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!!!!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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



Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Dystopian/Steam Punk/Fairytale Retelling/Sci-Fi
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence
Premise: "Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Half way around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner" (King County Library System).
Opinions: In Scarlet the point of views switch between Scarlet (a new vision of Red Riding Hood) and Cinder (Cinderella) from book one. The concepts and twists in this book are amazing and a breath of fresh air. I love the interplay between characters. I admire the creativity in Meyer's world building. I actually LOVE the men more in this book than the women--wolf and Captain Thorne leaped of the page (or well audio system) for me. While Scarlet's character was fascinating, her mood swings were a bit much for me at times, and yet they were completely and utterly understandable. I actually listened to this book on cd while in the car, and the voice actor did a beautiful job making each character stand out well in the story.  The struggles both Cinder and Scarlet faced were three-dimensional and the way Meyer's interwove their stories beautiful. The violence was a bit gory at times for my taste, but did fit with the overall stories. I'm very intrigued to see where the next book in the series, Cress, goes.

The Girl With the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

To read my reviews of the other books in this series, click here: The Girl in the Steel Corset, The Girl With the Clockwork Collar and The Girl With the Iron Touch.




Title: The Girl With the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles #4)
Author: Kady Cross
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction/Steampunk
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: There were references to sex, but surprisingly at a high level (keep in mind this book is published through Harlequin TEEN).  There is moderate swearing and some horror aspects.
Premise: "In 1897, part-automaton Mila seeks an independent life in London's West End while Finley Jane plunges headlong into the Aether, hoping to outmaneuver the Machinist who has taken Griffin King captive" (King County Library System).
Opinions: I liked this book a lot better than the last one, The Girl With the Iron Touch. The Girl With the Windup Heart happily answered many questions that I've had throughout the series, and even ones that I didn't know had bothered me until now.  I still struggled to remember that these characters ranged from 18-21 in age. They were more adult, skilled/professional, and had greater depth of history than many people I know twice their age.  Though I wondered if that that might just be part of the steampunk genre. (I'm still pretty new to this style of book.)

I felt this book twisted steampunk with some horror aspects which made it twice as intriguing to me. The concepts were fun, the answers mostly satisfying, and I have to admit that several point made me laugh out loud, and another particular moment made me out and out bawl.  Overall, though I had difficulties reconciling the characters ages and some of their decisions, I really enjoyed reading this book and felt it was a satisfactory resolution to the series.

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

To read my reviews of the other books in this series, click here: The Girl in the Steel Corset and The Girl With the Clockwork Collar.




Title: The Girl With the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3)
Author: Kady Cross
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction/Steampunk
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing and some references to sexual situations
Premise: "London, 1897. When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons or forfeit her friends' lives. With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him-and for Griffin. Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine. To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation-an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance of triumph, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has" (King County Library System).
Opinions:  This book was a weird juxtaposition for me. I felt that the story was a see-saw  back and forth between the main plot section and everyone's romances.  The flow in-between the two felt somewhat awkward/forced, and some of the personal decisions characters regarding the romance aspect left me disappointed. 

However, the main plot was what really carried the story for me.   I loved seeing more of Emily and I was glad to see Sam stepping up to the plate more. The concept for the new characters left me intrigued. Overall, I felt that this was a story of decisions--that no matter what your past you have a choice on how you will move forward--and that made it a positive read in the end.  I am still looking forward to reading book four of this series, The Girl With the Windup Heart.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

To read my review of the first book in this series, click here: The Girl in the Steel Corset.





Title:  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (The Steampunk Chronicles #2)
Author:  Kady Cross
Reviewer:  Karen
Genre: YA Steam-punk
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings:  Mild swearing and violence
Premise: "Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship" (King County Library System).

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1206418082_the_girl_in_the_clockwork_collar#sthash.KZB0Osir.dpuf

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1206418082_the_girl_in_the_clockwork_collar#sthash.KZB0Osir.dpuf

Opinions: I have found that people either love steam-punk or they hate it. And if you love steam punk, you're usually pretty particular about how to should go. I noticed this a lot when reading the mixed reviews of this book on GoodReads.  So keep in mind that I can't really compare what I read against other books of this genre because I haven't read much, yet.

For me, I found it a fun read and loathed to put it down. There are certain aspects of the story that I questioned, but I couldn't determine if the author meant for the reader to question them or not. I enjoyed seeing this genre taken out of England and carried a crossed the pond to New York. I loved the new setting, and was intrigued by the unfolding of Jasper's story. I adore Emily and love Sam a lot more in this book, but I still am holding full judgment on Griffin and Finley. I did keep forgetting that they were only teenagers. To me, they act more like they're in their early twenties, but considering what the characters have been through I can kind of understand that. I'm waiting to see where they're "relationship" takes them next.

The next book in this series, The Girl With the Iron Touch, is already out and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset (The Steampunk Chronicles #1)
Author: Kady Cross
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Steampunk
Rating: Cross between Like
Alerts/Warnings: Some blood, Mild Swearing
Premise: "Finley, who has a beastly alter ego inside of her, joins Duke Griffin's army of misfits to help stop the Machinist, the criminal behind a series of automaton crimes, from carrying out a plan to kill Queen Victoria during the Jubilee" (King County Library System).
Opinion: This is only the second ever Steampunk book that I've read (the first being The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby). I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot. It reminded me a lot of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which I quite enjoyed. And if you read her acknowledgements, the author was intentionally trying to cross the feel of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen mixed with the X-Men. I loved Finley and learning of her family history as she does. I think her background and the internal struggles she deals with in her character arc make her a very fascinating person.  I love some of the interpersonal relationships and the friendships that they try to build upon. I also admire the author's imagination, item creation, and overall setting.


The difficulty I had with this book is that the main cast of characters are all supposed to be around 16/17/18 years old and I kept forgetting that. I saw them as being in their twenties at least. Plus, probably because its her first novel, there were some descriptions that seemed repetitive of some of the characters that pulled me out of the story a little. It also did bother me that Finely is blond in the book, but that the book cover shows her as being brunette, but that's a superficial nitpicking issue on my part.  I'm sure these very minor issues will be quickly overcome the more books that the author writes. However, that did not stop me from already requesting the sequel from my public library. I'm highly looking forward to seeing were the story goes next in The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.