To Steal the Sun: A Retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Four Kingdoms Duology #2

by Melanie Cellier

Gwen has discovered both the love she once lost and her courage. But her greatest challenge still lies before her. She has chosen to fight for her people and that means standing against the mountain queen and all the fears of her childhood.

Charlotte is ready to risk everything to save her husband and reverse the consequences of her mistakes. But freeing Henry means getting entangled in the mountain kingdom's fight for freedom and that fight might take the one thing Charlotte isn't willing to give.

Once again, the two girls must rely on each other if they hope to save the men they love and emerge unscathed from the evil that lies at the heart of the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.

If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, intrigue, found families, and friendship, then try the Four Kingdoms duology now which retells one classic fairy tale across two books!

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tales, Audiobook, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2024

About the author

Melanie Cellier grew up on a staple diet of books, books and more books. And although she got older, she never stopped loving children’s and young adult novels.
 She always wanted to write one herself, but it took three careers and three different continents before she actually managed it. 


She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.


She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ✨ (rounding to 4 for goodreads)


This book dragged a bit to me, I was ready for the action and taking down the evil queen rather than the girls pining over their fellas. 😅 But it was a pretty decent ending to the whole series—though I wanted to see way more of his family!! I feel a little jipped about that. Truly The Abandoned Princess felt like the true closer for the whole line-up rather than To Steal the Sun. Definitely not my favorite from this entire kingdom series, but I’m glad I read them even just to see hints of past characters.



Main Content-
Like the prior book in this duology, it’s all about enchantments, godmother objects, and such in this plot with many mentions and featuring of those elements; The characters are able to ride the wind via a godmother object & they also use other godmother objects; Someone tries to use a godmother object to effect the area’s mountains; There is also an object that can suck someone’s emotions out of their body; Enchantments happen that turn people into bears & the transformation happens on-page; Women who are under the enchantment have a difficult time getting pregnant & many of the babies that were able to “cling to life” were born were effected (like one baby that was born missing a leg).


Fighting, Attacking other bears, Being attacked by a bear, Being chased by bears, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, & passing out (up to a handful of sentences); A villain stabs someone and hits another (a few sentences, no remorse); Someone falls to their death (a couple sentences).

The Queen has been manipulating Gwen for years & we see that on-page with verbal, emotional, and physical abuse (including locking Gwen up in her room or a small space & Gwen recalling this happening in the past as well; Gwen breaks down when some of this happens and thinks she may die (PTSD) & at one point, realizes that there are uplifting voices from others inside of her and not just the queen’s ugly words; *Spoiler* It turns out that the Queen is not Gwen’s birth mother or stepmother *End of Spoiler*); Charlotte has a prickly relationship with her sisters & has been hurt by their and her parents’ words and actions (*Spoiler* At the end, she has set-up boundaries with her family *End of Spoiler*); Gwen destroys her room in a height of emotions and enjoys it (Charlotte later comments on it being cathartic); A couple side characters (a teen girl and a young boy) are defiant towards their parents, believing their plans to be best (and their plans do work).

Mentions of the death of a parent; Mentions of the Queen being willing to kill and/or execute others; Mentions of attacks & being chased by bears; Mentions of being held at knife-point, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of people being captured & becoming slaves/servants; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of drugging others & sleeping potions/drugs; A few mentions of possible war; A few mentions of a mother who died in childbirth; A few mentions of manure.

No major or minor language, just some eye rolling; A few mentions of curses said by side characters but are not written out.


1 cheek kiss,
1 almost kiss,
2 kisses with no details,
2 kisses with a couple sentences,
2 kisses lasting a few sentences,
2 kisses lasting a handful of sentences/a couple paragraphs,
Remembering kisses & touches (up to a couple sentences); Noticing their guy staring at one of the girls’ lips (this is such an awkward sentence, but hopefully you know what I mean??); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (up to a handful of sentences); Henry & Charlotte (who are married) share a bed and mentions of it happen in the first book; The Queen tells Gwen about getting her future husband under her control; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of embraces & touches; A few mentions of crushes.



