Cress

Love this series! Found friends, action, Lunar magic, great twists and turns. This group of misfits are so fun. Definitely cheering them on. Don't let it being YA fool you. Super story and characters. So much fun to read. Now onto the next book. Yay Cinder!!

How in the WORLD do I make it through this review without just straight up fangirling all over the place? Deep breaths… I will try to remain calm. Except for the fact that LEGITIMATELY Cress may be the best book I have ever read. No exaggeration. Okay, okay, where do I start…Let’s start off with Cress herself. I really loved her as a new addition to this cast of characters, which was all ready pretty amazing. Whereas Cinder and Scarlet are tough and take-charge, Cress has been kept naïve and obedient all of her life… Except for when she finally decides to take action and disobey her guardian Sybil Mira in order to help Cinder and her own personal idol and heartthrob, Carswell Thorne. I really appreciated how well done Cress’s character was! I think often times when characters are portrayed as naïve and innocent, it’s overplayed and the character becomes a caricature of themself, but Cress felt incredibly real and had a lovely range of emotions that made me really connect with her. She has an adorable crush on Thorne and that also really added to the depth of her character. She slowly begins to find out things about Thorne, about the Lunars, and even things about herself that really helps her grow as a person and come out of her shell. (No pun intended since she herself is a shell.)Speaking of Thorne — I cannot even wait to talk about him. Normally I save my gushing over the romances for later it the review but nope. Can’t do it. Thorne absolutely stole my heart in CRESS and I’m so glad we got to see more of him! I had suspected in SCARLET that since he was partnering with Cinder, there was going to be a romantic development between the two of them, but I’m so glad we get to see that romantic side of him develop with Cress. I love the balance between the two characters and how well they work together. They both really learn a lot from each other and grow immensely since we’ve first seen them in the series. There are some SUPER SWOONY MOMENTS and my heart absolutely melted so many times. Eeee, just thinking about those super swoony moments sets my heart all a-flutter again!Another thing I really enjoyed about CRESS was getting deeper into the history of the Lunars and seeing more Lunar characters. They absolutely fascinate me and I love learning more about their culture and history so that was definitely a big plus for this book! We’ve been learning more little by little as our heroes find out but CRESS featured them much more prominently and I was absolutely enthralled with their story lines. Their history and their characters provide some AMAZING twists and the way the histories of the characters are weaved… I’m absolutely floored when these twists are revealed. The plot of this series is genius and I love how each character adds a new layer to the story without leaving the other characters behind. Instead of battling for the spotlight, these characters fit together perfectly and create one fantastic series.The action and adventure in this series is phenomenal. I don’t know why, but I often feel lost reading action scenes… Either they’re over explained or not detailed enough and I just end up getting a little lost in the melee, but Marissa Meyer does not have those issues at all. I felt like I was watching a movie the entire time I was reading CRESS and the action scenes did not let me down! Really, the whole book felt like a movie and I may be jumping the gun WAY too much, but this is a series I NEED to see as a movie or TV show. (I’m hoping for movie!) I would absolutely die to see this series on the big screen because dare I say it, but I agree with Stormy when she left a comment on my Top Ten Tuesday a while back — This is a series of Harry Potter proportions. I don’t think I’ve loved any series as much as this since Harry Potter and I would love to see it all come life off of the pages as well!Okay, okay, time to talk about the rest of the romances. I love that we get to see more of Scarlet and Wolf’s relationship. They have something really special and you know what… I love that each romantic relationship in this book is so incredibly different. The characters are unique and yet they fit together perfectly. I know everyone was swooning over Prince Kai in CINDER and yes, I liked him, but I didn’t quite swoon until CRESS. There’s a big moment which obviously I won’t spoil but one thing that really bridged the gap between liking and loving Kai in CRESS and I went absolutely nuts for it!CRESS is by far the best book I have read in a long time in the best series I have read in a long time. Marissa Meyer has gold with The Lunar Chronicles and CRESS just made me fall in love with the series that much more. Each new story we get just adds to my love more and more and as much as I had already loved the series, CRESS has solidified it as one of my favorite series of all time. The Lunar Chronicles definitely has a special place in my heart and you bet I will be HIGHLY anticipating the release of WINTER… Oh, the agony the waiting will be…

