The third book in the Lunar Chronicles series was a WILD RIDE. As this series goes on, it just gets crazier and crazier and the stakes somehow continue to get higher. While this book is not my favourite in the series so far, I was entertained and did enjoy this installment. I appreciate that it is hard to write the third book in a series, and I do applaud this for being a worthy third installment to such an epic series.

     One thing that I applaud Marissa Meyer on is her ability to introduce new characters and make them my new instant favourite. In Cinder, I was determined that Cinder was my favourite character, in Scarlet, it was Scarlet, and this book is no exception. Cress is such a fierce little papaya that we need to protect but we also do not have to because she is a warrior. What I really admire though is that in introducing these new characters and making me instantly love them, it is not lessening my love for the previous characters. The talent that Marissa Meyer has in this series is the ability to have a new main character in each book without losing the importance of the stories of any of the previous characters. 

     The plot itself adds a lot to the series so far, but the pacing of the plot is the only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars. It was pretty slow throughout and I was anxious to move on from scenes that dragged on for too long. The frustrating thing is that they are important scenes and they matter to the overall story of both the book and the series, but I think the point came across very quickly, and the scene still dragged on for a little too long while I was eagerly awaiting the next scene and new relevant information. 

     Cress is not lacking in emotion or heartbreak at all, I would even argue that it has more emotion than the previous two books. As we grow with these characters and watch them develop relationships with each other, it only makes it more emotionally devastating when these relationships crumble or go through any kind of trauma. I’m not just talking about romantic relationships either; the friendships and familial bonds formed between these characters are beautiful and heartbreaking to see as they go through the journey of this series that is causing them so much pain. 

     One of the things this series does extremely well is gradually expanding the world in a way that keeps the reader engaged and does not leave them confused. This is one of the things that I find to be lacking with other fantasy writers, and it is hard to keep track of where everything is in relation to each other and how that is affecting the plot. With Meyer, this has never been an issue, as each book acts in a bubble, and each subsequent book in the series just slightly expands that bubble in a manageable and understandable way. 

     I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, but I love the fairy tale retelling trope, and the way that Marissa Meyer can seamlessly blend the two is enticing and extremely entertaining. This is one series that I do not question the validity of any one installment and I am just more and more entertained with each new book. Cress really upped the ante in this series, and I cannot wait to see where these characters go in the next book. 4/5 stars to Cress by Marissa Meyer.