Luna Chronicles (3) - Cress by Marissa Meyer

12/08/2016 20:10

Cress, part 3 of the series (Wie Sterne so golden, Cress), published 2014, I read the 560 pages in English.


Cress is the queen's most gifted spy. She can hack into any security system, make sure the Lunar ships are not picked up on the Earthens' radars and she can pinpoint the location of anyone. The fugitive Linh Cinder included. Cress' only chance to make up for her mistakes in the past that have cost so many lives – and her only chance of freedom from her prison in the sky. And Cinder's ally, the good looking Thorne, just looks like a fairy tale prince who comes to save the damsel in distress – and if Cress isn't a damsel in distress, who is? But then everything goes horribly wrong. While Wolf is tearing the world apart to look for Scarlet and Cinder has to try to stop the wedding of Kai and Queen Levana, Cress finds herself stranded in the Sahara... with a blind man as her guide.

 

Okay. This time, we'll start with what I didn't like.

Spoiler:

This would be: Cinder's decision to abandon Thorne and Cress – before the satellite fell. I don't like it because it's a) totally out of character for her and b) doesn't make sense. One of the reasons they came to pick Cress up was because she's the only one who is able to find their location. With her in the enemy hands, they'd have a huge problem. Additionally, Cinder doesn't seem like a girl who abandons her friends. Sure, she acts as if she doesn't like Thorne. But actually, she does. And, more important, she owes him.

So far, so good. The next thing I didn't like his Torin's behaviour towards Kai. He's nice enough and like a father figure – but he switches way too fast between more or less scolding him for making mistakes (usually when he didn't make mistakes) and being oh-so impressed by him, when he's talking political nonsense. This is... well, he's supposed to be far better in politics than that. And, by the way, if he's the official first advisor, who are the other advisers of Kai? And how did he get over his father's death so fast?

Spoiler:

And again to the topic “politics”. We find out that there is a booming market for uranium. Meaning stuff with which you can build atomar weapons. Now, I'm not a fan of those – I actually really hate them. They do far too much damage – far much then absolutely necessary. But what I'm getting at is that the Earthern Union's relationship to the moon has been strained since before WW4. Now, on a scale of country relationships with one as Disney Animated Movies to ten with George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, the situation has been a solid eight ever since Channary's reign. So. Let me show you what Math we Germans learn in school.

We know that Queen Channary has died before Selene supposed death when she was 3, meaning 13 years ago. This leads to the conclusion, that Levana has been at least 13 years in power. We find out in Winter (Wie Schnee so weiß) that a princess turns into a Queen with her 13th birthday (they have it with 13). Let's say, Queen Channary got Cinder with twenty-five (which is a wild guess). This means that she has ruled fifteen years plus the 13 years of her sister means 28 years of threat – probably even more, since Levana mentioned she used the research of her parents and sister. And you don't usually start creating a disease out of nothing.

I know it sounds weird that I say that Channary has been a threat to Earth since she's thirteen, but after what we find out in Winter (Wie Schnee so weiß)... after that, I doubt that she wasn't. This means we have at least 28 years of a potential threatening to downright dangerous relationship, and the situation has been growing gradually worse in Levana's reign, meaning since 13 years. And none of the states have thought about a back-up plan in case the peace talks fail?! Serioulsy? And why do they let Kai marry her? They know that this will only make it worse!

Additionally, why does Kai consider this in the first place, instead of trying to hit back – hard?

Well. Now to the stuff I loved.

Cress is absolutely fascinating. I love how her time in the satellite is described, how she lives half in the real and half in her own world. I love all the fantasies and games she dreams up in order to not be so bored – and I love how she's confronted with reality and manages all of that. Especially when it's about Thorne.

Spoiler

I LOVE her relationship with that guy. How she thinks he's her hero and that she's in love with him, and how she gradually learns the truth about him – and herself. Which makes her really fall for him. It's so beautiful. It's a so very beautiful relationship.

Thorne himself is far more nice and intelligent that you give him credit for. I love what he did for Iko. Even though his timing sucked. Iko's the best, by the way.

I'm sorry about the Scarlet-plot. But I love how she's perceived and by & interacts with the others – when Cinder's the brain of the group, Scarlet is the heart. She's, strangely, like the mother of the bunch. I love that girl. I was so surprised how much she gets Cress from the beginning. And I love her relationship with Wolf.

I like the new one, too, Jacin. He's quite the arrogant ass sometimes, but I like how loyal he is – can be – and how good he is at pretending. He and Cress are pretty alike in that manner. They are really good actors – only that Jacin has to be in order to protect everyone he loves, which makes him hard and cold, like ice. And Cress does it because it's been the only way for her to pass the time. She's much more fragile and intend on doing good for everyone.

Her father and these people in the desert she first stayed with suck, by the way. Dr. Erland is fascinating and I used to like him. But since Scarlet (Wie Blut so rot) he actually got on my nerves. I don't like that he thinks he can rule Cinder. And I don't like how few scruples he has.

Spoiler

Oh, why didn't Levana try to force him with her mind to tell her everything, by the way? She just stands outside, without knowing a thing about what's happening except for the fact that she's in danger. And all she does is to tell him to die more quickly.

But what was the best is the abduction of the emperor. Really. It. Was. Great. And I like it, how Cinder gradually sees herself forced to use her gift to do evil – and how she hates herself for it. It makes this very realistic. What I also liked was her strained relationship to Wolf – after everything. Poor boy.

Oh, I nearly forgot to analysing the fairy tale aspects. In the fairy tale Rapunzel, the heroine is put into the tower because her parents screwed up. A prince rescues her because she's pretty and sings, but something goes wrong, their parted, she looses her hair and after a while, they find each other through her singing and her sympathy for him and her kind heart leads her to cry for him – which saves him from his blindness.

First of all, good thing Cinder wasn't Rapunzel. She'd probably have built her own escape ladder and secondly, she can't cry. Which would screw the prince.

Okay, back to Cress. Cress has been put into the satellite not because of her parents, but because of her abilities and she's supposed to work there – do some “good”. She actually manages to find a way to organise her own escape, but risks everything in order to make sure that Levana can't do any more damage. Fortunately for her, she's still saved. She falls in love, because her rescuer is so charming and good looking, but then, she falls in love with him for him. Which is what actually redeems him. In contrast to the other fairy tale characters in here, she's actually pretty close to the fairy tale Rapunzel. She's kind and shy, but can get quite enthusiastic. But she's also capable of saving her friends and herself, if necessary. And she's a really good actress.

 

In brief:

Okay. I give stars for style, characters and ideas. Minus one for the mistakes. 

 

Prequel:

Scarlet
 

Sequel:

Winter

 

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