Cress by Marissa Meyer [review]

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Sci-fi, Dystopia, Romance

Published: 2014

550 pages

My rating: 5/5

"You know, when I was a kid, I was tricked into thinking that princesses wore tiaras and hosted tea parties. Now that I've met a real princess, I must say, I'm kind of disappointed" - Carswell Thorne

"You can help me pick out a tiara when we're done saving the world" - Cinder

The scene from the third book of the series started with the interaction in the Rampion spaceship among 4 people (Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf) and one android named Iko with a suspected-faulty-personality. Wolf allowed Cinder to practice her Lunar gift on him and taught her in hand-to-hand combat.

When Cinder managed to communicate with the girl with the long hair who gave her information regarding Levana the Evil Queen, the whole crew decided to help rescue the girl from her confinement in a tiny satelite orbiting the Earth. The rescue plan didn't work out as they planned because the head thaumaturge Sybil Mira was waiting for them and set a trap, resulting in Cress and Thorne to fell to Earth in the satelite, Scarlet was kidnapped by Sybil Mira, and Wolf was critically injured. Cinder was forced to accept help from Jacin, the former pilot of Sybil who declared himself as "faithful to his Princess".

Cinder, Jacin and Wolf found themself in Farafrah, a small town in Africa where Lunar and Earthen lived in open harmony, to meet Dr.Erland. Meanwhile, Cress and Thorne (who was blind because of the satelite incident) must cross the terrifying Sahara Desert.

And where s Kai? This handsome Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth found information regarding Cinder and now believed that She was actually doing something good by trying to find the missing Lunar Princess Selene. In the meantime, he believed that the only way to save the people of Earth is by agreeing to a marriage aliance with Luna and marry Levana.

Was Cinder going to stay calm and accept the love of her life marrying her evil aunt slash queen? Of course not! that was why she was going to kidnap Kai on his wedding day!

This is the best book of the series! yes, you read that right. THE BEST! Believe me, I've finished reading the whole series, and this book is still the best! I got this dreamy look and the euforic feeling several hours after reading this book, heheheee....

So, if you are my blog reader, you must knw that I am a big fan of action and fast pace in a novel. And trust me, this novel can offer you both! It is packed with action from the get go, till the end, which is also good in keeping the suspense running! I literally cannot put it down....oh, God...so good!

The characters are better developed in this book than the first two. It is really no surprise because this happens a lot with series book. Book one is a good warming up, book two usually sucks, and the book before the last book is usually the best. But, hey, this is just my own silly observation, by the way. But this series happens to fit the pattern. So, conclusion: THIS BOOK ROCKS!

I actually cannot say anything more because well, the plot: good.
Characters: good.
Pace: fast.
Action: full.
Suspense: totally page-turning.
Language: well-written.
Sarkasm: sarcastic enough for me.
Humor: it cracked me up in several parts.

So what can I say? It is that good! Love it so much!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer [review]

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author : Marissa Meyer
Published: 2013
452 pages
Genre: sci-fi, dystopia, romance, fairytale retelling
My rating: 3/5

"Wolf, are you asking me to be... your alpha female?" -Scarlet

That single line quoted from the book above totally sent me into a fit of laughter there. And here goes my review of the second book of the series...

Scarlet Benoit was a red headed girl, who loved wearing a red hoodie anywhere she wanted, and lived with her grandmother in the small town of Rioux, France. Ding Dong! That's right, she was our little red riding hood from the famous fairytale! Except, she was actually not so little anymore. She was eighteen years old, and she was in such a state of panic and rage because her grandmother, Michelle Benoit was kidnapped. Her ID chip was cut of from her wrist, her portscreen was left behind, and the police gave up her case. Of course, as a good grandaughter, she could not leave it like this. So she took the case into her own hands, looking for the poor old grandmother through the forest accompanied by.....Wolf!

Just like the good old fairytale, isn't it?

Wait for it, this is the real twist. Remember Linh Cinder from book 1? And gorgeously handsome Prince (now Emperor) Kaito?
Cinder managed to escape her prison before Evil Queen Levana of Lunar Kingdom executed her, and she brought a friend (a fellow prisoner) along the way. Together, they travelled into the orbit outside Earth and tried to go to Europe. Emperor Kai was confused because Queen Levana gave him an ultimatum to capture Cinder or she would attack Earth. Of course there had to be several close call scenes in this book related to Linh Cinder. Moreover, Cinder knew something new about her past, and she intended to see Michelle Benoit for answers.

We can guess from those plot that our two girls were going to meet each other. Perhaps, in a spectacular way of some sort.

For me, I like the first book better because of several reasons:

1) Book 1 has all perfectly developed characters, I think. but I don't know...I just don't really like Scarlet's character a lot. Throughout the book, she seemed to be always in panic, or anger, or confusion....so, eventhough she was a pilot, and could shoot with a gun, the character seemed off for me. Not perfectly round.

