Wires and Nerve - Marissa Meyer (Art by Doug Holgate)

Summary:  In her first graphic novel, Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold.  When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity.  With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series. (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com

My Review:  Wires and Nerve is a graphic novel set in the same world as the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series (see my rave review of Cinder here).  In general, I don't often read graphic novels, but for Cinder and her pals I will always make an exception.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Lunar Chronicles series, it is composed of the following seven books: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Fairest (a novella),Stars Above (a collection of short stories), and two Wires and Nerve graphic novels**.  Each book offers up a refreshing blend of science fiction, fairy tales, romance, and adventure, where four once-familiar folk heroines are instead a mechanically-inclined cyborg, a hot-headed tomato farmer, an imprisoned hacker, and a scarred alien princess.  Obviously, I can't say enough good things about this unique series but that isn't why were are here.

Wires and Nerve is a continuation of the story set forth in the Lunar Chronicles and centers around Iko, a sassy little service android whose personality chip has recently been transferred from a low-tech bot to a high-quality humanoid body.  Now highly skilled and able to blend in with the rest of society, Iko has been tasked with rounding up the last of the LSOP soldiers hiding on Earth.  The mission reunites her with all her old friends in some new and exciting adventures.  Initially, I wasn't taken with the artist's interpretation of some of the characters, but I warmed quickly to them once I got into the story. Iko is just as snarky as ever and it was fun (and satisfying) to see her get to be the gorgeous, amazing, kick-butt woman she's always wanted to be.  A few new characters pop up as well, and, since this is book is part of its own graphic novel series, I'm interested to see where Meyer takes them.

My favorite part of the book was getting a little more backstory (and/or the rest-of-the-story) on some of the series biggest players.   It was fun to peek a little into their past and see how they were doing now.  There.  Do you see how I'm talking about them like they are actual people and not just book characters?! That should tell you something about the world Marissa Meyer has created.  Overall, this graphic novel was enjoyable and ridiculously easy to read.  It's not the be-all-end-all of everything literary, but if you're a fan of the series and looking for something to devour in a single sitting, look no further.  This be it.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  There are a few subtle innuendos (thanks, Carswell!) but nothing a kid should pick up on.

**If you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles series, I highly recommend that you do so before you read this book.  It might not make sense otherwise and it will completely spoil everything.  I also recommend that you read them in this order: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Fairest, Winter, Stars Above, and then the Wires and  Nerve graphic novels.