Cress is the third of four books in the planned fairy tale tetralogy known collectively as “The Lunar Chronicles.” Whereas many continuations of young adult sagas can be painful to experience in light of the promise of the first book in the series, I have not felt that disappointment at all with Marissa Meyer. Each of her books joins a separate fairytale retelling into a connected whole, which takes place in a dystopian future in which the people of Earth are struggling to maintain independence from the mind-controlling, genetically-enhanced people of Luna (i.e., the moon).The first book, Cinder, focuses on a teenaged girl who is meant to evoke Cinderella. Her status as a hated cyborg is exposed when she loses her bionic foot at the ball marking the inauguration of Prince Kai. (Cyborgs are humans who are part metal, having received artificial parts to compensate for damaged flesh. There is a great deal of prejudice against cyborgs, who are considered second-class citizens.)The second book, Scarlet, is a reworking of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Scarlet is a red-haired teen who will discover an unexpected connection to Cinder. Both of them are searching for Scarlet's missing grandmother. In the process, Scarlet meets and falls in love with Wolf, a former Lunar soldier whose genetic material had been spliced with that of a wolf to add to his deadliness. Cinder gets caught and thrown in jail, but escapes with the help of a fellow prisoner, Carswell Thorne. At the end of Book Two, the ragtag band of Cinder, Thorne, Scarlett, Wolf, and Cinder’s Artificial Intelligence BFF Iko, is circling the Earth in Thorne’s spaceship as they plot a way to overcome the evil Lunar Queen Levana.This third book in the series introduces Cress (short for Crescent Moon), who is our Rapunzel. Cress has spent most of her life isolated on a satellite orbiting the earth, plying her computer hacking skills at the demand of her nasty Lunar mistress in order to help the Lunar government spy on Earth. Cress likes to daydream that she is actually in one of the many soap opera adventures she watches, instead of being trapped and lonely. In addition, she has gotten caught up in the real-life exploits of the dramatic escape of Cinder and her comrades; what if this handsome Carswell Thorne could help her escape as well? She reaches out to Cinder and her companions, but everything goes wrong, and suddenly, the specter of a war between Earth and Luna looms on the horizon.Meyer does an expert job of respecting the integrity of each fairy tale arc while at the same time meshing it with the other fairy tale plot lines, so that it seems as if they unquestionably belong together. The characters are eminently likable, and the books are quite clever, romantic, and entertaining.This is an excellent series. The aspects of fairy tale retellings keep it from being too dark, and there is enough romance and suspense mixed into the dystopian landscape to please aficionados of a number of genres. I hate to say this is a “happy” series given that the Earth is in peril and large numbers of people die, and yet, the tone is - well, happy. These are feel-good books, with the promise of fairy tale endings.Note: These books are not really standalones, but should be read in order.

Friends, I’ve been sitting on this review for months now, but barely. I BARELY CONTAINED MYSELF. There was no doubt in my mind after reading SCARLET that The Lunar Chronicles was one of my favorite series, and CRESS, the third book in Marissa Meyer’s exceptional series, did nothing at all to change my feelings. In fact, it cemented them. Honestly, these books are amazing. They are excellent on their own, but together? OMG LOVE LOVE FOREVER AMAZING *flails* CRESS takes the action in the big arcs and propels it–like, legit hurls it–forward while introducing us to new characters and giving us deeper looks at characters we already knew (THORNE. Hubba hubba.)So it’s hard to recap two books for you guys, but in a nutshell, I’d say it’s Queen Levana 1, Earthen Union 0. The good guys can’t seem to get a leg up, and if they manage small victories, they always seem to be too late or not enough. Slowly but surely, though, things are beginning to come together for them, even though some sacrifices are demanded that everyone was hoping to avoid. Cinder, Thorne, Wolf, and Scarlet are armed with some important information about a certain missing princess and are going after Levana when they meet Cress, one of Sybil Mira’s hacker spies. Basically, shizz is hitting the fan from chapter 1, and it doesn’t let up once.I have to start off talking about CRESS‘s namesake. I LOVED Cress. She’s idealistic and naive and sweet, but she’s also very smart and savvy and