Bookwhit

Title: Cress (Book 3 in The Lunar Chronicles)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Published: February 4, 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult, Fairytale Retelling

Star: 5             Content Rating: 2

Synopsis: 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 higher 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.

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 So far this one has been my favorite retelling. Scarlet ended with Cinder and Captain Thorne escaping prison with his ship and Scarlet, Wolf and of course Iko. Iko is my favorite. Those of you who have not read the first two books, Cinder is a Cinderella retelling. Scarlet is Little Red Riding Hood and Cinder is Repunzel. This series is set in a futuristic world where cyborgs and androids are common. Net screens and technology is super advanced and Aliens called “Lunars” exist. Lunar’s live on the moon. They are ruled by Queen Levana who is trying to become empress by marrying Emperor Kai. She wants to control the moon, the world and the galaxy.

As the crew hides up in space and tries to come up with a plan to stop the royal wedding they find the girl that warned them in the first place. Cress is a Lunar shell who because of her exceptional skills of hacking and reprogramming, was put in a satellite all alone. Her job was to spy on the royal family and to keep all the Lunar ships hidden. She also hated her job. She loved Earth. She helped keep Cinder and the crew hidden from all those that were looking for them. When they finally contact her, they decide she is an ally and go to to rescue her. Their rescue attempt goes not as planned and Scarlet gets taken to Luna. Cinder ends up with a Lunar guard and Captain Thorn and Cress get left on the satellite as it falls to Earth. I really loved these two. I couldn’t help but to picture Captain Thorn as Flynn Ryder. The charismatic personality. The arrogance. The handsomeness. His whole personality. He really made this book fun. Cress was perfect as well. She loves to sing and because she has been trapped in that satellite she is very naive and sweet. Everything is new and she gobbles it up with enthusiasm. This story brings everyone together in an attempt to find more answers and stop the royal wedding. A dangerous mission since they are all recognizable criminals.

What I love most about this series is how true they are to their fairytales with the story being so completely new. The main characteristics are the same. For example: Cinder is a servant in her step mothers home with two step sisters. She ends up at the palace and falls in love with the prince. Scarlet’s grandmother was taken by wolves and she has to figure out how to save her but fails. Cress has been locked up in her “tower” aka satellite waiting for her love to save her. Caption Thorn is a selfish thief that has a change of heart. Everyone has a place with their own story but with the series as a whole as well. The way Marissa Meyer has intertwined all the characters is this little world is so fun. She did a really good job. I love the connections. The layering of the stories. I love the futuristic retellings of these fairytales. I can’t wait to read the next one.