See my content reviews of the rest of the series & spin-off series here:
The Four Kingdoms series:
Book #1, Book #2, Book #2.2, Book #2.5, Book #3, Book #3.5, Book #4, and Book #5.

Beyond the Four Kingdoms series:
Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, and Book #6.

Return to the Four Kingdoms series:
Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, and Book #6.

The Four Kingdoms Duology:
Book #1 and Book #2.

[Celestria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally didn't enjoy this as much as book one and I skimmed the last 20%. Still definitely recommend the series though, book one was great!!

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope] · Rating 5 out of 5]

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
I can’t wait to continue Charlotte, Henry, Gwen and Easton’s love stories! This has been so interesting and unique! My heart just breaks for poor Gwen! She’s been through so much! I couldn’t wait to see her and Easton’s happily ever after! I loved their love story! Easton was wonderful! I didn’t understand how the queen was so much stronger than Gwen and she couldn’t fight back. I love how much Charlotte loves Henry! It’s so sweet! There were certain parts where I wanted to yell at Charlotte for being stupid! Henry was great though! I loved him! Both of the love stories in here were so sweet! This duology was so interesting and a bit odd in certain parts to be honest. Not my favorite by Melanie Cellier, but I LOVED it nonetheless!

Quotes that I liked:

☀️ "You did rescue me." Gwen took his hand, raising it to her cheek. "You were everything to me." His cheeks warmed beneath her touch, his eyes riveted on her face. "You were the beautiful princess from a fairy story and also my best friend. It never felt quite real to me," he whispered. “There isn't a day that's gone by since we were parted when I haven't thought of you." “Me either," she whispered back.

☀️ "Gwen, I knew I wanted to grow up and marry you when we were thirteen. I just didn't think anyone would let me, given you were the princess. Five spent ten years wishing there was a way to come home to my family-home to you. You are home to me, Gwen, and I care about that far more than I care about what I do or what role fill.”

☀️ Charlotte shook her head stubbornly. "Now that I know everything, if I had my choice again, I would still marry you in a heartbeat. You are worth every moment of pain."

I’m so sad to be done with all of the Four Kingdom Series! They have been AMAZING!! It’s been an incredible journey of life, laughter and love!! I would love if Melanie Cellier did continue with the kids of the characters I love so much!! 😉 Every book was 5 stars and some of my favorites!! I can’t wait to reread them again!! I highly recommend them all!! If you haven’t read them, you need to go read them!!
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

[Lisa Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Steal the Sun is the thrilling conclusion to Melanie Cellier's duology of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." Like the first book, To Ride the Wind, the story is told between Gwen and Charlotte's alternating perspectives. Unlike most of Melanie's books, this one cannot be enjoyed as a standalone since it is a direct sequel to To Ride the Wind. I had only completed that book a month ago, but I still had a hard time jumping into this one right away because there was no recap or refresher at the beginning of this book, even a short one. For that reason, I would not recommend reading anything else in between these two books because it might be a struggle to jump back in. However, if you enjoyed To Ride the Wind, you will likely enjoy To Steal the Sun as well.

At the end of To Ride the Wind, Princess Gwen is reunited with her lost love, Easton, and Charlotte has been separated from her new husband, Prince Henry. To Steal the Sun picks up right where the first book left off with both couples plotting to defeat the wicked Queen Celandine, who is determined to force Gwen to marry Henry for her own gain even though he is already married to Charlotte. Although there was a brief explanation of why it had to be Henry in the first, it was not reiterated here, which made it difficult to understand why Celandine was so bent on forcing the marriage to take place. It was established that Gwen's fully consensual marriage to Easton would just as easily break the curse that turns the residents of her kingdom into bears every night. However, understanding a clearly deranged villain is not necessary to enjoy this book as it is mainly about Gwen's growth from a princess into a queen, which the book develops beautifully.