she’s got gumption. She’s different from Cinder and Scarlet, but amazing and brave in her own way. One of the things I love about this series is that there’s no character wasted, and Cress brings something important to the crew led by Cinder and Thorne, and she has a pretty meaty back story as well. She spent so much time alone on her satellite, daydreaming about life on Earth, so getting to see things with her fresh eyes is fun and warm-fuzzy, even when the story in CRESS is not.But since I mentioned Thorne (SWOON), let’s just chat real quick about the romancey business in CRESS. Cress & Thorne–I love their relationship and their closeness. They both take care of each other, which isn’t something I’d think that Thorne would tolerate from just anyone. But he’s protective and charming, and Cress is sweet and unfamiliar with social interaction, but she’s got good instincts for it. The relationships in this series are as different as the characters themselves, which is real and excellent. Thorne is flirty and aloof on the surface, and Cress is all feelings. I LOVE THEM TO PIECES.The romance is not, of course, the biggest thing going on in CRESS. THE DRAMZ OMG. Things are happening at a breakneck pace, friends. I could not put CRESS down even if I wanted to, which I didn’t EVER. The conflict with Levana is finally coming to a head and HOLY CRAP, it’s going to be bananas. I’m worried for people in WINTER. For real. And I love how Marissa Meyer is able to add new characters without taking away from the existing ones. For sure, Cress is a major factor in CRESS (obviously), but Cinder and Kai have huge roles as well, and Thorne plays a bigger role than ever before. Wolf and Scarlet have some pretty legit obstacles, and they spend a good deal of CRESS apart, unfortunately. It’s pretty much hell on Wolf, which makes me heart him even more, but it also puts Scarlet in a really interesting position. One that gives us our first glimpse of Princess Winter. WORD. It’s truly an impressive feat, the way Marissa Meyer is able to subtly move pieces into place without slowing things down.One of the more fascinating new characters we meet is Jacin, a Lunar soldier. LOTS to learn about him. What are his loyalties? Well, they aren’t clear at first, and they aren’t clear by the time we get to our climax. Cinder trusts him out of necessity, but there’s definitely something between him and Princess Winter, who OMG guys is SO INTERESTING and we literally only meet her for maybe 5 minutes. WOW. I CANNOT WAIT FOR REAL.I know I haven’t talked a great deal about the plot, but I’m trying not to be a huge spoiler. Suffice it to say that Marissa Meyer’s story is outstanding. There are new revelations, deaths, tons of action, heart, hints of things to come, and a real sense (for me at least) of anxiety. Trying to puzzle out how things will end up is both exciting and really, really hard.I want to be in Marissa Meyer’s head, guys. I feel like it’s a really awesome place where genius creative things are born. I love this series wholeheartedly, and CRESS amps up EVERYTHING. I’m both DYING for WINTER and not ready for this amazing series to be over.

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***I give this book (this series) all the stars in the universe.I LOVE this series so much.And I love this book a lot.This book did not disappoint me at all.I have really taken my time in writing this review because I am not sure I can find all the right words to describe how much I love this book. And I don't think that this review will be able to convey all of my fangirl love for this book...Marissa Meyer once again has done an amazing job creating a well-developed world with wonderfully-developed characters making an incredible story.I love that the author created a wonderfully unique fairy tale retelling for this series. Each book leaves me so impressed with how amazing the story is. She includes major parts of the original fairy tale while still creating a new extraordinary story.It just blows my mind to think that after loving the first two books in this series, Cress is just as spectacular or maybe even more awesome than the others. It is hard to pick a favorite, but I think Cress just might be my favorite from the entire series so far.I was left wanting more. I didn't want this book to end. And I cannot wait until Winter comes out next November!The Story:Book three is a wonderful continuation of the series. It picks up pretty much where Scarlet left off. Cinder, Thorne, Wolf, and Scarlet are now on the run. They decide to try and get Cress, so they can use her help to finally go after Queen Levana. Things get crazy. And the group gets separated. I found this to be interesting and it just really added to the story. We get to see some characters develop and it is just awesome. And since the group was separated, we get to read from a couple different points of view. Which I really liked doing.I was completely hooked to the story and all the things that were happening for