Book Review: The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

First Thoughts:

This has been one of my favorite series since I was able to get back into reading over the last two years. Marie Lu was already one of my favorite authors since her debut series, Legend. It took me awhile to get around to reading this last installment in the series as no where had the last book. I happened to stumble along it while book browsing about a month ago and finally was able to conclude it. Because it took awhile, my memory was a bit hazy on the happenings in book two. Thankfully, Marie Lu is one of those amazing authors that is able to give enough recap to jog your memory in the opening of the book.

Of course, as we are on the last book, this book was as much of a conclusion as you can get. Without giving any spoilers away, our group of heroes and our group of "villains" are at the peak of war, fighting for territory and power. This gives us a fast pace from the start. We are also introduced to a lot of problems that set the stage for the rest of the book. I kind of knew where this book was headed because of all the X, Y, and Z's we were handed to trouble shoot but that did not leave me disappointed.

Writing: 3/5

I would honestly say that this series, being that it was her second, felt more like her debut than the Legend series. For the entire series I couldn't help but feel there was something missing that made these books really pop and set me over the edge into fandom. It could be that my maturity level of reading was just higher at the time of reading this series vs when I read the Legend series. Something about it was too airy and soft. It was missing its grounding point. That being said, I would not say that this book was ill written or unimaginative. I am a huge fan of Marie Lu's and will continue reading everything she puts out. I have not found myself disappointed.

Plot: 3.5/5

This book was all about a quick wrap up and conclusion. It was well paced. It was intriguing in how it brought all our characters together and the ending was so well done. It was beautiful. I almost wish that more of this underworld and god world we got a taste of at the end would have been incorporated much sooner. Having it wind together throughout each book could've been that missing piece I was talking about earlier. Her cinematic world building is superb. Being that she has written more dystopian's than any other genre, I think she would be excellent in writing a complete series as she did in the last few chapters of this book. Haunting, otherworldy beauty, and one's deep self discovery --- these are the key points she needs to focus on next when she creates her next series. Please. Take everything from the last 5 chapters of this book and build on!

Characters: 3.5/5

Best part of this book series (besides the trope I suppose) was its characters. Every time a new one was introduced I was taken. Each is unique not only by their powers but how they work as a unit. Considering this book was supposed to focus mainly on Adelina's journey from hero to villain, we see a bit of every character's ability to have a deep dark villainous side that runs on their selfish means. I loved that. Usually we only got to get three main points of view though Lu throws in the occasional side character to help give us more context. Each character, side or not, was given depth. Lu gave us reality wrapped in a fantasy world - we are all a product of our environment and have the ability to take our desires and fears then let them warp us or let them help others never face what we have. We all have a different perception on reality. We are all making decisions based off of those individual perceptions of right and wrong. Most of all, she gave us a reminder that we are all redeemable and we all have a different way of making things "right" in the end.

Romance: 3/5

This series took you on a loop for romances. With different perspectives and so many characters involved in the stories plot, we get a lot of different stages of love and romance. There is so much character growth and arcs to every character. This book doesn't get really "hot" but the romance we see is precious and so important to character development. The end of the book was the most beautiful for exploring the different types of love and all that it brings about - loss, sacrifice, memorial, and much more.

Overall: 3.5/5

My favorite thing about this series is the fact that it is a story involving the making of a villain. Not the villain's perspective but the general progression of Adelina's character arc from a misunderstood powerhouse to a girl who got burned one too many times and decides to take it all into her own hands. This is SUCH an underrated trope. I NEED more of these. Seriously. Please. PSA TO ALL AUTHORS: create more books including the villain's journey. Until they do, this is my favorite villains journey tale yet.