I've enjoyed just about all of Melanie Cellier's books, and this one contains the same elements that make her writing so thrilling. As Charlotte struggles to find a way to speak to Henry, Gwen and Easton plot with the kingdom's rebel force about how to overthrow Celandine. There are lots of secret passages, close calls, and exciting twists throughout their attempts to thwart the wicked queen's plans. The most important revelation comes when Gwen learns the truth about their relationship, which allows place her reservations at bay and step forward as a true queen. The book also contains plenty of romance, another staple of Melanie Cellier's writing. Both couples have already been established in the previous book, so this is a story of lovers overcoming challenges to be together long-term. Even though it wasn't about new love, the relationships between Gwen and Easton and Charlotte and Henry were charming and believable, and the friendship between Gwen and Charlotte added an extra layer.

Although this duology was more of an extension of the Four Kingdoms books than a conclusion, I still would have liked to see a reunion between Charlotte and Princess Daisy. Charlotte was first introduced in The Abandoned Princess, which was the official ending of all the Four Kingdoms series, and Daisy was distraught about not being able to find her at the end. A quick reunion to see Daisy's reaction to Charlotte's new husband would have been the perfect cherry to top off this princess-filled sundae. However, To Steal the Sun contains two epilogues and a detailed description of everything that happened to the major characters years after the story ended, so I can't complain too much. Overall, it was a satisfying conclusion to a two-part story about two very different princesses.

To Steal the Sun is a gripping conclusion to Melanie Cellier's duology, expertly weaving together the threads of Gwen and Charlotte's stories. While it may benefit from a refresher on the previous book's events, readers who recently completed To Ride the Wind will delight in the continued adventures of these strong-willed princesses. With its perfect blend of action, romance, and self-discovery, this book is a must-read for those who have been invested in the Four Kingdoms series all these years. Cellier's masterful storytelling brings Gwen's transformation from princess to queen to life, making for a truly satisfying conclusion.

[Rachel Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great and epic final ending for the Four Kingdoms (beside the novella).
Gwen really was amazing. She finally was able to be herself. That came with some difficulties from her past, but she really grew. Easton was a great match for her. He was strong, she was meek.
Charlotte and Henry! They were my absolute favorites. Charlotte was hurt, but she wanted to do smoothing she for everyone. Henry was so protective and kind. I love them so much!!

Content: minor violence, godmother object, High King, Palace of Light, kissing (up to semi-detailed), married couple lays beside each other on a couch (lightly detailed),

[Ellie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial Review
Staying up past bedtime reading with a flashlight count: 2 days in a row

RTC!!

Full Review:
Content Rating: 5/5There's a few times married characters lie in bed next to each other, but nothing else happens. Still perfectly clean, imo
Theme Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 11+

Two years ago, a thirteen year old, desperate for new books to read but having decided that secular YA was too risky, found a book titled The Princess Companion on a clean YA books list. She found the book on Kindle Unlimited and started reading. She was immediately sucked in and binge-read most of Melanie Cellier's books in less than two months, and returned to the Four Kingdoms world every time a new book was released.

Two years later, I have now read the final book in The Four Kingdoms series, and let me tell you, this is an amazing series that is completely squeaky clean! It's full of amazing plots, sweet characters, fun fairytale retellings, and the most beautiful themes. It's so fun to come back to the same world and see old characters again time after time, and this last book made me so happy!

The rebellion part of the plot was so fun, and I adored all the character relationships! I can't say a whole lot because of spoilers, but this was honestly the perfect final full Four Kingdoms book(though the author has said there may be another novella in the future) in so many ways. There were so many things that felt so full circle and... this book was just sooooo good!!!

spoilers ahead The mentioning of Alyssa and the parallels between her and Charlotte were just 🫠😍😭 I was so sad that there weren't any returning characters who showed up, but the author's last newsletter mentioned a coming bonus epilogue...👀 Also... HENRY HAS MAX'S EYES!!!🫠 It just felt so full-circle to have the final book in the series be about Max and Alyssa's son... augh, it just made me so happy. I want some book where a character just gets to meet all of the couples and where they are in life... that would make me so happy. end spoilers

Overall, I adored this book so much and can highly recommend it to all Four Kingdoms fans!!!!!!!

[Muse-ic ♬ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I have been an avid lover of all Melanie Cellier's books until this point; I have devoured them voraciously.

Unfortunately this one was just a disappointment. The characters were ridiculously annoying, made stupid decisions all the time, and were frequently reckless. The romance made me roll my eyes instead of giggle.

