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anielabooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
At first I was very unmotivated to read this book because the beginning was quite slow. However as I reached the end the action picked up and I was on the edge of my seat. I met Winter who I’ve absolutely fallen in love with already. I almost cried at times, even. I am so very excited for the next books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Torture, and War
Minor: Death, Blood, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Medical content, and Death of parent
cranereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Torture
emiliaphrodite's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i know i adore this book because no matter the scene, if characters are talking, i’m in love.
buttttttt now that i’m older, my perspective on this book has really changed. kai acts like a child when he’s a literal emperor, although he does have some self-awareness, and i appreciate that. i kid you not, the way thorne treats cress while they’re in the desert? that’s the way i treat my students in ELEMENTARY.
the biggest turn-around of all is that wolf is actually my favorite now, and he and scarlet genuinely feel like the most mature characters from the crew. tall, hulking, chivalrous? yes plzzzz 🤤
i read somewhere that there are a few microaggressions in the book, and now that they’ve been pointed out to me, I can’t unsee them. someone tell me why the linh family has a vietnamese last name, practices more japanese culture, but lives in china??? i understand they’re all united under the commonwealth now, but i would’ve appreciated not having to jump through the numerous logical leaps and bounds in order to excuse this extreme blurring of asian cultures.
that doesn’t even begin the notes on ableism scattered throughout the book. the words “crazy,” “lunatic,” and “psychotic” are tossed around way too easily. that’s just the beginning.
it’s giving white woman learns about racism and thinks she’s done something. and yes, she did, but she also clearly didn’t do her research. why is it that scarlet’s accent is only mentioned now when cinder and thorne would’ve noticed in their chapters immediately, but when they’re all in africa, the author doesn’t forget to mention the accents of the locals once? not to mention lunars likely have their own accents? overall, the world building was so poorly done that it’s easy to see why and how the author slipped up and failed to mention all these differing accents in the beginning.
i am not saying i don’t love this book. i really, genuinely do, and cresswell will always be adorable to me. but now that i’m older and my world view is different, things like this don’t just skip past the way they once did.
buttttttt now that i’m older, my perspective on this book has really changed. kai acts like a child when he’s a literal emperor, although he does have some self-awareness, and i appreciate that. i kid you not, the way thorne treats cress while they’re in the desert? that’s the way i treat my students in ELEMENTARY.
the biggest turn-around of all is that wolf is actually my favorite now, and he and scarlet genuinely feel like the most mature characters from the crew. tall, hulking, chivalrous? yes plzzzz 🤤
i read somewhere that there are a few microaggressions in the book, and now that they’ve been pointed out to me, I can’t unsee them. someone tell me why the linh family has a vietnamese last name, practices more japanese culture, but lives in china??? i understand they’re all united under the commonwealth now, but i would’ve appreciated not having to jump through the numerous logical leaps and bounds in order to excuse this extreme blurring of asian cultures.
that doesn’t even begin the notes on ableism scattered throughout the book. the words “crazy,” “lunatic,” and “psychotic” are tossed around way too easily. that’s just the beginning.
it’s giving white woman learns about racism and thinks she’s done something. and yes, she did, but she also clearly didn’t do her research. why is it that scarlet’s accent is only mentioned now when cinder and thorne would’ve noticed in their chapters immediately, but when they’re all in africa, the author doesn’t forget to mention the accents of the locals once? not to mention lunars likely have their own accents? overall, the world building was so poorly done that it’s easy to see why and how the author slipped up and failed to mention all these differing accents in the beginning.
i am not saying i don’t love this book. i really, genuinely do, and cresswell will always be adorable to me. but now that i’m older and my world view is different, things like this don’t just skip past the way they once did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism
cadybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
jerry_pov's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Terminal illness
Minor: War
theespressoedition's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Whew, I truly forgot how great Cress is! I was over here raving about Scarlet and saying it was my favorite book in the series, but there's a chance that Cress topped that by just a smidge.
Maybe it's the fact that nearly all of the characters in the series have been introduced at this point, maybe it's the vulnerability from some of our "tougher" characters (like Thorne and Cinder), or maybe it's just that Cress is adorably awkward and this book brings in the most emotion up til this point. I don't know what the defining factor is, but it's an excellent story.
Seeing all of the different perspectives really rounds out the story. There have been moments in the previous books where I wanted just the tiniest bit more and this book gives that to us. It's really excellent!
I can't wait to continue this fun reread of The Lunar Chronicles!
Maybe it's the fact that nearly all of the characters in the series have been introduced at this point, maybe it's the vulnerability from some of our "tougher" characters (like Thorne and Cinder), or maybe it's just that Cress is adorably awkward and this book brings in the most emotion up til this point. I don't know what the defining factor is, but it's an excellent story.
