Cress

Gr 8 Up—Cress is locked away in a floating satellite. She dreams of visiting Earth, the planet she has been forced to spy on, and meeting Carswell Thorne, the handsome ship captain who teamed up with Cinder in Scarlet (Feiwel & Friends, 2013). Her wish comes true after an attempted rescue from Cinder and her crew is intercepted, leaving Cress and Thorne stranded on Earth. At the same time, Scarlet is kidnapped, and Queen Levana, frustrated with Cinder's escape, begins to attack Earth. Cinder has her hands full with finding her missing comrades, dealing with an out-of-control Wolf, preventing Levana and Kai's marriage, and accepting her own royal heritage. At the end of the book, Cinder realizes that she can no longer hide from her destiny and begins preparations to head to Luna for a revolution. Cress fills in more historical details about Earth and Luna's relationship—most of which will be of no surprise to the reader—and Cinder's rebirth as a cyborg. Fans of Scarlet and Wolf may be disappointed that their relationship takes a backseat to the newly introduced pairing. As always, Meyer excels at interweaving new characters that extend beyond the archetypes of their fairy tale into the main story. Readers will eagerly await the final installment of this highly appealing and well-constructed series.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