2) The suspense is better in book 1 (and the pace is faster in book 1). Reading book 1 a.k.a. Cinder, felt like things happened so fast. On minute the King died, then the next is the arrival of the Evil Queen, then the ball, then bam bam bam! Fast! It kept me reading through the whole book like flying, which, I didn't find in this second book.Several times I found myself sleepy through some scenes in this book.

3) The romance from this book is a little forced for me, not really natural. But, that's me. Hey, don't judge, I'm not a good romance reader, apparently, heheheee...

4) The plot or should I say the content, is too light. I mean, it is okay. But that's it. Just okay. After the first fantastic book, this book is not so good.

5) And the last is my own personal selfish reason. WHERE IS KAI?! I know he was pictured in several chapters, but I need more! Kai is supposed to be all over the pages!!! *please don't mind me. I'm just having this prince phase that every girl has, apparently*

So, all in all....this book is good. Eventhough the first book was better, but let's keep our fingers crossed, right? I hope the next book is better.

See you!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer [review]

Title: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
First published: 2012
390 pages
Genre: Sci-fi, dystopia, romance
My rating: 4/5

What's in your mind when you hear the word "Cinderella"? Perhaps the blue dress, the pumpkin carriage, the glass shoes, the midnignt curfew, and the happily ever after? Well, those are not what you'll get by reading this fairytale retelling novel.

"It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth." --chapter 19

Linh Cinder is a famously gifted mechanic who worked and lived in New Beijing, 126 years after the World War IV. Eventhough she was a very skillful mechanic, she was considered a second-class citizen because she is a cyborg (part human, part machine). Almost 40% of her body was machine because of a very traumatic accident in the past that she lost one of her feet and hands...and her memories since before she was turned into a cyborg. She was adopted at the age of 11, and she lived with her guardian slash stepmother Linh Adri and her two stepsisters (Linh Pearl and Linh Peony).

She was brooding on a hot day in her small shop in the market when Prince Kai of Eastern Commonwealth came to get his tutor android repaired. And of course the prince had to be very handsome, and polite and funny and in short, Cinder was interested in the prince and vice versa. But of course things got a little complicated when the market was shut down because of 'the plague'. Letumosis is an extremely deadly sickness that attacts randomly and the patients' life would be numbered in days.

Peony and Cinder loved each other like real siblings eventhough they are stepsisters. Cinder was devastated when Peony was infected by the plague and must be taken to quarantie. Adri blamed Cinder for Peony's sickness and offered her as a 'test subject' to the royal health research for letumosis' antidote. She thought she was going to die as a guinea pig, but she was immune to letumosis, and offered a position as a blood donor (to be researched for the antidote) by the lead doctor. This was where she eventually met Prince Kai for the second time, and the third time...and so on.

Unlike the traditional Cinderella fairytale, the main antagonist in the story was not the stepmother. Queen Levana of the Lunar Kingdom (who was rumored to have murdered her older sister the real Queen, and her niece to take over the throne) had an ambition to take over the Earth by marrying Prince Kai after the death of the Emperor. Cinder tried to help Kai to defy the evil Queen.

Honestly, I was amazed by the story because it is very very creative and unique to turn a very traditional fairytale into an action sci-fi. Linh Cinder was unlike the old-time-Cinderella who accepted her fate, and got help from the fairygodmother and waited for the prince to find her. Linh Cinder was a kick-ass, a rebel, a real heroine because she took action throughout the story (you know I like strong women character, hehehe). The whole retelling is absolutely fantastic and very well-written. And of course the prince had to be soooo kind, sooo handsome, soooo sarcastic, soooo funny.... *melting*. I also like the Asian setting of this novel, because come on, I'm not being racist or anything, but most dystopian that I read has either the U.S or the U.K as the setting. I mean, come on, this world is BIG, BIG, BIG! I need to see other places as settings in novels too.

The only bad thing about the novel is that, I can predict the ending from only reading 30% of it. I mean, come on, it's to early to be able to guess the ending, about the real identity of Cinder and so on, but the clues are there for everyone to see, blindingly clear like chrystal. I don't know if it is intentional or not, but it definitely decreases the suspense for me. I wasn't even surprised when the lead doctor told Cinder that she actually was...*censored*...I'm disappointed.

But you know what, I still read it in only one day because the writing is good and you can just fly through it like I did. And the amazement factor of 'how could you make such a whole different world from traditional fairytale?' did get me till the end of the story and I intend to read the sequel. hahaaa.... So I guess, still 4 stars for this book.

It is recomended for you if you like sci-fi, dystopia, romance, and fairytale in a package. Enjoy :))