I started reading this series the other week, as I am sure you are aware of if you are a regular visitor to this blog. I loved it, I really did. It is definitely one of my favourite series. It was just terrible I didn’t begin it sooner, but at the same time I am so glad I waited because there fourth book isn’t out yet and a longer wait might kill me.
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future
I really enjoyed the first book to this series. I didn’t love it. It did not grip me and force me to consume the book in a matter of hours, I did enjoy it though. I wanted to know what was going to happen. The entire story intrigued me. It was so well done in that way, you were interested because, despite it being based upon a fairy tale everyone knows, you could not predict what was going to happen next.
Cinder was great because you only ever really follow Cinder’s story and she is such a good first character, she is so completely likable, which is good I think.
Also, can I say the world building was amazing, the first one especially because you learn so much about the world Cinder lives in and it could be difficult to introduce all that in one book, but some how it is achieved and it is awesome. Cinder’s story is such a pleasant and nice story (in comparison to some of the later books) that it was the perfect introduction to the series, and the cliff hanger ending was amazing.
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling instalment 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. Halfway 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.
The second book took longer for me to get into, which is surprising since the cliff hanger of the first book was so very gripping you’d think I’d dive in head first. I couldn’t get into it because you wanted to know what happened Cinder but you were stuck following Scarlet’s story to begin with and I had to figure out if I cared. Then I began to be intrigued with Scarlet’s story, with Wolf and Scarlet's relationship, with what happened to her grandmother, but it kept getting interrupted by Cinder’s story and Thorne. Occasionally you had Kai interrupting as well, I definitely didn’t like hearing about Kai’s story, it didn’t interest me like Cinder and Scarlet’s story.
Again, the world building was amazing, but it was the character development that was the best. Seeing the growth of Cinder into her role as she flees prison and makes friends is awesome-sauce.
Scarlet was amazing, she was badass and independent, I just wish we got more of her. I wish this book focused more on her, I really do, I think I wish it had been longer so I could get to know more about her because her story was only touched upon.
Cress – Marissa Meyer
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, 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 her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
I think I liked this book, but again, there were too many stories going on that it was hard to connect. I liked Cress, she is so adorably sweet and innocent that you can’t not like her. The same time she is tough, she is intelligent, and she is so relatable to anyone that tends to spend a lot of time alone. Her resourcefulness was amazing and her ability to try and see the good in people and look at the facts was great. I don’t know how you could not like her.
I hated that you lost out on Scarlet's story in this book, I feel like Scarlet has so much to offer and she sort of dropped off the face of the earth in this book, you get hints of what’s to come with her, which is great, but I wish we had more because I really do love her story. Cinder was awesome though, whilst she flicked in and out a lot in the last book, here she got to have her own story developed again. It did feel like Cress wasn’t really about Cress though, but more about Cinder, which bothered me a bit, but at the same time didn’t because Cinder's developing story was so strong.
I know I said I didn’t like Kai’s story in the last book, and I do feel like his views were just thrown in there so you got an idea of what was going on with Queen Levana, but I kind of wish you got more male perspective’s in these books, since they have gone the multiple perspective route. You did get to see some of Thorne (which was great, he is one of my favourite characters, I definitely want to know some of his story) but I wish I got to see what was going on in say Wolf's head, he was an intriguing character last book and now he has fallen on the wayside with the loss of Scarlet to further his story I think.
Anyway, I seem to be complaining a lot but I genuinely adored this book, it makes the next book seem so promising, I absolutely cannot wait. These were the most unique adaptations of fairy tales I have ever read. I know it has become a popular book trend, but when they are as well done as these books are you cannot fault people for doing that. I just can’t wait for Winter to be released, until then I need to go our and buy hardcopies of these books.
SO what do you all think? Were the later books a bit disjointed trying to fit in multiple people’s stories leading to a loss of some of the connection to characters? Or did you just love the books regardless, which I get because I did.
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