Title: The Queen’s Army
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1.5
In: Stars Above (Marissa Meyer)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Steampunk, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Z pushed himself back into the exam table.

In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.

Levanna’s army is shown in Cinder and it seems kind of scary. Which is why a short story about one of the young men who are placed into this situation and created as a soldier worked in quite well. It’s the story from behind enemy lines that is not only introducing a character that will (I’m sure) appear in the next novel, but helping to highlight the horrors which Levanna inflicts upon her own people.

There really wasn’t much that was shocking in this story. It was expected that the soldiers would be genetically modified. That the lead would be unwilling to join the legions. And that he would eventually triumph over the other sufferers of brutality. The way in which it was done was completely different though. Mostly because of the great and unique world in which Meyer has placed her characters.

Now that I’ve read about the boy, I can’t wait to meet the man in Scarlet…

Image source: Goodreads