There were also a couple of serious mistakes (siting the wrong character and switching from third to first person) that, combined with the weak storyline, made it feel like I was reading a beta version that hasn't gone through enough edits yet.

It made me sad because I was so excited to get my hands on this book.

Although I definitely continue to look forward to more from Melanie!!

[Martha Braebuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and perfectly ended the duology. It fulfilled all my criteria for what I want to find in a book and was incredibly well-written and well-thought-out. Gwen and Charlotte's friendship is so incredible and strong and it was great how Melanie Cellier included the theme of forgiveness throughout the novel. Even though many of them made mistakes, they all forgave each other out of love. Henry and Easton also have a wonderful romantic relationship with Charlotte and Gwen respectively. I can't wait for Melanie Cellier's next fairy tale series as well as her next Four Kingdoms novella.

[Shawna Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I couldn’t be bothered to really review this second part of the duology again, as I pretty much got it all out with my first review other than to add that I skimmed to the finish with maybe 1/4 of the book to go. I just could t work up enough enthusiasm to sit through it all without jumping over a whole lot of paragraphs and bad conversations.

But, just in case you didn’t read the first review, I’m pasting it in. Enjoy.

East if the Sun, West of the Moon is a FT I have adored since I was young, though it seems to have recently come back into fashion given the popularity of YA FT romance retellings. I saw that this had been split into two novels and (I admit) at first I was excited, but then I started reading and my hopes pretty much fizzled.

The writing style is stilted and really forced with wording choices that had me confused from time-to-time.

The original premise of a prince who is cursed to be a bear by day (black, white, brown… it changes depending on who tells the story) and his true form at night. If he wants to break the curse he simply needs to find a girl willing to marry him who isn’t going to come unglued at the fact that her new hubby is gone all day with an enormous bear roaming the property, but will also agree to never look at his face at night.

Sleep beside him, yes, but he won’t touch or kiss her and no lights can be lit in his presence- no fires, no candles. Oh, and he’s not allowed to give her answers about his being cursed or the parameters to break the spell.

Talk about your stacked deck.

And what did this guy do to earn his curse? He refused to marry someone from another kingdom after being kidnapped and threatened.

Here the author tries to make us sympathize a bit for the jilted girl (who has no idea just how diabolical and wicked her stepmother is… hence why it’s 2 books rather than one. We wind up with the jilted girl and the boy she loved who was banished (unbeknownst by the princess) over a decade earlier and then we have Henry the bear prince and his newfound wife.

It’s too much. The fact this completely abused and broken princess has a bear curse of her own (along with the nobility… just flipped (bear at night, human by day) naturally causes a problem for her stepmother, because in their kingdom you can’t just marry a bear- they have rituals involved that a Bear’s paws aren’t suitable for (washing each other’s dirty shirts by hand mid-ceremony). So how does our prince marry his gal? Easy- he finds a kingdom where there are no crazy rituals.

But the fact that abused princess and the bear prince’s bride come to befriend one another (let alone find each other in differing kingdoms) and then find the princess’s lost childhood buddy-turn-sweetheart within a few short chapters strains credulity even with the use of magic.

Add in a peasant rebellion and a whole lot of people sneaking around and in the palace and not being spotted? And while Henry and his bride eventually start talking easier between them, it’s still not enough to make anyone interesting enough to become invested in.

Stretching it out into 2 storylines eventually merging just makes for a bloated mess. Hen-pecked guardsmen, idiotic, shallow and self-serving families… there’s just not much to redeem this. Sure, Henry seems nice enough but his bride is far too whiny (how on earth did he observe her from the woods for a few days *stalker* and decide she’s a blessed ray of sunshine? Oh, yeah… she’s pretty.

I could really lay into the childhood friends-to-lovers who haven’t seen each other since they were kids and instantly you’re considering marriage (coerced or not) and we’re left to believe they’ll stay together in the long run? That true love not only exists for them but that this girl (after a lifetime of horrific abuse) is somehow going to make for a good queen who can stand firm when needed?

And there are way too many old fairy godmother gifts floating around and two too many fairy godmothers popping up to hand out new gifts.

