I think it's safe to say that nearly the entire universe, if not the entire universe, loves Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. My anxiety over the wait for CRESS is ever increasing, so I knew that I'd be reading this novella without question. And, boy, am I happy I was able to read this. While it's a very quick read, it's full of background information on our beloved Wolf. This book can be read either before or after SCARLET and the small back-story that it reveals to you will make certain events in SCARLET all the more meaningful.
This novel depicts Wolf's transformation from normal boy into a recruit in the Queen's Army. It shows his journey and inability to keep away from fighting, despite the fact that it's something he never supported. It shows how his desire to observe instead of partake in the action made him all the more skilled. But what I loved most about this novella is the dark and gritty irony of it all. Despite everything, Wolf could not avoid the very thing that he never wanted to happen: becoming the bloodthirsty Alpha that allows his animalistic ways to take over. That's right, we discover how Wolf became Alpha, and it's certainly worth a read.
As far as background information goes, we learn why Wolf isn't the most obedient, why he, if anyone, can be swayed by emotions. We learn what exactly caused the huge rift between him and Ran. It's not something I expected, but that's what makes it all the more heartbreaking. We learn why he hesitates when he nearly kills people in SCARLET, just how he got that scar from that unknown stupid mistake. To sum it up nicely, we learn about his journey and why Wolf is the way he is.
In less then twenty pages Meyer has convinced me that I fully understand perhaps one of my favorite mysterious heroes in all of young adult literature. And now that I've got this beautiful little gem under my belt, my anxiety over CRESS has increased ten-fold. With this knowledge of Wolf, I want to see what is explored in his future and Scarlet's future, not to mention Cinder and Captain Thorne's. And, of course, who doesn't want to meet Cress?
I highly recommend this free novella to everyone. Though it is meant to be read before SCARLET, I recommend reading it after SCARLET only because it'll make you love Wolf even more now that you know the experiences that caused him to act the way he did. However, reading it first will have a somewhat similar effect if you can remember everything. Either way, if you are a fan of this series, this is not a novella to be ignored because of the enlightening character back-story that it provides.
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