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A review by abigailnoack
Cress by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Reread December 2020
Upon rereading, this is my favourite in the series. It used to be Scarlet, because that’s my favourite
romance storyline, but it seems that everyone agrees that this is the best book out of the four. With the added perspective of Cress, Thorne playing a much larger part in this book, and the whole Rampion crew in the midst of planning to overthrow Queen Levana, there’s so much action and high stakes that makes this book a standout from the previous two.
I definitely think that Cress is the most vibrant character out of the main protagonists. She stands out the most from the original fairytale version of Rapunzel that we know from Disney and other stories. She has such a pure sense of wonder about everything in her life on the satellite and on earth. She’s tenderhearted and timid, but she’s really determined and loyal. I love being in her head, and also really appreciate how different she is from Cinder who is very level headed and the leader, and Scarlet who has a fiery personality, but she is equally as valuable to the team. This is probably my favourite way that Marissa Meyer has weaved a fairytale into the sci-fi moon war setting. This is the only Rapunzel retelling I know, and it is so superior to all others, we truly need more. It’s all so clever: the satellite as a prison tower, Sybil Mira the thaumaturge as the evil witch, the bittersweet reunion with her parent at the end, Thorne legitimately going blind, etc. I’ve always loved that Cress, Rapunzel, and Rampion, are all different names of cabbage, which I think is just a thoughtful way to add meaningful detail to the story when it comes to names. Also note that there’s so much more going on in this book than just the Rapunzel aspect, and it all makes it so interesting and complex.
Marissa Meyer is so good at delayed gratification. As this is Cress’s book, naturally Cinder/Kai and Scarlet/Wolf take a bit of a backseat. It’s so painful to see Cinder and Kai apart for so long, but the satisfaction when they are finally reunited is so worth it! I actually really like Cinder a lot even when she’s not the main focus of the story, as I personally don’t think she has the most interesting POV. This book it becomes so clear how Cinder truly brings out the best in everyone on her team and I love that. I also don’t think I remembered how early the main crew gets separated and I was absolutely devastated at the lack of resolution between Scarlet and Wolf. I missed having Scarlet be a bigger part of this book, but the level of angst it creates between Scarlet and Wolf is perfection to me.
This book is definitely the funniest. There’s amazing banter and all the characters play off of each other so well and it makes for hilarious content. And it’s not insensitive either; it’s a perfect balance between the humour and serious stakes and conflict in the book.
Since this was a reread, there was a few times where I could glaringly see through the plot. The most obvious to me is that the whole conflict of the Rampion crew getting separated could have been prevented if they had simply asked for the ship password, “Captain is King” then Sybil and Jacin couldn’t have invaded their ship, lost Scarlet, wounded Wolf, etc.
All in all, this book creates such an amazing set up for the final book, Winter. The small sneak peak of her character already makes me want to read more about her (even though I’ve already read the book) and it’s exciting to add another brilliant but different perspective to the crew. You also get to see Levana a lot more in this book with all the wedding planning, which makes me excited to read Fairest again. I totally forgot about the one chapter from Levana’s POV and you find out about her previous husband.
Upon rereading, this is my favourite in the series. It used to be Scarlet, because that’s my favourite
romance storyline, but it seems that everyone agrees that this is the best book out of the four. With the added perspective of Cress, Thorne playing a much larger part in this book, and the whole Rampion crew in the midst of planning to overthrow Queen Levana, there’s so much action and high stakes that makes this book a standout from the previous two.
I definitely think that Cress is the most vibrant character out of the main protagonists. She stands out the most from the original fairytale version of Rapunzel that we know from Disney and other stories. She has such a pure sense of wonder about everything in her life on the satellite and on earth. She’s tenderhearted and timid, but she’s really determined and loyal. I love being in her head, and also really appreciate how different she is from Cinder who is very level headed and the leader, and Scarlet who has a fiery personality, but she is equally as valuable to the team. This is probably my favourite way that Marissa Meyer has weaved a fairytale into the sci-fi moon war setting. This is the only Rapunzel retelling I know, and it is so superior to all others, we truly need more. It’s all so clever: the satellite as a prison tower, Sybil Mira the thaumaturge as the evil witch, the bittersweet reunion with her parent at the end, Thorne legitimately going blind, etc. I’ve always loved that Cress, Rapunzel, and Rampion, are all different names of cabbage, which I think is just a thoughtful way to add meaningful detail to the story when it comes to names. Also note that there’s so much more going on in this book than just the Rapunzel aspect, and it all makes it so interesting and complex.
Marissa Meyer is so good at delayed gratification. As this is Cress’s book, naturally Cinder/Kai and Scarlet/Wolf take a bit of a backseat. It’s so painful to see Cinder and Kai apart for so long, but the satisfaction when they are finally reunited is so worth it! I actually really like Cinder a lot even when she’s not the main focus of the story, as I personally don’t think she has the most interesting POV. This book it becomes so clear how Cinder truly brings out the best in everyone on her team and I love that. I also don’t think I remembered how early the main crew gets separated and I was absolutely devastated at the lack of resolution between Scarlet and Wolf. I missed having Scarlet be a bigger part of this book, but the level of angst it creates between Scarlet and Wolf is perfection to me.
This book is definitely the funniest. There’s amazing banter and all the characters play off of each other so well and it makes for hilarious content. And it’s not insensitive either; it’s a perfect balance between the humour and serious stakes and conflict in the book.
Since this was a reread, there was a few times where I could glaringly see through the plot. The most obvious to me is that the whole conflict of the Rampion crew getting separated could have been prevented if
All in all, this book creates such an amazing set up for the final book, Winter. The small sneak peak of her character already makes me want to read more about her (even though I’ve already read the book) and it’s exciting to add another brilliant but different perspective to the crew. You also get to see Levana a lot more in this book with all the wedding planning, which makes me excited to read Fairest again. I totally forgot about the one chapter from Levana’s POV and you find out about her previous husband.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Minor: Kidnapping and Gun violence