each of the characters.I found this one to be full of action, adventure, friendship, and awesomeness.The Characters:Not only do we have the characters that we already know and love, but we get to officially meet Cress. (Even though we had a glimpse of her in Cinder.)It is incredible that the author has so many main characters, and it is too hard for me to pick one single favorite. I love them all so much. These are characters that I wish could be real so they could be my best friends. And with each book, my love for these characters grows stronger.Cress is just an amazing character. I really enjoyed reading about her and from her point of view. She has been locked up in that satellite for a long time, yet she is not completely crazy. But she is a little awkward. Which makes me really relate with her. I LOVE her creativity and imagination. I love her way of coping. And I love that she tries to see the good in things. I felt that she is full of hope. I adored her feelings towards love and romance, she is just so sweet and innocent as well. And I absolutely adored the scenes and conversations between her and Thorne. I really love her character development through the story as well.And she is so smart. Which is completely awesome.I love that Meyer has created strong, smart, brave female characters. Characters that deserve to be heroines and looked up to.I especially loved that there was more Thorne in this book. Since I love him so much. I really enjoyed getting to see his character develop. He is swoon-worthy. And I think I love him even more after reading this one...(if that is possible!)And of course Cinder is in the book. All the scenes with her were also really interesting. I kept wanting to know what she was going to do next and what was going to happen to her. I loved watching her character continue to develop.I thought that Wolf and Scarlet had a bit smaller role in this book, but they were not left out. And I am looking forward to reading more about them as well in the next installment.Iko! As funny as ever. I love Iko so much, and I just adored her in this book.And also Kai. He has a lot to deal with in this book. Pretty much all the stuff with Queen Levana. And I really liked the parts that included him and some of what he was going through. I am interested to see what happens next with his character.My Recommendation:This is a book series that I pretty much mention to every one. I have convinced some of my friends to give this series a try. It is one of my all-time favorite series.I highly recommend this one to anyone that has already read the first two stories.And if you haven't, then I highly recommend THIS SERIES to anyone that likes unique fairy tale retellings and science fiction. Amazing series. Love it so much!

[...]It's amazing what you can do with a pinch of imagination and a sprinkle or two of creativity. Just take a look at the shelves upon shelves of retellings of classical tales, and you'll realize just how much power authors have. Their ability to take something old, then completely transform it into something of their own is awesome in its own right, and it never ceases to amaze me! Marissa Meyer does just that in the "Lunar Chronicles", reimagining traditional fairytales and giving it a sci-fi spin. "Cress" is the third and latest installment to the series, introducing a twist on the time-old story of Rapunzel (I mean, the hair on the cover is a dead giveaway).Cress can't let down her hair--or her guard. Trapped in a satellite since childhood with only her computer for company, Cress has become a master hacker, and is determined to escape Thamaturge Sybil's clutches. Her only hope of freedom lies with Cinder and her friends--especially her handsome accomplice, Captain Thorne-- though things aren't exactly easy when Queen Levana orders her to track down the fugitives, fearing that Cinder will destroy her plans to takeover Earth. But when the rescue mission goes awry, the group is separated. With Queen Levana and Emperor Kai's marriage drawing closer and closer, Cress, Cinder and Scarlet know that they may be the only ones who can save Earth--before it's too late.What I especially love about the "Lunar Chronicles" series is that despite the fact that new characters are constantly being introduced with every book, the old characters still play central roles in the story. Cress is the newest addition to the lively cast of characters as a re-embodiment of Rapunzel. What struck me about Cress is that she seems incredibly young, especially given her petite size (the mass of hair doesn't exactly help her height either). Admittedly, it took me a little while to get used to the idea of Cress being a teenager rather than an eight-year old, but her naivete does make sense given her solitary confinement throughout her entire childhood. In fact, her awkwardness and zeal makes her a pretty adorable character, especially her infatuation with Captain Thorne. Thorne, of course, is as charmingly arrogant and witty as ever, and I was