Maybe I went in with my hopes too high- maybe someday I will try another title by the author, but for now, no thank you.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one was definitely better but that's probably because I enjoyed Henry and Charlotte's love story so much more. 🥰 While they were still in this book they weren't as prominent. Still such a wonderful end to the duology!! Loved this series! 🥰

[Alison Gregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alllll the way at the very end we are blessed with a woodcutters daughter reference…. What a treat!

[Sandralena Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect conclusion to the duology. Cellier kept several of the original elements of the story but made the tale her own.

[Night Owling · Rating 3 out of 5]

13 yo me would have loved this.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was messy and it felt rushed and frantic. I didn't feel the love between the characters in this one.

[R · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book suffers from many of the same problems as The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood which was arguably the weakest book in the first series. Like The Princess Fugitive, To Steal the Sun has a rushed and awkward character arc where a character overcomes years of parental abuse almost overnight through the power of love and friendship. Great idea, terrible execution. The character relationships needed to be much stronger for me to buy this dramatic personality change. I didn't even buy the romance in this book! It's incredibly rushed, probably because the book didn't have time for romance. It was too busy with it's rebellion plot which also didn't work.

The four kingdoms books are at their best when they're trying to be cute fairytales with a hint of realism. They're at their worst when they try to handle complex political intrigue because the world building is not strong enough for complex political intrigue. I'm happy to turn off my brain and play along with magic items and true love when the stakes are low, but when the stakes are a rebellion and trying to outwit a supposed master manipulator? That's the kind of plot that gets my brain going and, in this case, it kept going, "What are you doing? That won't work! Your plan is awful!"

None of this was helped by the presence of Nathalie, a 14-year-old girl that dragged the story down every time she was "on screen". I have no idea why she was part of the story! She was incredibly annoying and took attention away from the two leads who were already fighting for screen time. I wanted to see them being clever and saving the day. I didn't care about this random side character who kept swooping in to save the leads at the last second.

If you're reading this book, then you've probably read all the others, so if you loved The Princess Fugitive, then give this final duology a look. I would personally skip it and end the series with The Abandoned Princess: A Retelling of Rapunzel. That was a stronger finish by far!

[Samantha Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Four Kingdom books (including "beyond" and "return to" series) are clean fairytale retellings that all follow on from each other (I like that, you get to know what characters from other books in the series and their families have been doing and some get bigger cameos or their own books later), and they are pretty much comfort reads in my family, we buy them all. Although most can be read on their own, "To Steal the Sun" can't - it is literally part 2 of the same story as "To Ride the Wind" and it picks up right where that book ends, so you definitely need to read that one first or you won't know what's going on here. I read To Steal the Sun right after I'd read book 1 of the duology and I think that's the best way to read it to fully understand and enjoy it. This was an interesting and imaginative retelling, I'm not going to give spoilers, but I reckon it's one of the best in the 4 kingdoms series in my opinion, some of my family would rate it 5 stars... but I had to take off a star because one thing drove me crazy: the characters all "wince" / "winced" so often that each time the word showed up I think I was wincing along with them! Sorry!! I feel so bad saying that, and the same thing happened in part 1 of the duology To Ride The Wind as well, although this has never happened in any of the other books in the series. Thankfully it was corrected eventually but only near the end of book 2.. before then I found it distracted me from the story and I had to re-read in places until I got used to mentally changing the word to a different one with similar meaning in my head. In some places it's every few pages someone winces. Maybe it's not something that would bother other readers but I just thought I'd mention it. That said, I thought the overall story was great, and I found the characters and their growth really enjoyable, as well as how it fitted in with the rest of the series and tied the very first of the Four Kingdoms books to this last one. I loved both of the main couples (and Natalie) especially, and it has a really satisfying conclusion. I would re-read for sure and still recommend.

