Cress

Cress

by Marissa Meyer

4 out of 5

Synopsis
The third instalment in the best-selling Lunar Chronicles series, following Cinder and Scarlet.

Incarcerated in a satellite, an expert hacker and out to save the world - Cress isn't your usual damsel in distress.

Cress grew up as a prisoner. With only netscreens for company, she's forced to do the bidding of the evil Queen Levana. Now that means tracking down Cinder and her handsome accomplice, Emperor Kai. But little does Levana know that those she seeks, and the man she loves, are plotting her downfall....

As paths cross and the price of freedom rises, happily ever after has never seemed further away for Cress, Scarlet and Cinder. This is not the fairy tale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.



Review
After escaping New Beijing and Paris, Cinder's ragtag group of allies is growing. Unbeknown to them, Cress has been watching them very closely, from her Lunar satellite, doing what she can to help.

This is the first Audible book I've listened to, and it was the perfect accompaniment for my 2-hour drive down to a horse show last week. (Note to self, the radio in my car will not fix itself)

As happened in Scarlet, this third instalment splits itself between Cinder & Co; and newcomer Cress.

Cress is quite a sweet, funny, and fantastically awkward new addition. The girl is a "shell" (a Lunar born without any gifts or ability to manipulate others. They also can't be manipulated, so the Lunars have deemed them a threat, and kill them at birth).
Cress has been living in isolation on a satellite for about 7 years, after it was discovered she was a tech whizz, she has been working for the Luna Queen. But despite her confinement, Cress is free to think for herself, form her own opinions about the Earthens; and she decides that Cinder (and Thorne, especially Thorne) deserves her help.

The story follows our heroes as they try to rescue Cress from the satellite, and the catastrophe of what happens next. The group is split up, and spend their time trying to survive, and reunite.

In the main part of this story, there is less of a threat from the Lunars, until the climatic end scenes. Instead, it focuses on those on Earth. The new friends and foes; the loyal and the betrayals; and the sheer danger of nature itself.

The not-so-good:
I felt that everything was on loop.
Cress was in awe of everything she saw; Thorne was being... well, Thorne; Wolf was being grouchy; and Cinder...
I know her team is in tatters, but she's kicking her heels, musing over all the Luna dangers. She knows she has to stop Queen Levana, and she knows she has to stop the wedding with Emperor Kai; but she spends the whole time worrying about things not being possible. She never has any drive. I wanted to kick her up the arse and tell her to get on and do something. Anything.

On a side note, the narration of this audiobook...
Mostly good, but those accents were painful. Especially Scarlet's "French" accent. It made me very glad that I didn't listen to the book 2, where Scarlet was the main character.

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