The Five Star Spotlight - Cress by Marissa Meyer

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard. 

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only 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 goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Cress on Goodreads       The Author's Website

*Spoilers for the first two books in the Lunar Chronicles in the following review!*

This is a spotlight on a book that I fell in love with. Cress is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles series, and I just want to show you how my feelings for this series have changed with each installment I've read.

Cinder - hey, this is a unique idea. I like this book.

Scarlet -  wow, this series is pretty interesting, I'm really enjoying myself!

The Little Android (one of the short stories) - this writing is beautiful, I can't wait to read more.

Cress - THIS SERIES IS AMAZING! 

So, this is going to be a very positive review of Cress. Honestly, though, I've loved it. This was a book that I didn't expect to completely fall in love with, but I'm so happy I did. Everything came together in this book. 

I'll start as I normally do, by talking about the characters. As each book comes, I find that each new narrator is better than the last. Cress is really fantastic. She brings a really good balance to the group, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective because everything was new and exciting. Also, we get to read more from Thorne, and he is now definitely one of my book boyfriends. Thorne is sarcastic, charismatic, and wity, but he does have a good heart. The combination of snarkiness but with depth as well is what makes a book boyfriend for me. Thorne and Cress are two characters that have a really great dynamic between the two, and seeing both of them in the group was really great. 

The group was one element that I really appreciated in this book. Scarlet was more of two paralleling story lines, and while that worked for her story, I was glad to see more of a group dynamic in this book. We finally get some of the ensemble, where there are multiple narrators and everything is interesting. In general, I just really loved how all of the characters interacted. Each is unique and memorable, but work so well together that the conversation is always interesting and the story never drags.

Speaking of the plot, this book reads like an epic movie. It's one that I couldn't put down, and I ended up reading this in two days. The story line has two different settings- wonderful moments of the characters interacting and a lot of interest in what's going on with them, and then so much action and plot development that you have to read on. In short, the story never drags. However, the action and intense moments are never confusing- all of the narrators work really well together and as a reader I never felt like I was confused or unaware of what was going on.

The romance in this book is adorable, and I love how all of the characters act in general, but if you're looking for a dramatic love triangle or anything like that, this series is more about the characters and the overarching story line. To me, I liked stories like this, where if there is romance it's more a side story to the main conflict, so I appreciated that about this series. 

This is by far my favorite installment to The Lunar Chronicles. While I had enjoyed the series before, this book solidified its status as a favorite. I am so excited for Winter, and I think that this series has some of the best characters I've read, as well as some epic action and a main conflict that I can't wait to see resolved in the conclusion.

Have you read this series? I'm in love, so feel free to comment down below, or tweet me about it!

From the paper world,

V

Character Chat - Top Five Book Boyfriends of 2014

As it is February, the month of love, and the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon that recently happened included a love letter to your book boyfriend, I thought it appropriate to introduce this new segment to the blog. Character Chat is going to be my discussions about various wonderful characters I've encountered through the books. Also, this feature will be talking about books I've read this year, so that way it can be a continual feature that I revisit in the coming years. So, there will be a chat on book boyfriends for 2014, 2015, etc. Now, I know it's very early in the year, but I want to do this and start the series, so without further ado...

no. 5 - Raffe from Angelfall by Susan Ee

Raffe is hilarious, strong, and surprisingly tender throughout Angelfall. He has some really adorable moments, but he is also a tough warrior with a very sarcastic side. The banter between him and Penryn is probably one of my favorite aspects of this novel, and I would love to travel around with Raffe and trade wit. He's also got a soft side, and there are glimpses of that throughout the book that made me want to hug him. So, I think that Raffe would definitely have to be one of my book boyfriend picks thus far in 2014.

no. 4 - Sam from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Sam is completely adorable. He is so sweet, kind, and gentle! Also, he's very musical, and any scene involving him and an instrument was beautiful. Sam's a great character because he's amazing and understanding, but also flawed. He has his doubts and fears, but he is a strong person anyways, and his character is really admirable. Numerous times throughout this book, I have wanted to just give Sam a hug. 

no. 3 - Captain Thorne from Cress by Marissa Meyer

Ah, another hilarious and sarcastic one with a sweet side. Yes, Thorne made himself my favorite character in this book. He's got a very dry wit, yet also is capable of gentleness and compassion. Thorne is a character that I love because he's very funny and snarky, but also because he's more than what many people think of him. He's brave and intelligent, very resourceful, and even if he isn't the best at something he's determined to try. Thorne radiates charisma and charm, but beneath all the fluff he's also got a lot of strong qualities. I can't wait to read more about him in Winter!

no. 2 - Warner from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ok, so I'm reading this book now, and I'm only just over 50 pages in. But, Warner has been a favorite of mine since Shatter Me. Before Destroy Me even came out I wanted to know more about Warner because who Juliet thought he was didn't seem to match with some of what Warner said and did. He is passionate and complicated, but he's also got a sensitivity and understanding to him that makes him an even more amazing character. And yes, I'm loving him so far in this book and will continue to do so. Warner is a fantastic book boyfriend! Also, thus far in Ignite Me, he has stolen every scene he is in and definitely remained my favorite character in this series- Warner is absolutely wonderful!

no. 1 - Morpheus from Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Look who is number one on the book boyfriend list. Morpheus, you aren't even surprised, are you? If you look in some other blog posts, you'll see constant mentions of Splintered, Unhinged, The Moth in the Mirror, and general Morpheus love. I've even written a love letter to him as a challenge for the Love-A-Thon. Morpheus is witty, dark, mysterious, and yet is loving and loyal. One can never guess what Morpheus will do, but he has certainly swept me off my feet. He will probably be my number one book boyfriend for a long time to come, so Morpheus will certainly be staying around the blog and fluttering through more posts! Also, this cover features Morpheus!

There is the beginning of the character chat saga! Now, I want to hear from you. Have you read these books? Loved these guys? Who are your book boyfriends? Let me know!

From the paper world,

V