[Katherine Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fight for true love and to save the mountain kingdom continues in this second part of the duology of To Ride the Wind, To Steal the Sun. This book is full of adventure, character growth, creative magical objects, and growing relationships. The rebellion is rising and Gwen must become the queen her kingdom needs for it to have any hope of succeeding while Charlotte discovers how to fight for her marriage in many different ways. Natalie continues to add lots of humor and some bold creative thinking. I enjoyed watching Gwen discover who she is and watch her process of confronting what Celandine has done to her and finding ways to rise above it and find herself and her own power. This book is set in the world Melanie Cellier has set up in other series starting with the Four Kingdoms series, but one does not need to read those stories to enjoy this. There is a minor spoiler from Princess Companion. This book will make a lot more sense if the first part of the duology, To Ride the Wind, is read first. This is a clean no spice romance with subtle Christian themes and non-gory violence. To Steal the Sun would be a good first for those who enjoy fairy tale retellings, the first book (To Ride the Wind), strong side characters, save the kingdom level stakes, overthrowing the evil queen rebellions, strong female characters, and hard-won happily ever afters.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book more than the first one, but having read all the books in this world I can’t say that I loved this duology. I am still glad that I have it and read it, and just maybe after a second read through my rating will go up.

The best part of this story was following Gwen on her journey to overcoming her mother’s abuse. Reading a duology with two couples did make for a more entertaining read, and I appreciated the supporting cast.

The elements of the original tale were mixed perfectly with the author’s own twist of events. The action sequences were well written, as well.

At the end of the book the author does state that sometime in the future she would like to write a novella for Natalie’s story. This means readers have one more Four Kingdoms book, and we might just see some more characters from the next generation of royals. Proof that Cellier is having a hard time leaving these characters as much as the readers are.

This duology can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend that anyone who is new to this author read The Princess Companion first because that it where it all started.

[Faith Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to its predecessor, To Steal the Sun is a disappointment. First, while the last book was full of fantasy and adventure, this was all about planning, plans gone wrong, and re-planning. Plans involved rebels, breaking in, disguises, etc.--nothing you haven't heard. Second, Gwen's character arc was awkward. She changed, but it was very abrupt, and she still had a lot of flaws that made her appear as weak as ever. Third, this may be personal, but there was much less romance and much less fantasy. Yes, this had godmother objects, and yes, there were not one, but two, couples; however, the godmother objects were not used frequently, and the couples were often separated.

On the side, I found the supportive character Natalie very annoying. She was a Mary Sue, or a female protagonist who can do absolutely anything and everything with no help and is extremely snarky about it. Needless to say, I will not be reading her upcoming book.

It didn't absolutely stink. It was just lacking and didn't fulfill my expectations.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues Charlotte and Gwen's story. I liked the subterfuge and how Charlotte and Gwen were working from different angles for the same goal. I thought Gwen's POV was a little more interesting than Charlotte's, just because she seemed to have higher and more immediate stakes. The plot in this book diverged from the original fairy tale more than the first one, but it does have little Easter eggs from the original story. The incorporation of washing the stained shirt was a little lackluster, but the idea was there (again, an Easter egg more than a representation). Things seemed to wrap up easily enough. The only things I'd say about this book is that the pacing at the beginning was kinda slow before it picked up, and I wish that Celadine had been fleshed out a little more (unless she's a character from a book before this that I just didn't read). Overall, good series that reimagined East of the Sun West of the Moon

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

the main characters are painfully naive for so much of the book, making foolish assumptions, rash decisions, and obvious fumbles compared to a literal deadly threat they constantly underestimate. It's like watching a child think they can take on a grand master at chess because they feel like they "got the hang of it" after only one or two games of chess. except for Natalie who somehow knows more than royal advisors on strategy, which compared to Charlotte & Gwen made her character even less believable. Half the book I was wondering if she was actually a "wise woman" in disguise, sent to clean up the messes the other two girls kept making of thing; she seemed so "beyond her years" compared to everyone single other person in the book except the queen herself. but then the ending was a little ominous, like Natalie might go and try to force herself onto a foreign royal kingdom for wealth or power or something. Hopefully it doesn't go there in the future.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great conclusion!