delighted to see him play a larger role in the book. It was really interesting to see their relationship develop, and what made it even more enjoyable to read was the fact that it was developed believably. While we did have Cress already head-over-heels "in love" with the dashing Thorne, Ms. Meyer took their relationship into unexpected directions, away from the gag-worthy insta-love cliche, which added a very realistic dimension to their budding romance.The rest of the characters in "Cress" were just as exciting to follow in this latest installment to the series. Cinder is, as always, a strong, determined heroine, one who really has developed a lot throughout the series so far, and is still struggling to come to terms with her newfound identity and the responsibilities that come with it. Though Scarlet and Wolf aren't as central to the story as they were in the second book, they are still notably part of the team, and it was endearing to see their relationship in the aftermath of "Scarlet." Kai, Dr. Erland, and the rest of the gang were also present, and it really is like seeing old friends again! Ms. Meyer's decision to have the chapters told from all these different characters' points of view really added dimensions and layers to the story, and gave readers the time to really be with all the characters they've become so familiar with over the course of the series, which I appreciated a great deal.The plot of "Cress" is exciting and compelling throughout, picking up from right where we left off in the previous book and catapulting through adventures and complications with an appropriately fast pace. The stakes are high from the onset, and the tension remains up and running throughout the entire novel. A lot of things happen in the story, especially the big revelation with Dr. Erland (you'll have to read it to find out what it is for yourself!), and what really strikes me is that I still remember all that's happened, despite the fact that I finished reading the novel about a week ago. And that's when you know you've read a really good book--when it's memorable!Overall, "Cress" is an intergalactic adventure that is not to be missed. The newest addition to the "Lunar Chronicles" series is jam-packed with a dynamic cast of characters and a stellar storyline. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for a good read--I already can't wait for the next installment, "Winter" (you're up next, Snow White).Rating: 5/5P.S. See my review for the previous book in the "Lunar Chronicles" series, "Scarlet," on my blog!

4.5 STARSA spectacular third book in the Lunar Chronicles that will have your head spinning in pure bliss! Filled with all the same fun characters from all the previous books, and some new and intriguing ones that bring a different kinda dynamic to the story, with a thickened plot and a world of trouble and drama, CRESS has lived up to all my expectations and some!What a mind blowing ride CRESS took me on! I learned early on from book one not to underestimate Meyer's and her mad writing skills. But for some crazy reason I always do just that, and each book just gets better and better, surprising me with a more engaging read each time! This book was hypnotizing and absolutely addicting from the very first page. I could not put it down for nothing, and I loved all the new and exciting characters that were introduced and became a great addition to this fantastic series!The characters were once again wonderful! Theirs so many main characters in this book that you would think it would be hard to follow, but surprisingly it's not. I found that all the characters and different POV's only developed the story more, making it complex and that much stronger. I really liked how in the beginning all the characters were together, and then slowly they all started getting separated from each other because of a different traumatic event that in my opinion only strengthened the story. And then you have all the different POV's from the characters in different places and your able to see what's going on all around the world.I loved all the characters for different reasons. Cinder because the girl has been through much and is still determined to save the same people who once mocked her for her disability. And plus she's going to kick Queen Levana's a** when they finally face off in WINTER, I KNOW she is, (at least she better! ;) That b*tch Levana needs a taste of her own medicine. But I still love her as the wicked villain that she is that only makes this story that much more as awesome! Scarlet because she has this admirable strength that only multiplies tenfold when she feels threatened. And when the girl loves, she loves hard! I think she may even be my favorite of them all! I don't know though, I do LOVE Cinder and Iko too! Cress because the girl brings a new light to this book that this series never had. And she's sweet and innocent, yet she's not afraid to get her hands dirty even when her life's on the line for strangers. And Iko is soo