Winter (2015) is a young adult science fiction novel by American writer Marissa Meyer. It is the fourth main novel in The Lunar Chronicles, a series that reimagines classic fairy tales in a futuristic world shaped by plague and political conflict. Winter follows Cress (2014) and brings together the arcs of Cinder, Winter, and their allies as they move toward a final confrontation with Queen Levana. Drawing on elements of “Snow White,” including a poisoned princess, a jealous queen, and a kingdom in peril, Meyer uses this final installment to explore what it takes to dismantle tyranny through three interwoven themes: The Need for Cooperation to Resist Oppression, Maintaining Personal Identity in the Face of Authoritarian Power, and Mercy and Compassion Confronting Cruelty.

This guide references the 2015 Rampion Books eBook edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, illness, death, ableism, mental illness, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual violence and harassment, rape, animal cruelty and death, child abuse, bullying, suicidal ideation and self-harm, and child death.

Plot Summary

The Lunar Chronicles imagines a future where humans colonize the moon, now called Luna, and develop the power to manipulate others through bioelectric control. This creates political tension with Earth. Lunars born without the gift of bioelectric control are called shells. Because shells are immune to Lunar manipulation, Queen Channary orders all shell children executed after shell assassins kill the Lunar king and queen. In truth, Luna keeps shell children in a comatose state and harvests their blood to create the antidote for letumosis, the plague she created as a biological weapon against the people of Earth.

Winter follows Princess Winter Blackburn, stepdaughter of Queen Levana. Winter refuses to use her Lunar gift, even though not using it causes hallucinations and mental instability known as Lunar sickness. Levana already hates Winter because of her beauty and popularity with the common people, and she uses Winter’s illness to portray her as weak and unstable. The novel opens with the public execution of a father who tries to rescue his shell infant from a medical facility.

After this father’s execution, a trial begins for Jacin Clay, Winter’s childhood friend and guard, accused of failing to protect Thaumaturge Sybil Mira. Mira was killed while investigating the kidnapping of Emperor Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth. Levana claims that the rebel leader Linh Cinder is responsible, but Kai is secretly working with Cinder’s rebellion. His planned marriage to Levana exists only to secure the antidote for his people, while Levana wants the marriage so she can become empress of the Eastern Commonwealth. Levana spares Jacin and assigns him to guard Winter.

Winter spends much of her time in the royal menagerie, where she befriends Scarlet Benoit, a captured member of Cinder’s crew who has been given to her as a “pet.”

At the same time, Cinder is traveling from Earth to Luna aboard the Rampion with Emperor Kaito; her android friend, Iko; Crescent Moon “Cress” Darnel, a shell and gifted hacker; Ze’ev Kesley, known as Wolf, a former Lunar special operative who has been partially transformed into one of Levana’s wolf soldiers; and Carswell Thorne, a fugitive captain and thief. Together, they plan to overthrow Levana. Cinder is actually Princess Selene, the rightful heir to the Lunar throne. Levana tried to kill her as a child, but Cinder’s adoptive father, Linh Garan, saved her life by turning the badly injured princess into a cyborg.

Kai wants to return to Earth and begin the rebellion’s plans, but Cinder hesitates until Levana attacks the Commonwealth with her mutated wolf soldiers. Kai goes back to Earth, pretends he still wants to marry Levana, and convinces her to move the wedding to Luna. Levana insists it must happen in 10 days. Kai arrives with his adviser, Torin, and what appears to be a small American delegation, but Cinder’s crew hides aboard. When Levana orders the ship searched, the group escapes. Cress stays behind to open the doors for them. Winter finds her and later returns with Jacin, who agrees to hide Cress in his quarters despite her distrust of him.

Cinder, Iko, Thorne, and Wolf escape to RM-9, a mining sector and Wolf’s former home, where they are sheltered by Wolf’s mother, Maha. Back in Artemisia, the Lunar capital, Levana uses a harmless flower crown incident as an excuse to order Winter’s death and commands Jacin to kill her. Instead, Jacin helps Winter and Scarlet escape. He kills a wolf to fake Winter’s death, and Cress stays behind again to ensure their safety. On RM-9, Scarlet reunites with the rest of the group and delivers a message from Cress, including a video of Cinder revealing herself as Princess Selene and instructions for hijacking the broadcasts.

Jacin, Wolf, and Iko air the message. At first, RM-9 shows little reaction, but the people soon overpower the guards and kneel to Cinder after she stops them from killing their would-be captors. Levana soon films a rebuttal message, using Lunar mind control to force Kai to voice support for her. When Thaumaturge Aimery tracks Cinder to RM-9, he threatens the people there and kills Maha. Cinder gives herself up to protect them, and Aimery captures both her and Wolf.

Winter forms a new plan. She and Scarlet go to recruit Levana’s mutated wolf soldiers, while Thorne and Iko head for Artemisia. Jacin and Cress escape and join them. Kai marries Levana and fails to kill her during the ceremony. Winter and Scarlet manage to recruit about 100 wolf soldiers. Levana prepares to execute Cinder after the wedding, but Cinder records Levana’s true face beneath her glamour and escapes by throwing herself into Artemisia Lake. Thorne and Iko rescue her. Levana learns that Winter is alive and that several sectors are rioting.

Cinder survives, though several cyborg parts malfunction. She realizes Garan may have hidden his invention, a device that blocks Lunar manipulation, inside Iko’s personality chip. Cinder, Iko, and Thorne reunite with Winter, Scarlet, and the wolf soldiers in a lumber sector. Levana poisons Winter with letumosis, hoping to turn her into a weapon against the rebels. Winter’s friends find her near death. They take her to a doctor who places her in suspended animation while Cinder, Jacin, and Iko go to Artemisia for the antidote.

Levana orders her people to complete Wolf’s transformation into a wolf soldier. Cress and Thorne infiltrate the palace, but when they are discovered, Thorne sacrifices himself so Cress can continue. Cress finds Kai, who helps her reach the control center. Meanwhile, Cinder and Jacin recover the antidote and use it to save Winter and the others infected in the lumber sector.

Kai reluctantly crowns Levana empress. Wolf tries to kill her but fails. Cress broadcasts Cinder’s demand that Levana surrender, then releases the recording of Levana’s scarred face. The revelation breaks Levana’s control over the crowd and sends her fleeing into the palace. Cinder pursues her. Outside, Aimery forces Winter to strangle Jacin. Winter finally uses her gift and forces Scarlet to kill Aimery, then experiences a complete mental collapse.

In the throne room, Levana uses Thorne as a shield and weapon. She forces him to attack Cinder and later Scarlet. Thorne wounds both Cress and Cinder. Levana pretends to surrender, then stabs Cinder in the heart. Cinder shoots her and collapses.

Cinder survives and becomes the Lunar Queen, having killed Levana. Her first act is to broker peace with Earth, and she later decides to dissolve the monarchy altogether. Most of her crew survive and begin to heal. Winter slowly improves and agrees to become the first test subject for Garan’s device. She and Jacin finally admit their feelings for one another. Scarlet and Wolf decide to return to her farm together. Thorne is pardoned and offered a job delivering the letumosis antidote, and Cress chooses to go with him. Kai asks Cinder whether she might one day become empress, and she says she will consider it.