Gwen and Charlotte really come into their own in this book. Their Princes also step up. A lot of action and planning and bears and magical objects haha
I actually love that, while yes, enchantments and such had a lot to do with the plot, the heroes/heroines didn't RELY on the magic. They make plans and rely on allies and each other and use safeguards like gathering a small army and guards. Loved that!
Plus, loved the bonus of extra romantic scenes 🥰🤭 hehe
The couples were so cute and I no longer hold that first encounter against Easton lol
The queen got what she deserved, we get a happily ever after and the promise of one more story! Not sure I actually like Natalie but.....curious how she'll pull off her goal 🤣

[Karen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The is the second book/part of this story (It is really just 1 story spread across 2 books). I really enjoyed how the author reworked the East of the Sun and West of the Moon fairy tale. I like how she turned the traditional princess with the long nose (from the original tale) into a main character who is not what she seems. You must read the first book first. At the end of the last book, Gwen and Charlotte find Easton and return to the mountain kingdom and meet up with the rebels. They work out a plan to break the enchantment and overthrow the Queen in the process. Charlotte agrees to help so she can free Henry. Will their crazy plan work or will the evil queen find a way to thwart them?

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To Steal the Sun" is a fantasy based off the tale of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." This book simply continues the story from "To Ride the Wind," so you need to read them in order. Charlotte and Gwen were a little smarter in this one, but not by much. They needed to restrain the evil queen, and it turned out to be remarkably easy....so one wonders why no one did it sooner. It was remarkably easy to enter and leave the palace grounds, so, again, why didn't someone assassinate the queen or something? Anyway. Both Charlotte and Gwen had their good moments. I love most of this author's books, but this duology is not my favorite. There was no sex or bad language.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good ending to a great retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I really liked that the two female leads became friends rather than rivals and didn't let anyone divide them. Some cool twists and fun edge-of-your-seat intrigue as our heroines stage a rebellion against the mountain queen. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to know Easton much better since he was the only one of the main quartet of characters who wasn't in the first book, but there was too much going on for anyone to really sit down and spend much time with him. Gwen gets the most focus as she learns to face her fears after years of her stepmother trying to break her spirit.

[MK Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this were a more fully fleshed out story. I loved Gwen and Charlotte's friendship, but it was so rushed! Like kindred spirits without any of the work.
I love the boys too, and wanted time they spent together! And more time spent on the actual love of the couples rather than the thickness of the plot (which always thickens!).

Then there's Celendine, who is one of the most realistic villains to ever come out of this world, and we only get her this much???? I needed more! I needed an exploration of these feelings and more understanding with the rest of the cast of characters as to why bottling your emotions is so dangerous.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm cheese continuation of book 1, culminating in the promised happily ever after 🤓

There is a lot of action in this 2nd book, and it keeps moving at a steady clip. I will warn that both romances feel rushed and underdeveloped, even more so than in the first book. It’s an enjoyable read, though, especially for those who love fairy tales.

Content:
There’s no foul language or sex. The romances are clean and there is minimal violence. There is a High King and godmothers that appear to act as gift-bestowing guardian angels… but I wouldn’t call it truly Christian.

[Katie Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After all these years and many amazing books, the world of the Four Kingdoms has finally come to a close... 🥲 It’s bittersweet because I’ve absolutely loved all of these characters and intertwined stories, but I’m excited to see what else Melanie Cellier writes! I enjoyed To Steal the Sun and thought the plot was really unique!

That being said, I feel like it dragged at parts (especially being the second book in a duology) and I skimmed a lot, which I don’t normally do. Because of that I rated it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, but I still really liked it!

[Mel Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this conclusion to the duology. Although, now I'm super curious about what all godmother objects Celandine collected and what each ones purpose is. I also wished we could have seen Henry introducing Charlotte to his family. Or Gwen visiting some of the other kingdoms in the this world. But since there's going to be a novella about Natalie someday maybe we will get a peek into what those interactions were like. Overall, this duology is now in my top ten favorite fairytale books by this author. I'm excited to explore a new series by her.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains: kisses and some fighting

This takes off right after the previous book and is more part two than a book in its own right. It references things from the first book as if they had happened in this one. It was an interesting read giving me more Snow White vibes than East of the Wind. I thought the characters were way too trusting in things working out and in the goodness of their peers. They have a plan based on secrecy then continue to bring in dozens of people on the plan.