Cress – Marissa Meyer

When I first saw the size of this book I was worried it would take me forever to read it however I whizzed through this book! It was such a easy read with a gripping and exciting storyline. I loved the fact we were also introduced to new characters who fitted in really well; it was like they were a missing piece of a puzzle.

Cress is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles and this time centres around Luna Shell Cress who is a wiz on the computer and must help Cinder and her team with their plan to overthrow Queen Levana. However it isn’t that simple as the team suffers ups and downs and very tricky situations…

Again one of the main reason I loved this book wasn’t because of it’s amazing storyline but was it’s characters and the multiple points of view which never fails to entertain me. Meyrer’s writing makes it clear who’s point of view your reading from which made it easier to flow from chapter to chapter. She also never fails to surprise me with the new and different view points from minor characters who help add to the suspense and reveal secrets!

This book mainly centres around the character of Cress who I really liked as she was so cute and loveable and it was nice to see her develop throughout the book. Her relationship with Thorne I also really enjoyed and I found really cute that she always saw the good and belied in him even when he didn’t; she changed him. And what really made it for me was their relationship as he fell in love with Cress though her personality not her looks. Thorne’s one liners and banter never failed to make me laugh however I really do hope he gets his eyesight back, I don’t think I could deal with it otherwise!

Cinder in this book again is still our butt kicking hero and I really enjoyed seeing her powers and secrets develop. My heart melted over the final scene with Kai and I’m really excited to see where their relationship will go…. I have to admit, I was disappointed that we didn’t see much of Scarlet but it did neatly line us up for the next book ‘Winter’ which I really need to get!

Overall, I’m really enjoying this series and it’s characters. It’s easy to give this book (and series) 5/5 stars a perfect read for those who love a good actioned packed si-fi novel.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I read the first book in the series ‘Cinder’ and I still can’t believe that I forgot how amazing this series is!

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison–even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder.

Being able to travel all over the world, and see more of this futuristic world Meyers has created was great. The Lunar Chronicles manages to not only create a futuristic community, but a dystopian world. You never have to wonder what people on other continents are doing because soon enough, you’ll find out. Scarlet was mostly set in France which I was excited about as I am huge lover of French culture and France itself.

I loved the multiple points of view in this book and the fact that the two storylines crossed and hopefully plan to cross in future novels which I am looking forward to. I thought it worked really well and when Cinders and Scarlets paths finally crossed, they crossed with a bang and a huge action packed fighting scene! Yes!

Scarlet was not what I expected, she was such a badass and again such a strong character who won’t give up on anything or anyone. From the first chapter we see her not only defending Cinder but causing a fight, which I wasn’t expecting but loved.

“I don’t see that her being cyborg is relevant.”

Cinders back and she’s kicking ass again! Cinder herself went through so much development and I really was able to connect with her while I wasn’t able to before. I do have to admit, I preferred to read Cinders chapters but I did find Scarlets chapters equally action packed and engaging! I have to love a book that gives me, not one, but two strong heroines.

Now time for the men! Wolf was again perfect, he has that mysterious dark side to him as well as that loveable puppy side! From what we learn he will be more involved with Cinder and Scarlet which I am looking forward to.

Captain ‘Marry Me’ Thorne is just perfect, and has easily gained a spot on my top five fictional boyfriends list! He’s just arrogant, touchy but also so much fun and I can’t wait to see and learn more about him in ‘Cress’. The banter between him and Cinder was also really enjoyable and sassy! I did feel bad for him at times when he was left in the dark about Cinder being the princess when sometimes it was really obvious!

Kia I thought was quite distant, while he was in some scenes, he was pretty much absent the entire book. Missing Kai made me see how much I really love him. His story is slowly building and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

It was also a lovely surprise to find a chapter from the point of view of Levana which gave us in an insight in to what to expect from her character and her plans in future books!

My only negative, is that I felt like Scarlet and Wolfs relationship wasn’t fully convincing as it was very ‘instant’ love but I hope it develops more and becomes more ‘real’ in the next book. However there were some bits when I did swoon and squeal!

“Wolf, are you asking me to be … your alpha female?”

Did I like it more than ‘Cinder’? Yes, I did. I loved the characters more and i felt like the storyline was more engaging. It was easy to rate this 5/5 stars and I highly recommend you read this series, it’s basically fairytales on steroids; they are brilliant and I can’t wait to pick up Cress soon! Do check out my spoiler free review on Cinder which can be found here.