Marissa Meyer
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Hardback: 550 Pages
Publication: February 4, 2014
by Feiwel & Friends
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had 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 of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen 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.
Cress is another wonderful addition to the team. While she has her talents like the other girls, being a genius programmer, Cress is different with her shy demeanor. She’s like a bubbly little princess filled with dreams of the prince charming who will one day save her. She’s the kind of character I could easily get fed up with on another day, in another book, and on some level I was (she has no understanding of how the world works despite all the newsfeeds she follows). At the same time, I felt drawn to her and the little bubble that is her world. Cress has been stuck on a satellite for so long without human company that hopes and dreams all all that she has. Plus, her infatuation with the scandalous “Captain” Thorne is adorable.
This sets the stage for another unique couple relationship: that of the damsel in distress and her prince on a white horse (well, black horse as it turns out). A die-hard romantic, Cress has conjured a heroic image of Thorne. On the surface, it seems as if such a naïve girl and the scandalous Thorne would make a bad matchup, but over time they come to make a good match. For a scoundrel, Thorne has a kind heart and takes wonderful care of Cress. Their relationship progresses more slowly and awkwardly than the others. It’s sweet and charming, especially the way Thorne sweeps Cress off her feet at the ‘big’ battle at the end. I very much enjoyed watching their relationship progress.
I also enjoyed seeing more of the world that Marissa Meyer has created in the Lunar Chronicles. The team’s journey takes them through space, into Africa, where the first incident of the plague emerged, and back to New Beijing where preparations are being made for Kai’s big day. We even get a glimpse of Luna as well as Winter, whose story I’m very curious to learn. At the moment, I don’t know what to make of her (if you’ve read the book, you know what I’m talking about; if you haven’t, you’ll find out), and I’m curious to see what her book will bring us.
My only concern is that, as the series progresses, more and more perspectives are added to the storytelling. The perspective flow into each other well, rounding out the story in ways it couldn’t have done with fewer perspectives, and it does focus on a select few (with Cress, Cinder, and perhaps Kai’s perspectives being the most constant). At the same time, it felt like we were constantly switching perspectives, and I’m not sure that the tradeoff is worth spending less time with each character. Like with Scarlet, this is what kept me from giving Cress that 5 star rating.
Overall, this is a fantastic addition to the series, and I cannot wait to read Winter, the last book in the Lunar Chonicles!
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
kimbacaffeinate says
I actually like the different perspectives, although admittedly I was concerned in the beginning. This has turned out to be one of my favorite YA series. Fantastic review, and I like you additional information box.
Crystal says
I like the different perspectives too. It just felt like I didn't get to know the characters as well with all of the switching around it did in this book. I'm glad you love this series. It's one of my favorite YA series as well 🙂
Lola Reviewer says
Oooh, this looks so good and I'm in love with the cover. I didn't see many reviews of this series those past few weeks so I kinda forgot that I have to read book 2 lol. Thanks for this lovely review, Kris. ^^
Lola @ Hit or Miss Books
Crystal says
The covers to this series are fantastic!! I loved Scarlet, book 2, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 🙂