Rating: ★★★★★
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Genre: YA
Pages: 550 pages
Goodreads
My obsession with the Lunar Chronicles continues with the third book in the series and the one I was most excited to read based on the gorgeous cover. (my reviews of Cinder and Scarlet) And once again, Marissa Meyer didn't disappoint me at all.
Cress starts off right after we left the characters in Scarlet, with the major difference being, as expected, the introduction of Cress (Rapunzel) as a main character. While this isolated tech-savvy girl was introduced before, we now finally find out why she is locked away and how she is connected to Lunar. I can't go too much into her role without giving away the plots of Cinder and Scarlet, but trust me, it's good.
Once again, Marissa Meyer creates not only a new, well-rounded character, but is also able to incorporate all the characters we have seen before. By now the main casts consists of around 6 characters and throughout the book I was impressed with how well their point of views are alternated and how not one voice gets lost. Most importantly, all the characters are vastly different from each other and I think every single reader will find someone who they will enjoy.
Personally, Cress is one of my favourite characters. She's almost a combination of Disney's Rapunzel and Ariel. She's excited to explore the world, a little naive, often underestimated and yet delivers when she needs to. She's not as logical as Cinder is, nor as passionate as Scarlet, but she is able to learn everything about earth very quickly (a place she had never been before the book starts) and to use all her skills to her advantage. I can't wait to see how she develops in the next book and how she'll respond to the Lunar people who have kept her captive her whole life.
Overall, Cress is an amazing addition to the Lunar Chronicles series. Once again, a new kickass female character is introduced and I fell in love with her. This is by far my favourite book in the series, since I didn't need any time to get into the story - we're dropped right in the middle of the action where we left off with Scarlett and there's no time to think, only to enjoy the story and the amazing cast of characters.