Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, 3) Paperback – February 4, 2020

5 out of 5 stars.Cress has been held captive for seven long years on an orbiting satellite. She has a lovely view of earth from her small "bedroom" window, and the occasional sight of her home planet, Luna. Despite her ancestry, Cress avoids the sight of Luna whenever she can; as a shell, she is thought to be a traitor just by having been born and was declared to no longer be a citizen of Luna. She is a cast off, the product of Queen Levana’s cruel reign, and some not so pleasant memories come back to Cress unbidden whenever she sees the surface of what should be called home. Cress, however, has found the perfect solution to avoid seeing Luna completely: she hides under her computer desk whenever the satellite passes by the planet. Not the greatest solution, but a solution of sorts.Despite her shell status on Luna, Cress is still of great value to the Lunars; as one of their most gifted computer hackers, she can get into any data base on earth and make all of Luna's space ships undetectable to the earthens' radar. Cress is a very handy tool to the Lunars, but what they couldn't ever anticipate is that all of her time spent orbiting earth and watching earthen soap operas (don't ask), has made her sympathetic towards the human race. With no place to really call home, Cress has deemed herself protector of the earthen rebel and cyborg, Cinder, the Lunar Queen's most feared enemy. Cinder has the opportunity to stop Queen Levana from destroying earth and her on planet, and Cress will use all of her technological skills to aid the female cyborg in her cause. And maybe along the way, Cinder and her friends will find a way to save Cress, too.Dreams become reality for Cress when Cinder finds a way to contact her, and offers to take Cress with them. Could this really be happening? Could she be free of this satellite prison forever in only a matter of hours? Soon the Rampion spaceship is within sight of her satellite and Thorne is coming to get her. Cress is positively giddy, just awaiting the moment when she can cast off her chains (hypothetically) and be free, but sooner than she could have ever imagined her plans for escape are thwarted, and she, as well as the dashing Captain Thorne, are trapped on the satellite, plummeting down to earth with no hope of surviving.Cinder, Wolf, and Scarlet are all fighting for their lives as the Rampion is attacked. How could so much go wrong in such a short time? Surviving by the skin of their teeth, Cinder and part of her crew are still alive, but with Thorne gone and Scarlet captured, she would not call today's battle a win. If Cinder can't even protect her own crew, how can she save Luna and earthens? Is she just kidding herself, or can she become strong enough to make her friends' sacrifices worthwhile? Can Cinder and what remains of her crew take down Queen Levana, or are they destined for failure?All I can say is...WONDERFUL! I am so happy this pre-order worked out. Me and my sister have been waiting forever for "Cress" to come out, and it was so exciting to get it in the mail, looking all pretty and such.I think it is my favorite cover for the month of February. Besides the cover being amazing, the book itself is fantastic and so enjoyable to read. It is light and fluffy while still being substantial, and I just love that about this series. Nothing is too crazy and serious, but it isn't mindless either. Another reason why I loved this book so much was the characters.Captain Carswell Thorne is flippin' fantastic. He is such a great, and massively entertaining, character. Granted, he may not be the most upstanding guy, but he seems to have a good heart, and he is quite funny. He actually reminds me a lot of Captain Hook on "Once Upon a Time" and Flynn Rider from "Tangled"; those two might be the reason why I love him so much. They are all just so cheeky, charming, and awesome that I can't get enough of them! I have kept watching "Once Upon a Time" for no reason but Hook, "Tangled" because it's "Tangled", and I will keep reading "The Lunar Chronicles" because of Thorne and Thorne alone.Thorne deals with some pretty big issues in this book, but I never felt like he lost his Thorne-ness. I feel that some authors create too many problems, sometimes, for a character and then nothing gets resolved and you end up losing the character along the way; change and growth are good (I look forward to it in books), but when the character(s) becomes compromised and they're no longer them, that's when I feel like an author has taken it too far. To make a long story short, Marissa Meyer kept the integrity of each of her characters while still making them move forward, for a lack of better words. I felt quite satisfied at the end of "Cress" with the direction Marissa was taking Carswell as a character, and as long as he gets to keeps his funny, cheeky, charm, I'm cool with the growth and changes she may have in store for him.Cinder was also a really good character. I felt that she wasn't SUPER present in "Scarlet" and that I didn't really get to know her all that well (I haven't yet read "Cinder." Oops!). However, in "Cress" she really came out as a strong lead character despite the fact that the title is another girl's name. I really enjoyed her perspective and seeing how she navigated her newfound abilities. Cinder had to decide whether she would use her powers (which can be harmful to those she imposes them upon), or if she should decide not to use them even if it will stop Levana from hurting others? Cinder goes through a lot of ups and downs in "Cress", and it was interesting to see her inner struggle between right and wrong, and what makes us different from those who terrorize others. I am looking forward to seeing her grow and become even stronger, while still keeping her conscience and humanity, because those are the things that make her a better person than Levanato lead.Cress will be my last character to write on (the others are more in the background, and don't have a huge effect on the overall plot). Cress is a cute character. She's a smart computer girl with a penchant for daydreaming, and those daydreams tend to include Captain Thorne. I felt that she was a cute character, but I wasn't particularly endeared to her in any which way. I didn't at all mind being inside her head, but she doesn't quite have Cinder's inner struggle or Scarlet's spunk, so I wasn't passionate about Cress, but I also wasn't dispassionate about her. I am looking forward to, though, "Winter" because I really want to see her mature and become a strong female character that can hold her own.Okay, so overall, "Cress" is a fantastic book. It is a lighter read, with an interesting and well thought out plot, and a kick butt crew of characters to back it all up; there are quite a few characters to choose from, so you are bound to find at least one you can follow around in this series. I had so much fun getting to know all these characters and I can't wait to see what Marissa Meyer does next, and I believe this author totally succeeded in what she was attempting to do. Wonderful job!check-out my blog at booksandwonderfulthings.wordpress.com

Where to begin…there’s danger, suspense, hope, hopelessness, fear, betrayals, brutality, discoveries, treachery, heartbreak… this story has everything and keeps you on the edge of your seat every minute.Every character is so real and layered and flawed. And not immune to injury and sorrow and loss. The stakes they are facing are high, life and death, save the world high.And one of the best things in this story is how friendships and trust are built between a group of very isolated fringe members of society.The story also cleverly weaves a Rapunzel retelling into the narrative complete with the long hair and the blinding of her rescuer. Instead of a tower, this poor girl is stranded in a satellite in space for 7 YEARS!!!I’m so hooked on this story!!!

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!