Seeing all of the different perspectives really rounds out the story. There have been moments in the previous books where I wanted just the tiniest bit more and this book gives that to us. It's really excellent!
I can't wait to continue this fun reread of The Lunar Chronicles!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping and Murder
Minor: Blood
lagiven's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I love Cress mainly for the heist in the last section of the book because it's so fast paced and exciting. This is the book where the storylines start to come together, and with Scarlet's chapters, Winter is finally introduced. It's also fun to see how different characters view each other as they all have distinct voices and backgrounds and yet are shoved together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Trafficking, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Grief and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was another great installment in the series! I thought it was fun, fast-paced and extremely compelling. Although I loved this story, and Cress as a character (Rapunzel as a super-smart computer hacker? yes please!) I did have some problems with the pacing at times, hence the 4.5 star rating. I do love how seamlessly all of the storylines are weaved together though. I am super excited to see how the story ends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
tkatt20's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
After finishing this book, I'm starting to see why this is such a popular series. The addition of Cress’s POV added to much to the story and I felt like I finally could enjoy the plot rather than being so confused by the world building now that I sort of know the writing style and the characters more. With that being said, I think this book does so many things right that I find other books fall short. This series has one of the best formulas for multiple points of view that I have ever read. The chapters are short enough that I don’t get bored quickly and the characters are extremely likable and all so different that each one is interesting to read about. I also really like that the chapters aren’t labeled for which character it’s about so I don’t find myself getting distracted wanting to know when my favorite character will come up again, which means every so often you have a couple chapters in a row from the same POV that it gets rid of the big cliff hangers when switching back that many other books have. One huge plus for me about this book is that it stayed away from the “right place, wrong time” trope that I see when characters are trying to meet up again after being separated. There were so many chances that could have happened here but it never did which is a huge part of why I rated it much higher.
This easily could have been a 5 star read for me but I can’t ignore all the questions the first 2 books left me with. While a few of my curiosities were satisfied with this story, I still wish I knew more about the androids and the war that is talked about so much in this series, and I don’t think I’ll be getting that with the next book that follows this one either. I also found myself wishing for a chapter or two from Wolf’s POV, especially after what happened with Scarlet right in the beginning. I think it would have been so interesting to know what he was thinking through that situation and it would have given the opportunity for more information on his past and his emotions, aside from what we learned in Scarlet.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and I can’t wait to read about Winter in the next one. I love how you get a taste of her story in the books prior, just like with Cress in the first book, and I already find her so interesting. All in all, I will definitely be finishing this series and I may even be motivated to read the short stories that were also written for this series.
This easily could have been a 5 star read for me but I can’t ignore all the questions the first 2 books left me with. While a few of my curiosities were satisfied with this story, I still wish I knew more about the androids and the war that is talked about so much in this series, and I don’t think I’ll be getting that with the next book that follows this one either. I also found myself wishing for a chapter or two from Wolf’s POV, especially after what happened with Scarlet right in the beginning. I think it would have been so interesting to know what he was thinking through that situation and it would have given the opportunity for more information on his past and his emotions, aside from what we learned in Scarlet.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and I can’t wait to read about Winter in the next one. I love how you get a taste of her story in the books prior, just like with Cress in the first book, and I already find her so interesting. All in all, I will definitely be finishing this series and I may even be motivated to read the short stories that were also written for this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Torture and Trafficking
talkstofish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Book 3 of the Lunar Chronicles reimagined Rapunzel. The plot draws more elements from the original Grimm brothers Rapunzel, leading to a more interesting read. The plot focuses on a minor character from the previous books. Cress is a young woman locked in a satellite, forced to hack and program for the evil Lunar queen. The plot centers on her escape and our favorite crew as they try to figure out a way to save Earth from all out war. The plot focuses on a new plan for how Cinder will take her place as the missing Lunar princess. The first step? Stopping Kai’s wedding so that Queen Levanna does not become Empress of the Commonwealth, which can’t be undone even if Cinder takes over Luna. Our crew gets separated along the way, with interesting adventures that reveal more about the plague, the Lunar Queen’s plan, and our characters themselves.
Overall, I enjoyed this book the most out of the first three. It’s not a standalone book, but an exciting ride as we follow The Rampion’s crew on their quest to stop the evil Queen Levanna.
Overall, I enjoyed this book the most out of the first three. It’s not a standalone book, but an exciting ride as we follow The Rampion’s crew on their quest to stop the evil Queen Levanna.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence and Torture
Minor: Animal death
Because the Lunar people have the power to manipulate and torture people with their minds, this mental torture comes up multiple times in the book. Some of the characters are kidnapped along the way. There is one animal death (but it is for hunting).