Meyer - Book Review

Cress is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  I will link (spoiler-free) reviews of Cinder and Scarlet. This one is a retelling of Rapunzel.

I gave this book five stars on Goodreads. This is the biggest book in the Lunar Chronicles so far but if it was up to me it could be more than twice the size - I cannot get enough of the series! Why is Winter coming out in November?! Thinking about this makes me sad...

I still love all the characters and I love where the story is going. It was fast pace and funny while still leaving room for each character to develop and have their own part of the story be told. I do not want to tell you more because I just do not want to spoil you on anything. Just go read it, it is amazing!

What are your thoughts on Scarlet?  NO SPOILERS PLEASE !

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - Book Review

Scarlet is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. If you have not read the first book I will link the review here click because this review might contain some spoilers from the first book. There will be no spoilers for Scarlet though!

I gave Scarlet five stars on Goodreads, I read it in one sitting. It was impossible to put down. This book series consists of fairy tale retellings, every book focusing on an other fairy tale and another main character. Even though there is a new main story the story line from the first book Cinder still continues which I was very happy about. This was clearly a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood but that did not mean you know what was going to happen. I loved this book which is not that common for a sequel and would recommend anyone to start this series. It is something new and exciting, the characters are great and you can truly dive into this futuristic world.

There is just one thing I have to warn you about and that is that there are pretty and there (sadly) are very ugly covers for this series. I have accidentally ordered one of the not so pretty versions of the book and though normally I would not care so much about the cover it annoyed me a lot. It does have the same design but it is 'placed' differently so just be careful if you care about these kind of things!

What are your thoughts on SCARLET? Do you have any book recommendations for me? Please do not leave spoilers in the comments!

CINDER by Marissa Meyer -Book Review

Cinder is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer that was published in 2012. I do not want to spoiler this story so I will say is that it is fairy tale retelling set in the future. It is the most amazing thing ever.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. First of all I love fairy tales and the only thing sad about it is that this book is more a retelling of the Disney Cinderella version while grew up with the 'original' German version. I still loved this novel. I have never read anything like it before so I do not know what to compare it to. I liked the characters and the 'world' it is set in. What impressed me the most was the seemingly natural incorporation of typical fairy tale  themes like the evil stepmother. To me it never felt like they were just added to remind the reader of the fairy tale but all served a specific purpose in the story line.

This book is most definitely one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I have already ordered the sequel and cannot wait to get into it.

What are your thoughts on CINDER by Marissa Meyer? Please DO NOT LEAVE SPOILERS in the comments! - Thank you.

Beauty & Random Favorites February 2015

 tetesept bubble bath

If you ever wanted to take a real bubble bath you need to try this! It looks just like in the movies. You only need one cap full of product for one bath. The only thing it is missing would be a scent. It is labeled as scented but once you put it in your bath tub it is basically lost. I still love this and cannot wait to get my hands on some of the many other bath products by tetesept!

Maybelline FIT me! Concealer 15

I have talked about this product a lot before, so why include it here again? - Well, because I got a back-up and when I compared my new and my old one I was quite surprised to find to completely different colors! They both were in the shade 15 which is the lightest one you can get in Germany but my old one had gotten a lot darker over time. I have not used it up quite yet but right now I think I won't do that. When a concealer goes that dark it is time to say goodbye, isn't it?

KIKO Skinny Fit Kajal 05

I do not think I have worn liquid liner even once this month. Right now I am really into kajal, especially this one. It has the perfect color and texture: link to swatches here. I do not own a lot of KIKO products but I the ones I do have are great. I do not have a KIKO store near where I live (at least I do not think so) but when I see one I will definitely check it out.

p2 Color Victim nail polish 130 passion

This is a very old nail polish of mine.  Maybe even one of the first I ever got. I have not worn it in forever but now that I reapplied it I am falling in love with classic colors like this all over again. I planned not to buy any more nail polishes in the next few months but maybe I could just buy one more classic red one...?

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Reviews for all three books Cinder, Scarlet and Cress will be up soon - I already wrote them. The Lunar Chronicles are the best book series I have read in a long time. They might even be my favorite ever but I do not want to label them that yet since I have only read the first three books in the series. Endings can really ruin a series but with this one I liked them so far and I like the direction the story is taking. Both thumbs up for Marissa Meyer.

The Walking Dead

I got really into this show lately. I like that with this show I am not on anybodies side. Of course I am on 'the main characters' side' but there is not one particular character I support. There are good and bad sides to everyone and so this is not a good vs evil kind of show which I think is great. Go watch it!

What are your favorites this month? Please do not leave spoilers in the comments!