Charming and Kick-Ass: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3)
Feiwel and Friends, 2014

*ARC provided by publisher at ALA 2013 - THANK YOU!*

*This book is 3rd in a series, so there are some spoilers about books 1 & 2 ahead - you've been warned!*

When I was at ALA last summer, two of my roommates and I were completely on the same wave-length about one thing: If for some reason we could only get one ARC at the entire conference, it was Cress. We woke up extra early to get in line and the three of us were part of the first lucky 100 in line who got to walk away with this amazing, thrilling, heart-pounding, heart-wrenching, swoon-worthy third installment of Marissa Meyer's series which puts a science fiction twist on beloved fairy tales.

An outcast among Lunars because she's a shell, Cress's life has been isolated and lonely with only her netscreens to keep her company. A talented hacker, Queen Levana allows her to live only as long as she is useful living alone in a satellite and spying on the people of Earth. But Cress isn't exactly loyal to the royal - in fact, she's been helping Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf, and Carswell Thorne. When a daring rescue mission goes awry, Cress finally gets the freedom she dreamed of but the group is separated. With Kai's wedding to Levana growing nearer, these three girls may be the world's only defense.

It's impossible for me not to fangirl about this book because it just does so many things right! Our old cast of characters from Cinder and Scarlet have returned, and fantastic new personalities are introduced or expanded on here. Cress is a fascinating leading lady because she's the closest so far to a 'traditional' princess - or at least, that's how she sees it. Not that she's incapable - far from it - but that she dreams of having companionship and being saved by her crush, Thorne. While at first this put me off a little bit, I had no need to be nervous because Cress shows amazing growth over the course of the book as she learns that she has what it takes to save herself and others. She's charming and cute and totally kick-ass once she comes into her own. And of course she's right along side Cinder and Scarlet, making for a dynamic pack of protagonists. Each of them has a fantastic story in her own right, and they all intertwine masterfully.

Readers are treated to new settings and the depth of this saga continues to astound. Meyer moves seamlessly between characters and is a master of getting inside of everyone's heads. Though I read this book months ago, I still have strong reactions as I thumb through the pages. Every scene matters, every characters makes readers feel, and nearly every twist left me simultaneously shocked and awed. There's romance, intrigue, action, and awe on every single page of this book from start to finish.

Cress continues in the excellent tradition readers have come to expect from Meyer and my only complaint is that Winter, the fourth and final book, will not be coming out until 2015. I'll do whatever it takes to get my hands on one of those ARCs once they exist because I simply cannot wait that long! Consider this post my official plea. Like I said before - if I can only get one advance copy of anything for the rest of the year, that one is it.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

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