Sexual tension anyone? Sighworthy, swoon-inducing, and entirely satisfying this story picks up where Scarlet left off and carries us off into a land of strong, self-reliant women and bedworthy men.
Cress has been trapped for years in a satellite subject to the utter control of Sybil, thaumaturge to Queen Levana. But Cress is a smart cookie and she's figured out how to do some pretty powerful work with her computer. She has also discovered the dashing Captain Carswell Thorne, he of the bad boy reputation.
Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder and Carswell are soaring through space aboard the Rampion and may just be the escape pod that Cress needs to finally escape her prison in space.
Marissa Meyer manages to juggle the tension between Carswell and Cress, with Scarlet and Wolf as she sends us around the globe and out into space while all the while Earth is preparing itself for a wedding between Queen Levana and Emperor Kai. Will marrying Levana get the antidote that Earth needs to fight the letumosis? Will Thorne recover? Will Queen Levana's spaceships attack and take over the Earth in spite of the marriage?
*******
I have just had the great joy and satisfaction of reading 550 pages of emotionally satisfying science fiction and romance wrapped up in one genuinely entertaining and delicious book called CRESS. Let me say that again..this book is delicious.
What makes us love a book? Well, for me if the characters are female they better have some backbone. I want some steel and some smarts and that's exactly what Cinder, Scarlet and Cress deliver. They are the me I wish to be. If someone starts to attack me, I want to have a cyborg ability to sense them and I want to be able to hack into people's computers and change the world. Heck, I might even want to be a princess if it meant I could make a difference in people's lives. Cinder, Scarlet and Cress just make your day.
And if the characters are male...well, dare I say... I want them to have that magnetism that creates awesome sexual tension and I want to savor every minute of it. A little sense of humor, a lot of wisdom and some sensitivity are mandatory for the men and if they can overcome large hordes of misguided soldiers without a whole lot of effort, then I am deeply appreciative of their brawn and their quick minds. I also want them to respect the abilities of the women in their lives and not be threatened by them. It makes them bed worthy and I say bring it on. Kai, Wolf and Carswell Thorne have it all in spades.
What else? Well, in this case the plot of the story comes from a kaleidoscope of points of view. There are several story lines working but all are connected and we follow our lip-smacking guys and our ladies of steel through the universe under threat of a wicked queen, a planet swallowing plague, and seeking the answer to the all-important question... will these wonderful, self-reliant, courageous heroes ever let their defenses down long enough to ....uh...um.... kiss each other?
I don't want to give too much away here but the basic question is will Queen Levana succeed in marrying Emperor Kai and if she does, will she fulfill her dream and take over the planet? Will Cinder, Kai, Cress, Carswell Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf have what it takes individually and as a team to be able to overcome the obstacles thrown in their paths and save the people of Earth?
CRESS reaches to our hidden romantic dreams and fantasies and plays our feelings out for us with great skill, understanding, appreciation and fun. This lady knows exactly what buttons to push. The journeys of the characters, the tension of the relationships and the basic primitive drive to get down to what comes naturally are constructed with perfect balance and timing. This is one great highly entertaining read. The third in the series and let's hope she keeps writing...looks like WINTER is next.
(Please note there is some violence in this book. I would say 13 and up.)
Still smiling from the utter delight of this story.
550 pages Ages 13 and up 978-0312642976
Recommended by: Barb
