Cress by Marissa Meyer Review

Cress

By Marissa Meyer

Book three of The Lunar Chronicles series

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Genres: YA Fiction, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance

Cress is book three of The Lunar Chronicles, so make sure you read books one and two (reviews here: Cinder, Scarlet) first. 

"You can help me pick out a tiara once we're done saving the world."

Cress is what's known as a 'shell' on Luna and Earth; she does not possess any of the Lunar ability to manipulate bioelectricity, plus she is immune to the effects of bioelectrical manipulation and glamouring. In accordance with Lunar laws, her parents handed her over to the government to be killed for being a shell just days after she was born. However, unknown to the people of Lunar, shells are being kept alive for secret experimentation. When Cress proves herself to be a talented hacker, she is taken by thaumaturge Sybil Mira to carry out work for her, imprisoned in a satellite above Earth. 

When Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf receive a message from her, they decide to rescue her from her prison, but things don't go to plan, as Sybil Mira makes a surprise visit. Cress and Thorne plummet to Earth, trapped inside the satellite, landing in a desert; Scarlet is taken by Mira back to Luna; Wolf, Cinder and Sybil's guard, Jacin Clay are forced to return to Earth seeking Dr. Dmitri Erland in the place where letumosis first appeared, a town in northern Africa. Meanwhile, Queen Levana is determined that nothing will stop her wedding to Prince Kai, who grows more hopeless every day in search for Princess Selene and a way our of the marriage. If Cinder and her friends do not find each other soon, everything could go terribly wrong...

Because if there was one thing Cress knew about heroes, it was that they could not resist a damsel in distress.

And she was nothing if not in distress. 

*spoilers ahead*

I've got to admit, after reading Scarlet, I was doubtful of whether I'd enjoy Cress or not. But Marissa Meyer is back on her game! For one, Cress was full of non-stop action and mysteries and discoveries from the very beginning, so I didn't feel nearly as bored as I did when I was reading the previous book. The daring rescue plan started the book off in a way that excited me and got my heart beating a little faster as I worried about if they'd manage to pull it off or if they'd be caught at the last minute. The split of the characters after that also helped me to stay interested as I was constantly kept wondering about what was happening to everyone else and trying to figure to figure out when and how everyone would reunite. The story never seemed to stop or get dull, there was constantly something happening, which I felt Scarlet lacked, so it was very pleasing to read. 

I loved the new(ish) character in this book, Crescent Moon, or Cress for short, right from the beginning. Her infatuation with Captain Thorne was cute and child-like, which showed to me how cut-off from humanity she had been before she was rescued. Getting to see her relationship with Thorne develop and change throughout the book was sweet to read, and added a touch more romance to the story as well, which I enjoyed. Another great thing about Cress was that she, like Cinder and Scarlet, never seemed like she was a useless character and her skill on hacking is one that you don't see all the time in female characters from YA fiction, similar to Cinder's  skill in mechanics and Scarlet's skill in flying. It's so good to be seeing a diverse and powerful girl gang who don't need the men in the group to do everything for them. 

Finally, I think my favourite part of the book has to be the rescue/kidnap of Emperor Kai at his wedding. I'm such a sucker for a good rescue scene, and this one ticked all the boxes for me. You get the group splitting up and going under disguise; moments where everything seems to be going perfect, but then slides downhill; and a thrilling rooftop getaway fight. I loved getting to see Iko trying to disguise herself as a normal android, she has a brilliant personality and it was interesting to see her attempt to conceal it. The final rooftop escape scene was the best part for me, I could just see it playing out so clearly in my head, as if it were a movie. It was super tense and got my heart going for a bit until they had safely escaped. 

Cress is definitely worth the read if you've read the first two books in the series already, in my opinion it was much better than book two, Scarlet. I'm interested now to read the fourth book in the series, Winter, to see what happens next, but also as we get a better look at Luna and Princess Winter. Perhaps it will reveal why Lunars are so different to Earthens, maybe there is something about Luna that changes.  Hopefully Marissa Meyer's good writing will continue and it will be just as enjoyable as Cress was.

"I believe it is the mark of a great leader to question the decisions that came before him."