ARC REVIEW: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Pub. Date: February 4th 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 560
Readership: Young adult
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.  

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.  

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only 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 goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Ok guys. Cress. It is finally here. The question I have is how the heck am I going to do this review without a) fangirling my butt off and b) not spoiling. That being said this review is either going to be really short or really long depending on how much I try to NOT spoil and to NOT flail.

I'm going to start off simple: Cress is a thrill ride. Seriously. There was not one moment of down time. There was not one moment where there was something amazeballs happening that had to do with the plot. Everything was fastpaced but not so much so that it was a whirlwind and you couldn't get a grasp at what was going on.

All of the old favorites are back. Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf, Throne, Prince Kai, Iko and Queen Levana just to name a handful. The favourites honestly remained favourites for me throughout but I will say, as much as I loved Throne in Scarlet, I think he shot to my number one by the end of Cress. Honestly, I think he's close to number one in my all time favourite YA dudes list. He's smooth, he's charming, he's clever, he's gorgeous and above all, he is fantastically written. The journey he goes on through the book is one that I want to applaud Marissa for. He has his flaws but hell, he is just so damn good. Scarlet's journey is a tough one to sit through. Not because it's so bad it's cringeworthy, but because it's so damn sad. The girl has been through so much already but Marissa really put her through the ringer in this one. Levana remains as evil as ever, Cinder as badass as ever and Wolf as.... well... as Wolfy as ever. I can't even get started on how great Iko is because then I won't stop and that will spoil the whole thing!

Cress as a character is everything I hoped she'd be and more. She is shy, brave, a little awkward but by the end she really finds her ground. I was also overjoyed with the references and easter eggs to the original fairytale. Cress was so well written that she felt real. I saw so many of myself in her and so many bits of people I know. That is the amazing thing about Marissa's writing: even though it's such a futuristing, sci-fi tale, she makes it all seem so possible. She makes it feel as if these are people you know or people you could run into on the street.

Cress is an intricately woven thrill ride that will make the reader want to flip right back to page one and start all over again once they're finished. Fans of the series will be thrilled with the third instalment. Personally, it is my favourite so far. There is just so much that I want to re-read it and then re-read it again to fall in love with everything for second and third times. Cress did not disappoint.

★★★★★ 

I LOVED IT 

*Thank you to Raincoast Books for providing an ARC for review!!!

PURCHASE 

(amazon) (amazon kindle) (the book depository)