funny and instantly likable. Being an android and having so much personality and sense of humanity that is full of life and a bubbly demeanor only strengthened the book and brought a fun tone to the story.Okay, now for the boys. . .Kai, ohhhhh, KAI is sooo swoony! He's Emperor, yet you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know who he was. He's down to earth and genuinely cares about people. He's also extremely hot but doesn't think he's better then anyone, and is willing to put himself last to save is country. Wolf because he's totally bada*s on the outside, yet when he's with Scarlet he's a big softy that'll would walk to the end of the world for. He is definitely my kinda guy! ;) THORNE, ohhhh, Thorne! He's another favorite of mine! The boy is all sarcasm and hotness! I LOVE HIM!!! He's always making light of any situation, and can make you laugh when really you shouldn't. He also lives behind his jokes, trying to hide the real him that is loyal and caring, and brave even when he doesn't want to see it!!So there you have it, just a quick little bit of why I love each and every one of our main characters. But theirs still so many more admirable reasons of why their all so awesome. And though Cinder is at the forefront of them all, they're all still equally important to the story for their own reasons. And I think Meyers did a wonderful job at creating each of them and developing just the right amount of characterization! I'm looking forward to officially meeting Winter, but from what I can gather, she may be a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but is still the fairest of them all! ;)THE PLOT:CINDER:Still on the run from both Earth and Luna, Cinder and her group of rebels are barley evading authorities as they prepare to face off with Levana and restore Cinder, the rightful heir to the Lunar throne. But their journey has been tedious and nothing short of deadly, and if they don't succeed in their mission, not only will they be doomed, but also all of Earth and Luna.CRESS:Cress has daydreamed about the day her prince charming would rescue her from the tower and slay the evil monster, the day has finally arrived...Born a shell with no Lunar gift, and considered unworthy to live in society with the rest of her fellow Lunars, Cress, like all other shells are taken at birth and immediately executed in order to rid the moon of the abomination they bring when born. But, the secret that not many Lunars know, is that they're not really executed when taken from their parents. The truth is their blood is special, and harvested for the cure it holds for the rampant letumosis disease killing thousands of Earthens. They cannot be controlled by other Lunars, but they also have no mind controlling powers either. But Cress has a special talent far more worthy then just her blood, and is about to become just as deadly . . .Cress is Queen Levana's best hacker, and she's been spying on Earth for far too long. Forced to do evil things for the queen, Cress has been imprisoned in her Satellite where she's cutoff from humanity and only has a mini version of herself for a companion. She has been secretly helping Cinder evade authorities from her seclusion in her Satellite, but Cress fears if she doesn't start producing results in "locating" Cinder soon, then she may find herself facing a punishment she won't make it out of alive. But how can she turn in the same people that could be her only hope for freedom?SCARLET:Scarlet is now carrying out her grandmothers last wishes by helping Cinder on her mission to save both the people of Earth and Luna by dethroning the evil tyrant Levana from the Lunar throne—thus saving earth from having a new evil Empress claiming their world for herself, and all her evil plans she has in store for them! Scarlet and their newly formed group of rebels have a plan, if only she can stay alive long enough to carry it out. . .CRESS was an exceptional book that did a wonderful job with setting up the finale for the final installment in WINTER. I loved how this novel was evened out and weighed the chapters with the pace that made it all come together and fit just right. I especially thought CRESS went out with a bang, and was as solid as any ending could be. And I LOVED that Cinder and Kai FINALLY got to see each other again. Even if we only got a little time with them, it still set my heart aflame to have them back together again! I am so eager to start WINTER, yet hesitant to read it because I don't want it to be over just yet!Overall, CRESS was a fantastic third installment that any Lunar fan would truly love! With a thickened plot and thrilling action, CRESS was tons of fun as sparks flew in this installment. I will forever love this series and will eagerly read anything Meyer's writes next! If your a HUGE Lunar fan then this is one installment you won't want to miss!NOTE: I received a physical ARC from Feiwel and Friends for reviewing purposes! All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way!

