The Queen's Armyby Marissa Meyer
Online Fiction, 32 pages
Published November 23rd 2012 by Tor
Tor.com
Premise:
It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen’s army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen -- and to himself -- that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.
My Review:
This just about kills me... Marissa's writing is so delicious. It's as if the screen fades away ('cause I read this on Tor.com) and I'm suddenly there, watching Z, inside Z's head.
It about ripped out my guts when he was torn from his parents. I just don't think I could stand that. And his relationship with his brother? Awkward in all the right ways... frustrated yearning.I love the emotions.
The setting is incredible. This takes place on Luna and all those weird Luna-magic qualities are "normal", which only wets my interest all the more. There's just enough detail to feel a whole world unfolding, but not enough to get comfortable.
Z is so innocent and well-meaning. I could feel his hesitation as he considered his options. He is never happy with no choices and I love his decision to not cooperate, his way of demanding a choice. His relationship with his parents is so deep and true... and his brother!! He wants to look out for his brother, but it's complicated.
So much in such a little story!! Really, you must read it, but I warn you... it'll just make you want to read Scarlet all the more. And that's dangerous because the first 5 chapters are available for free download. I just know 5 chapters will not be enough... this is driving me crazy!!!!
My Rating: 5 Stars. *shrug* Hey, I will definitely read this again. I might have to buy it for my Nook. How did she cram so much life into a little bitty story?!
You know you want the first 5 chapters!! Even if you shouldn't read them!!! Click on the cover to hop over to Marissa's site to download 'em. Go ahead. It's just like one piece of turkish delight. Muahahahaha....
I get Marissa's newsletter. Delightful thing. I considered not sharing the fact that she's giving away an ARC of Scarlet to one newsletter subscriber because if you don't subscribe, I have a better chance of winning. But... I can't keep good news to myself, so... go HERE and subscribe. You'll be glad you did and if you win the ARC, you must let me read it. I'll return it to you, I promise. :-DNo, really. I will. *chuckles evil-y* Seriously, I'm quite serious!! *shakes head wildly so hairpins fly*
Meet Marissa Meyer:
One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and “cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book, and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job existed.
When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette, “The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).
When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University. After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.
Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER is my first novel, though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around too.
I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine, Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly, and playing all manners of dress-up.
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