Cress by Marissa Meyer Book Review

CRESS by Marissa Meyer Book Review
Series: Lunar Chronicles, #3
Publication Date: February 4th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Cress by Marissa Meyer Book Review Overview:

Cress is a great addition to the wonderful cast of characters
The third book in the series does not lack action, but it does build up to the final installment
The Lunar Chronicles is one of the few series that just keeps getting better with each additional book.

One of the dilemmas I face as a book lover is trying to get hooked on a series. These days, I always find myself reading the first book in a series, but I never get around to reading the others. Reading a whole series takes a lot of commitment, and it takes more than just liking a book. Beyond an interesting plot, the characters and the world-building needs to be spot on. I need to care about the protagonist even after the first book comes to an end.

Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series continues to be a hit with the third book, Cress. A classic fairy tale character inspires each book in the Lunar Chronicles series. Cress is loosely based on Rapunzel.

Cress picks up immediately where the last book, Scarlet, leaves off. I’m always worried that after waiting a long period of time for the next book in the series, I’ll forget just about everything that happened in the previous book. Luckily, I was able to jump back into the world that Meyer has created without much confusion.

Cinder and her friends are still fugitives on the run. Queen Levana of the Lunar colony is determined to catch and kill Cinder before everyone finds out that Cinder’s true identity is Princess Selene, the rightful heir to the throne of Luna. Despite the price on her head, Cinder knows she cannot hide forever. She needs to stop the marriage between Queen Levana and Prince Kai. Though the Queen promises an alliance between Luna and Earth, Cinder knows that she cannot be trusted.

Cress introduces a character that becomes Cinder’s newest ally. For years, Cress has been locked up on a satellite and forced to spy on the Earthens. A master hacker and programmer, Cress is the mastermind responsible for keeping Lunar activity undetected by the people on Earth. But Cress knows that she is being taken advantage of and she knows that she must put an end to Queen Levana’s reign. Cress agrees to use her knowledge to help Cinder overthrow Queen Levana for the exchange of her rescue from her satellite prison.

Cress is a wonderful addition to the vibrant cast of characters. Each character has such a developed back story that readers really get to know each one of them. Despite the large number of characters and alternating perspectives, the narrative does not get confusing. On the contrary, the multiple storylines keep the pages turning. I’m invested in all of the characters and I never find myself skimming chapters not told in Cinder’s perspective.

Being the third book in the series, my biggest fear that all 400 pages would be filled with lots of development and very little action. Despite the fact that the plot does build up to the final book in the series, Cress does not lack action. The plot continues to thicken in Cress with lots of jaw-dropping twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Meyer continues to delve into the origins of letumosis, a deadly disease that has plagued Earth and killed thousands. Dr. Erland gets one step closer to developing a cure. With the help of Cress, Cinder uncovers more about Queen Levana and her nefarious plans to take over Earth.

Marissa Meyer is one of the few authors whose series just gets better with every additional book. Cress is an action-packed page-turner with unforgettable characters. You’ll never want to leave the world of the Lunar Chronicles and you’ll be waiting eagerly for the final installment.

About the Author

Marissa Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and three cats. She’s a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, color-coordinating her bookshelf . . .), and has been in love with fairy tales since she was given a small book of them when she was a child. She may or may not be a cyborg. Cinder is her first novel.