This volume was a collection of short stories based on the characters in the Lunar Chronicles series. I liked the tales and the background provided of each character. While it's not essential you read the book, a lot of it was hinted in the main novels, it is nice to drop in on the world and see how everyone is doing.

This was everything I expected and more! Since I finished Winter, I was dying to get back into The Lunar Chronicles world and this made my day. I absolutely loved the backstories, to get a more profound view of some of the characters and Marissa Meyer's writing is perfect. I was able to get back in this universe like I never left at all. This is a MUST READ for every TLC fan. I'll be reviewing each short story separately and giving their individual ratings. The Keeper - 5 stars: this is Michelle Benoit story and it focus on her relationship with Scarlet just as the girl came to live with her and it sheds some light on the events that brought Cinder to her basement, including something about her trip to Luna. Her relationship with Scarlet is beautiful and you could feel how much it killed her to hide everything from her granddaughter. She cared a lot for Cinder as well and became protective over her, so in the last novella, when Winter and Kai said that she would be proud of both of them, I believe it too. There was a scene here that will be 'important' in the last novella as well and brought tears to my eyes. Glitches - 5 stars: this was covered Cinder's arrival at New Beijing to live with her foster family, I think a little after the events of The Keeper. This novella was sad and it made me angry. I mean, how cruel and petty can you be to mistreat and shame an orphan, lost and confused little girl, cyborg or not? My hate for Li Adri matched my hate for Levana in this story because while Levana's cruelty was not personal, it was a tyrannical kind of cruelty, Adri's was personal. She wanted Cinder to fell unwanted and unloved purposefully, to "teach her place" and make her daughters stand out while stepping on a girl who lost her entire family and a part of herself (at least that's what they were made to believe at the time), who had no memories of her life previously of the accident and was still confused and lost and struggling to adapt to her new life. I think Adri deserved a worse ending in the main series, because she wasn't punished nearly enough for everything she did. I've read this one before digging into Cress, but I remembered it very little and I think I got twice as angry reading it this time around. The Queen's Army - 3 stars: Zee'v's (Wolf) story, covering his life right after he was chosen to be a part of Queen Levana's experimental army, as well as the rivalry with his brother and his relationship with his family. The novella I liked the least. It was nice and it gave us some background on Wolf, especially given the role his family played in Winter, but it was very meh for me. Again, this is my second time reading it because the story was published previously. Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky - 5 stars: Carswell Throne is a precious cupcake and he deserves to be protected at all costs! The fact that he thinks he is not a hero and he even dismiss all the things he did to Cress makes me want to cry, BECAUSE HE IS! Cress was right from the start! This story only showed how ultimately good and loyal Thorne is. SHIT ON MY BABY AND I'LL FIGHT YOU. Also, young Thorne with his Rampion model! I cannot,guys. After Sunshine Passes By - 5 stars: Cress' backstory. MY POOR BB GIRL, she was so precious and innocent! From the start, she always tried to help and protect people, always wanting to make others proud of her and be a hero! It broke my heart to see all her scrambling to impress Sybil Myra, being her sweet self and then being met only with rudeness and cruelty. The Princess and The Guard - 5 stars: I didn't know that once Winter was so powerful with her gift. This story, despite the title, showed us more about why Winter stopped using her gift and how she decided to defy Levana, earning her scars, than her relationship with Jacin. Yes, it also showed the evolution of their relationship and why Jacin decided to become a guard, but it was less focused on that. I was horrified at the reason the princess decided to stop using her glamour and the scene she gained her scars. Levana and her thaumaturges are evil bastards, just saying. The Little Android - 4.5 stars: this retelling of The Little Mermaid was so sweet, but so so sad. I shed a few tears at the ending. The Mechanic - 4 stars: Kai's POV on the scene were he met Cinder for the first time. Oh, how nostalgic it was to read this after finishing the entire series. And when he thinks at the end 'the mechanic will solve everything' or something along those lines, HOW RIGHT HE WAS AND HE DIDN'T EVEN KNEW. I think I expected a little more from this novella, but I still liked it well enough. It gave me a better understanding of Kai's struggles at the time and his character as a whole. Something Old, Something New - 5 stars: MY FAVORITE NOVELLA AND THE PERFECT ENDING TO THE PERFECT SERIES, HELP. I was so emotional during the entire story! <spoiler>THORNE DECORATING SCARLET'S ROOM FOR THE WEDDING, OMG. Iko, being Iko and bossing Scarlet around. JACIN MAKING SCARLET'S BOUQUET. SCARLET SCARING THE MEDIA WITH A SHOTGUN AND BEING THE BADASS SHE IS. Winter embroiding the hem of Scarlet's dress with the word Alpha and hugging her saying that her grandmère would be so pround...actually, WinterxScarlett friendship in general. Kai's speech. KAI'S PROPOSAL. CRESS BEING REFERRED AS THORNE'S GIRLFRIEND ON CANON, HOLD ME. </spoiler> Tears. Everywhere. Every word of this was perfect. The only complain I have is WHERE ARE MY CRESWELL SCENES? I got two phrases, if much! Jacinter had an entire novella, KaixCinder had two (because this one was FULL of KaixCinder scenes), WolfxScarlett were already getting married...even IkoxKinney had a tiny scene in the beginning! Now I need a novella with their adventures aboard the Rampion, just because! This doesn't take away from the amazingness of this novella, though.