Cress by Marissa Meyer

To read my reviews of other books in this series, click here: Cinder and Scarlet.




Title: Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Dystopian/Steam Punk/Fairytale Retelling/Sci-Fi
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence
Premise: "Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company" (King County Library System).
Opinions: Brilliant. Absolutely stinkin' brilliant. The end.Okay, well not exactly the end. I mean the series isn't finished after all. Once again I listened to this on CD while on a long drive to visit family in St. George. Just ask my husband. I was laughing out loud. I was yelling at the car stereo. And I hated to stop for gas because I'd have to pause the story.

In this third installment of the Lunar Chronicles series we are treated to the retelling of Rapunzel in the form of Crescent Moon (a.k.a. Cress) who is a shell--a lunar without bio-electrical manipulation abilities. And yet, Cress is my favorite character by far. In fact this whole book is my favorite of the series (which is saying a lot). She is spunky. She is naive. She is brilliant. She is funny. And she is out to help Cinder save the universe, if only she could ever leave the satellite that Mistress Cybil (the lunar queen's right-hand woman) has confined her to for the last seven years.

The way that Marissa Meyers interweaves these fairy-tale re-tellings in a new and creative light is brilliant. She ties the characters together with plot twists and character arcs that leave the mind whirling, but she's laid the foundation so smoothly that I buy it. I am SO loving being on this crazy journey with the whole menagerie of twistedly awesome characters that I cannot wait to listen/read the next book, Winter.  I seriously would tell you more about what I love about Cress, but as River Song (insert Doctor Who reference) would say---SPOILERS!!!!

Numbers Ignite by Rebecca Rode

To read my review of the first book in this series, click here: Numbers Games.




Title: Numbers Ignite (Numbers Game #2)
Author: Rebecca Rode

Reviewer:  Karen
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence associated with hostile takeovers
Premise: "Treena and Vance think they’ve pulled out of the numbers game forever. They’re wrong.

After Treena’s disastrous attempt to unite the nation, she has the deaths of hundreds haunting her dreams. Now, with hatred and accusations following her past the border, she’s determined to leave that horrible day behind and find a peaceful, uneventful life with Vance and the settlers. But when she starts seeing mysterious figures hiding in the abandoned cities at night and uncovers a strange desert population, she realizes there’s a danger much greater than NORA to worry about—and she just abandoned her people to their fate.

Vance is a prisoner. Being rejected by the girl he loves and put on trial for betraying his clan are bad enough, but now he’s been framed for a crime he never committed. Their less-than-perfect refuge has become the political game of a madman, and Vance is the only one who can stop it—if he can keep from being executed first.

Treena and Vance are still very much in the game, and this time it will take everything they have to save those they love" (GoodReads.com).
Opinions: I liked Numbers Ignite more than the original Numbers Game.  Sequels tend to lose some of the initial intrigue and spunk that the reader gains in the first book. In fact, Treena feels more real to me now--the struggles and decisions she faces and the choices she has to make. Even Vance feels more three-dimensional to me, which is impressive because I loved Vance from the first story. Both characters endure a personal journey that gives them growth, tenacity, and more strength. The expansion of secondary characters is intriguing and I love where its going. The story development still fascinates me and Rebecca Rode does a great job of placing me in her world to the point I can visualize everything.  I still want to punch Dresden in his pretty Bike Boy face, but that just means that Rode did a great job of making me care about the characters. Overall, if you are into YA and/or Dystopian, then you should most definitely read this series.