I was first introduced to the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer several months ago when I learned about Cinder, the first book in the series. I originally only purchased that one to see how I liked it and ended up devouring it so I immediately ordered the rest of the series! I tore through Scarlet, the second book in the series, and was trying to hold off starting Cress so that I could prolong my enjoyment of this series. Well, that didn't happen and I dove right into Cress. This series is addicting and every time more characters are added, there are more plots and twists. My heart pounds with excitement and I tell myself "One more chapter" but you can guess how much THAT works!Cress is the third installment in Marissa Meyer's fairy tale/science fiction series. Each book focuses on one main character taken from popular fairy tales. Cinder is based on Cinderella, Scarlet on Little Red Riding Hood, and Cress on Rapunzel. Crescent Moon (Cress) is a Lunar shell who has been living on a satellite all by herself for many years. She is a master computer hacker so she knows a lot of what's going on in the Lunar world as well as on Earth. She's never had much contact with people other than Mistress Sybil, one of Queen Levana's thaumaturges. Sybil gives her the task of tracking down Cinder and Captain Carswell Thorne and she will have to decide if she wants to leave the only world she's ever known or stay safe aboard her satellite.Some series of books don't have to be read in order but the Lunar Chronicles is one where you MUST read them in order otherwise the books won't make sense. Each book adds more characters and the action and suspense continue to build. Also, in some series, once a character has had his or her own book, sometimes they only play minor characters in subsequent books but that is not the case with the Lunar Chronicles. Take Cress, for example. We not only have Cress's story, we still have Cinder's and Scarlet's stories, along with the supporting characters' stories, so the books are getting longer and there is more than just one storyline to follow which I love!The Lunar Chronicles are considered YA books but I feel seasoned readers will enjoy these as well. I am in my mid-30s and love them! I feel the content is very appropriate for the grade level and, if my kids want to read these books when they reach the recommended 12-18 year range, I absolutely would let them. I'm a cautious mom and feel the romance in these books is very subtle yet sweet. There is some violence because of the nature of the books but I don't feel it's anything horrifying. When I first started these books, I immediately thought of fairy tales and Star Wars so, if you enjoy those as well, you will most likely like these. Marissa Meyer also inserts some appropriate sarcasm for her characters which I find entertaining too.I am loving the Lunar Chronicles and the series just keeps getting better and better! Once I start reading one of these books, I can't seem to stop because I get drawn into the stories and I just love them. Marissa Meyer is an amazing author and Cinder was her first book, which was phenomenally written, and I just feel that her writing keeps getting better with each book. Do I recommend this series? Absolutely, without a doubt! Should you read them in order? This is a MUST! I very highly recommend the Lunar Chronicles series and look forward to anything else Marissa Meyer writes!

The third book in the Lunar Chronicles series. Cress (short for Crescent) is a seventeen-year-old girl who for seven years of her life been trapped in a satellite hacking codes and computer systems for the Lunar Queen and has been a prisoner for the rest. Hardly daring to hope that she has any chance of escape, Cress does the dirty work for the royals of Lunar, tracking, covering and de-coding. But from the crew of this one ship comes a response. They are coming to rescue her, so now she gets to travel all the way down to Earth for the first time in her life with the man she has grown to love threw stalking and background information- Captain Thorne - as Cinder, Scarlett, Kai and Wolf all need her help to take down the evil Queen Levana.Over my time reading about this world, I have grown to love it. Although it is still hard for me to picture some of the items, objects, transport and even some of the people in this series, but I'm getting used to the idea of it and it kind of reminds me of a cleaner, slicker version of Star-Wars. I really liked how we got to travel a bit more and saw how the whole world is not taken over by futuristic setting and technology. I kind of wanted to see a bit more of Cress's satellite and what it was like in there, because the book didn't spend too long in there and I was really looking forward to seeing 'Rapunzel's tower', if you know what I mean. I thought that being named the title of the book, Cress wasn't there that much, but I understand that this is not really just about her but about the people and the plot that's going on around her and how she plays a part in it; I thought she had a very small personality compared with the other characters, but that didn't make me love her any less since she was so sweet and understanding towards everyone and really smart too and I think she's my favourite out of Cinder, her and Scarlett in that she has a lot more award moments and is socially impaired compared with the others, making her more relatable. I mentioned this before but I love Thorne as a character, him being the real joker of the whole crew; we saw, a few times in 'Scarlett', that Thorne can be kind, caring and understanding behind his almost hateful selfishness and arrogance, but this side of him really comes out in 'Cress' and I love how he is kind of letting that arrogant side of him go down a little, showing how he's actually a really nice person underneath. I though Cinder in this one was aw-some, seriously; she was the leader, she had powers, she had skills and she was also pretty funny. About 80% of the time, I got annoyed with Kai, even thought I thought he had some of the best character development moments; he always did the worst decisions and - even though you can understand why - everything inside you screams at you to not marry that retched queen! I thought Wolf was really al lot more sweet and gentle in this book but by all means is still as tough as nails and there are a few times when he has really scary moments when you think he might hit someone; but I thought he was really sweet when he was with Scarlett (in the little time he was with Scarlett). I thought Scarlett was a lot more likable in 'Cress' and I could really see how Cinder and Scarlett could become really good friends. I am still in love with Iko as a character and I really liked how Iko built a relationship with Cress even though Cress is so shy. I think I liked all the sections where Cress and Thorne were pretty much alone together, but I think my favourite one is when Cress explains to Thorne how her life has been up until this point and what it was like when she was a child. But I think my very favourite moment in 'Cress' was right at the end, the last section from Cress's point of view in the ship where Thorne and Cress talk about destiny and about themselves and other things like that. I also liked it when Thorne's first comment on seeing Cress is "is that all hair?" (very funny!). I think that my favourite couple - out of the three we've seen so far - is a thigh between Scarlett and Wold or Cress and Throne and personally I think they are more interesting than Cinder and Kai. I also feel like there's this thing going on with Cinder and Thorne in that they have some kind of a love-hate relationship where it is mostly Cinder who does the hating. I did like how the book ends and it leaves us with us being able to go get up to Lunar and go get Princess Winter.Great plot, great characters, I cried near the end and I have fallen in love with everything about this series! I just can't wait to find out what happens next in Winter!

