Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress
Author: Marissa Meyer
Page Count: 550
Rating: A
Keywords: Space, Aliens, Fairytales, Beijing, Robots, Love, Lost Princesses
Genre: Young Adult
Younger Readers: Safe for young adult audience such as tweens and teens. No overly sexual content. Only mild language used. There are escort robots but they are not engaging in any sexual activity.  

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Even in the future. there are damsels in distress...

In the third installment of the Lunar chronicles, Cress, having risked everything to warn Cinder of Queen Levana's evil plan, has a slight problem. She's been imprisoned on a satellite since childhood and has only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress a great hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress involving Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes as a high price. Meanwhile, Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

My Review:

Scarlet still has a special place in my heart but this was definitely a strong addition to the series. It felt much shorter than 550 pages. There was plenty of the action, romance, mystery, and the humor that the series is known for. I read this six months ago and I can still remember the entire book.

Character development was strong in this novel as we get to see the characters split into various groups by the dramatic events at the beginning of the story, allowing for greater individual focus. Seeing them interact with one another revealed new nuances to their personalities that went undetected in previous books.

Wolf just about broke my heart in this book. His physical and emotional ailments after the first quarter of Cress were written perfectly. Rather than feeling that his issues were melodramatic and overly drawn out, I found myself in tears. I do cry easily but still, this was a great book.

I enjoyed getting to know the character Cress better. She is beyond endearing. Her extended solitude has resulted in being delightfully awkward and innocent. Cress is like your awkward best friend in school that is sweet but does not always understand social cues. Her growth by the end of this book avoids any annoyance with childlike demeanor and increases her likability.

Thorne and Cress were perfect. If you are not a fan of instant romances then the third Lunar Chronicles book will not disappoint. Each couple grows closer at different rates and even become humanly frustrated with one another, making each relationship feel real. They are slightly messier versions of the fairytales they are based on.

The action was at high levels through the entire installment. I do distinctly remember nearly falling out of a chair at one point while reading. You will be in a constant state of worry throughout this novel. The lovely cliffhanger ending will keep you in suspense.

I still love this series and can't wait to pick up the fourth book, Winter. If you love adventure, science-fiction, fairytales, and true love I would highly recommend picking up The Lunar Chronicles.