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A review by keschneider
Cress by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
SPOILERS.
I think in truth I would put this at a 3.8ish, but I'll round up!
500 pages of pure chaos, and... elements of Survivor? Welcome to the desert, population Cress and Thorne. Who somehow cheated death, btw.
I have lots to say. Let us begin.
Loved:
-CiNDeR. What can I say, I love a reluctant heroine who is also reluctant to accept her gifts, or use them in nefarious ways on evil people. I ate that up.
-CINDER. When she finally just frickin snaps and tortures Sybil into madness and then oops she throws herself off the roof? I'm sorry but that was kind of awesome, and terrifying and horrible... and awesome. Girl needs therapy and adult supervision but that was an epic way for Sybil to go. Bye Sybil, we all hated you. Even the Queen.
-The elements of the fairytale in this one for some reason just were so much more *chef's kiss* I love the Rapunzel story (Tangled anyone? Into the WOODS, anyone?) and when Thorne lost his eyesight it was heartbreaking and fit so well. He was trying to be all tough guy and nonchalant, but suddenly losing his eyesight was a major blow. Humbled him, I like to think. And forced him to depend more on Cress, which was better than her just swooning over him the whole time.
-When Cinder FINALLY tells Kai who she really is, it was SO BEAUTIFUL. I love them. It was LONG overdue, but I loved it and thought it was perfect. The way he immediately goes to comfort her when she's like "I'm so scared Kai. I'm scared I'll fail. Or worse, I'm scared I'll become like Levana" and he was RIGHT there IMMEDIATELY with "Girl, you'll never even be in the same LEAGUE as her evil-ness" (paraphrased). And she confesses to torturing Sybil and maybe enjoying it a teensy weensy bit, he isn't even phased lol
-I thought the Dr.'s end was well done. He is a very complex, morally gray character and seeing him taken down by the very disease that he spent over a decade trying to cure, but also over a decade of using it to find Princess Selene by killing hundreds of innocent Cyborgs in the process, was poetic I thought. And thank God this man has half a brain and TOLD them that the disease was biological warfare, instead of keeping everything secret like in the first book. I don't see how that's necessarily important, considering Earth and Luna were always going to be at war anyway, but I'm sure I will wisen up soon once I start the last book.
-Scarlet was gone, and we only had a few of her POV's. Loved that. :P
Critiques:
-I hate whenever we get Levana or Sybil's point of view chapters. To me, they served no real purpose and they're the bad guys and I don't care about them and I don't want to hear anything from their POV unless it's a big plot twist or showing more of their character or something. Reading chapters from a villain's POV should serve a purpose or at least add entertainment value. Those chapters did neither for me. Sorry
-While Kai fancies himself a true Nancy Drew, my guy sure is a dumbass. He couldn't put two and two together on hardly anything in this book. My thoughts and prayers are with the Commonwealth.
-Everyone was honestly really stupid in this book and making the worst decisions ever. Wolf ignoring Cinder's command to stay put so that he couldn't be controlled and thus turned into a LETHAL WEAPON against her and Scarlet? Naw. Dr. hears of new case of Letumosis mutating so that it infects Lunars? Well of course he's gotta check it out, he's a doctor, but couldn't he have worn ppe or something? C'mon. Cinder's original plan of interrupting the wedding and declaring herself princess of Luna and expecting everyone to just... be like "alright cool, I guess she's the princess of Luna, and the rightful Queen." Like???? This whole book was the epitome of "No thoughts, just vibes" from like every single character.
-Did we... did we WANT the whole Cress being Erland's daughter thing to be discoverable so early on? If not, yikes. If yes, well done, but perhaps a bit OVERDONE. By the time Dr. Erland "figures it out" it was already hammered into my brain so many times that it was Cress who was his "long-dead" "Crescent Moon" I actually kind of rolled my eyes at what should have been a heartbreaking moment and realization.
-Cress is sweet but her obsession with Thorne and just being in love with him immediately kinda gave me the ick, if they are endgame. And he's so much older than her isn't he? I forget now, but he's in his twenties I think and she's a teenager? Oof. A teenager who has only talked to one (HORRIBLE) person for seven years straight. Idk, maybe they're closer in age, like 18 and 21 or something like that. She just seems so young and naïve and I love their friendship but I'll need some more convincing on the romance, if that's what's to come.
-I've never been a huge fan of "let's wander around the desert/forest/mountains or whatever for several chapters and call it plot" thing. It wasn't TOO bad in this book, but by the 3rd or 4th chapter of it I was so over it.
-I don't really have much of an explanation for this one, but Iko finally getting an Escort droid body after so long of wanting one, and then it almost immediately getting annihilated made me mad. Like she's been through enough, why can't you just let her have this? *cries in android injustice*
All in all, I liked it, I live for the chaos. Oh to be 16 and saving the world(s)
I think in truth I would put this at a 3.8ish, but I'll round up!
