Cress

4.5 stars.

I had SUCH a fun time with this! This book's biggest strength is its action/pacing. This series has done an excellent job of ratcheting up the action book by book. This one is quite action-packed compared to Cinder, which I got bored with in a few places. I loved how much we got to see the rest of the setting; to bring up Cinder again, I felt that the setting of New Beijing was basically wasted, and I feel that that was kind of fixed in Scarlet. I was happy to see that fixed with Cress. We got to see so many places and get a real sense of life in this world, as well as on Luna!

I also really, really liked Cress as a main character. Her voice and personality are so unique amidst the others in the group (Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder, Thorne, Iko), and it was refreshing to have someone in the mix who isn't sarcastic, snarky, or cynical. Cress adds a necessary dimension to the character spread, and it's fun to see the different characters interact with her and react to how different she is. I also love Jason Clay!

The Cress/Thorne romance was just...okay. Can I just say it? I don't like Thorne that much. I loved him interacting with Cress in the desert (that was easily the best part of their romance), but after that, it went downhill. I like a character who breaks the tension with humor, but a lot of times it's like he's unaware there is any tension at all. The one exception I can remember is the exchange between him and Jason Clay (“Where's my gun?” “I've got it.” “Can I have it back?” “Nope.”). That shit cracked me up.

Anyway, the Cress/Thorne romance needs some serious development/maturity. Throughout, Cress is a perfectly devoted little angel, and he's...well, he's Thorne. I'd love to see Cress mature out of the fangirl love for him, and I'd love to see Thorne develop some sensitivity and self-awareness. UGH I WAS WAITING FOR HIM TO TELL HER HE ISN'T REALLY A CAPTAIN, BUT HE DIDN'T! In a good romance, both people need to grow as a result of being with each other. Cress has definitely evolved the most of the two. He allows her to put him on a pedestal, but when is he going to do the same for her? Yeah, he said she has a beautiful singing voice, but what else? I'm not really convinced he likes her all that much, if I'm being honest. It seems more of a convenience thing, not a conscious choice. It's certainly not the worst romance in a book. More often than not, it's very sweet and squishy and all that. I just don't love it the way other people seem to. Thorne is easily my least favorite character. There's time for more development, though! I'd love to be in the camp of Thorne fans, but as of now, I'm not there yet.

Regarding the other romances, I'm thrilled with the development of Cinder and Kai. Prior to Cress It felt a bit too much like “she's-Cinderella-and-he's-the-prince-so-it-kinda-has-to-go-this-way.” However, I LOVED their scene at the end! It felt totally earned, and so sweet! And of course, I really enjoy Scarlet and Wolf together. I liked his characterization in reaction to Scarlet's absence.

DR. ERLAND AND CRESS. THAT WHOLE SCENE. YOU KNOW THE ONE. DAMN.

ANYWAY, I'm very excited for Winter! A lot of other YA books tend to sag toward the middle of their series, but with The Lunar Chronicles, it's been the opposite! I can't wait to see where it goes from here!