Cress by Marissa Meyer [Review]

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
Format: hardcover
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 10, 2014

Lunar Chronicles
0.5. Glitches
1. Cinder
1.5. The Queen's Army
2. Scarlet
3. Cress - Hardcover | Kindle
4. Winter 

Marissa Meyer
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

Thoughts on Cress: *stares at everybody* I just... *stares some more* I need more time with this series, guys. MORE TIME. Because I really really really really like it and Woooooolf and Scarlet and Cress and Thorne and Cinnnnnnder. And OMG, THE NEXT BOOK! WINNNNTER.

(Yes, this is a pretty accurate representation of what went through my head upon finishing this book. There might have been some KAIs wailed in there too. I don't know. It's all a shocked blur as I attempted to process.)

At 550 pages, this is a good sized book. And it wasn't enough. I wanted more. I want to go back and reread the first books and the novellas and ANYTHING I CAN GET MY HANDS ON IN THIS WORLD. I'm all flaily hands and crazy eyes and a whole bunch of other things that will probably scare small children if they get too close.

*whimpers*

Okay. There's a lot I want to talk about. Sadly, I'm going to have to gloss over all the flaily parts because I'm kinda anti-spoiler. I can say I'm still DEEPLY smitten with Wolf. He has a moment with Cress where he's talking about Scarlet that broke my heart. And Scarlet. SCARLET. Torn about her feelings for the big guy and yet still drawn to him and his melting looks. *quietly flails*

CRESS AND THORNE. Their relationship is both weirdly complicated and oddly simple at the same time. Thorne showed depth in this book but he's still the upbeat, irrepressible rogue we've come to love. Cress sees him in a way that might not be entirely accurate, but it's sweet and romantic all the same. And... then there's some stuff I can't talk about because spoilers.

Cinder and Kai spend most of this book apart, yet they're very much on each others' minds. Kai has a couple of moments where the weight of everything he needs to do to keep his people safe pushes down on him so hard he's almost crippled by it. And yet, like a good leader, he forces himself to keep moving forward and doing the things that need to be done.

Things are being put in motion for the final confrontation between Cinder and Queen Crazy Pants. Our heroes are battered and heartworn but they're not broken. Given what they've been through already, I expect this upcoming battle will test them even further.

And I really, really want Winter now.