500 pages of pure chaos, and... elements of Survivor? Welcome to the desert, population Cress and Thorne. Who somehow cheated death, btw.
I have lots to say. Let us begin.
Loved:
-CiNDeR. What can I say, I love a reluctant heroine who is also reluctant to accept her gifts, or use them in nefarious ways on evil people. I ate that up.
-CINDER. When she finally just frickin snaps and tortures Sybil into madness and then oops she throws herself off the roof? I'm sorry but that was kind of awesome, and terrifying and horrible... and awesome. Girl needs therapy and adult supervision but that was an epic way for Sybil to go. Bye Sybil, we all hated you. Even the Queen.
-The elements of the fairytale in this one for some reason just were so much more *chef's kiss* I love the Rapunzel story (Tangled anyone? Into the WOODS, anyone?) and when Thorne lost his eyesight it was heartbreaking and fit so well. He was trying to be all tough guy and nonchalant, but suddenly losing his eyesight was a major blow. Humbled him, I like to think. And forced him to depend more on Cress, which was better than her just swooning over him the whole time.
-When Cinder FINALLY tells Kai who she really is, it was SO BEAUTIFUL. I love them. It was LONG overdue, but I loved it and thought it was perfect. The way he immediately goes to comfort her when she's like "I'm so scared Kai. I'm scared I'll fail. Or worse, I'm scared I'll become like Levana" and he was RIGHT there IMMEDIATELY with "Girl, you'll never even be in the same LEAGUE as her evil-ness" (paraphrased). And she confesses to torturing Sybil and maybe enjoying it a teensy weensy bit, he isn't even phased lol
-I thought the Dr.'s end was well done. He is a very complex, morally gray character and seeing him taken down by the very disease that he spent over a decade trying to cure, but also over a decade of using it to find Princess Selene by killing hundreds of innocent Cyborgs in the process, was poetic I thought. And thank God this man has half a brain and TOLD them that the disease was biological warfare, instead of keeping everything secret like in the first book. I don't see how that's necessarily important, considering Earth and Luna were always going to be at war anyway, but I'm sure I will wisen up soon once I start the last book.
-Scarlet was gone, and we only had a few of her POV's. Loved that. :P
Critiques:
-I hate whenever we get Levana or Sybil's point of view chapters. To me, they served no real purpose and they're the bad guys and I don't care about them and I don't want to hear anything from their POV unless it's a big plot twist or showing more of their character or something. Reading chapters from a villain's POV should serve a purpose or at least add entertainment value. Those chapters did neither for me. Sorry
-While Kai fancies himself a true Nancy Drew, my guy sure is a dumbass. He couldn't put two and two together on hardly anything in this book. My thoughts and prayers are with the Commonwealth.
-Everyone was honestly really stupid in this book and making the worst decisions ever. Wolf ignoring Cinder's command to stay put so that he couldn't be controlled and thus turned into a LETHAL WEAPON against her and Scarlet? Naw. Dr. hears of new case of Letumosis mutating so that it infects Lunars? Well of course he's gotta check it out, he's a doctor, but couldn't he have worn ppe or something? C'mon. Cinder's original plan of interrupting the wedding and declaring herself princess of Luna and expecting everyone to just... be like "alright cool, I guess she's the princess of Luna, and the rightful Queen." Like???? This whole book was the epitome of "No thoughts, just vibes" from like every single character.
-Did we... did we WANT the whole Cress being Erland's daughter thing to be discoverable so early on? If not, yikes. If yes, well done, but perhaps a bit OVERDONE. By the time Dr. Erland "figures it out" it was already hammered into my brain so many times that it was Cress who was his "long-dead" "Crescent Moon" I actually kind of rolled my eyes at what should have been a heartbreaking moment and realization.
-Cress is sweet but her obsession with Thorne and just being in love with him immediately kinda gave me the ick, if they are endgame. And he's so much older than her isn't he? I forget now, but he's in his twenties I think and she's a teenager? Oof. A teenager who has only talked to one (HORRIBLE) person for seven years straight. Idk, maybe they're closer in age, like 18 and 21 or something like that. She just seems so young and naïve and I love their friendship but I'll need some more convincing on the romance, if that's what's to come.
-I've never been a huge fan of "let's wander around the desert/forest/mountains or whatever for several chapters and call it plot" thing. It wasn't TOO bad in this book, but by the 3rd or 4th chapter of it I was so over it.
-I don't really have much of an explanation for this one, but Iko finally getting an Escort droid body after so long of wanting one, and then it almost immediately getting annihilated made me mad. Like she's been through enough, why can't you just let her have this? *cries in android injustice*
All in all, I liked it, I live for the chaos. Oh to be 16 and saving the world(s)