Libro en inglés, pasta blanda sin sobrecubierta. Es el 3ero de la saga, de igual manera es el más grande de los 4.

Cress という名前の由来が Crescent Moon だと明かされるくだりは悲しい。英語だが読み下すのはそれほど難しくありません。

La saga continua sin bajar el nivel, al contrario, mejora con el avance de la trama y la incorporación de personajes, o mejor dicho, al ganar mayor protagonismo personajes ya conocidos, porque Cress, la versión de Rapunzel de esta historia ya tuvo una breve aparición en la historia. Aquí se incorporan muchos de los elementos del cuento original con una vuelta de tuerca que se adapta a la narración de forma creíble, y también se puede decir que la versión de Disney ha dejado su huella.En resumen, una lectura muy recomendable para los que les gusta los dos primeros libros, porque la acción no decae y los personajes te enamorarán.

Admittedly when I first heard about Marissa's "Lunar Chronicles" series I was skeptical- it sounded like there was way too random plot elements tossed into a 400 page YA book than could possibly ever work. However, when I actually delved into the world of "Cinder", I quickly learned that that was anything but the case. It's sequel, "Scarlet", was an even stronger book, if possible, and hands down one of my most favourite books of 2013 (featuring one of my most favourite YA couples EVER, Wolf and Scarlet). Therefore, as you can imagine, when it came time for "Cress" I did everything in my power to get my hands on a copy- and, again, I was anything but disappointed.I think that the biggest strength of these books, this book especially, is how seamless and effortless they appear when you know that that is anything but the case for author Marissa Meyer. It is truly mindblowing how many classical fairytales she has woven together- and done so from the very first book, dropping Easter eggs, so to speak, all along the way (for instance, briefly introducing Cress and making mention of Winter in "Cinder"). Furthermore, while there are a number of fairytale retellings in YA, especially as of late, I think that Marissa's stand out from the bunch, as she has truly made each of them her own.Another strength of this book is it's pacing, after reading it it truly felt as if I had read four books instead of one, simply because of everything that happened in it. That being said, not once while reading it did I ever find myself overwhelmed, instead, being intrigued the entire way and flipping through the pages as quickly as I possibly could to see what sort of situation my favourite cast of characters would get into next. On the note of characters, you would think that with so many main characters in one book that they wouldn't get as much attention that they deserve in the way of development, but that is anything but the case- they have as many differences than they do similarities- from Cinder, to Cress, to Scarlet, to Iko, to Thorne, and on.The only real complaint about is this book is that I wish that Scarlet had played a larger role in it- though what little role she did play in this book managed to bring on the FEELS that I so desperately wanted between her and Wolf after their book. Furthermore, this book was, like the others, a fair bit predictable, however, I am was happy with this fact because it means that much of the theories that I had thought of about the series were true!All in all, there's no questioning it- Marissa Meyer is one of the most ingenious and unique YA authors that we've seen in quite some time, she never ceases to amaze me with her ever-growing skills and abilities. Though I only recently read this book, I know that I will be rereading it soon because I can't bear to be away from these character/ world for too long! Furthe