Book Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)

Title: Cress                                   
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Published: 4th February 2014
Source: Gifted
Goodreads   

 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.                                         

I can say it now without a shadow of a doubt; I love the Lunar Chronicles. Yep, this book really confirmed my love for Marissa Meyer's fantastic series. This book is, by far, the best one so far. It has action, romance, heartbreak and moments where you are just like oh no, you did not just do that to me. Marissa Meyer was not scared to go the extra mile in this book, which I really appreciate.

We first see Cress in Cinder but really meeting her in this book was just refreshing in a way. While Cinder is strong and Scarlet is butt-kicking, Cress is a shy, sweet, naive girl that is the exaact opposite of Cinder and Scarlet but she still has that element that makes her heroic. I love how Marissa Meyer makes each character unique! You'd never expect an extremely shy and naive person to be an excellent hacker would you? I see myself in Cress the most; it's the way how she deals with situations and how she thinks upon them.

“Maybe there isn’t such a thing as fate. Maybe it’s just the opportunities we’re given, and what we do with them. I’m beginning to think that maybe great, epic romances don’t just happen. We have to make them ourselves.”

Ahh ... Thorne. How much I love Thorne and ship Thress. He really became his own in this book. If you thought you liked Thorne in Scarlet, wait until you read Cress because you will fall in love. His character development throughout this series is flawless and his interactions with Cress are just hilarious and sweet and adorable.

“If you honestly believe that," said Thorne, stowing the gun again, "then you really don't recognize true value when you see it.”

We were also introduced to Winter, the main narrarator of the next book and I thought her introduction was hilarious (in a good way)! She's a Lunar princess who hasn't used her gift since twelve, which results in her being slightly ... insane. I can't wait for Winter to come out so we can really get to know her (among other things as well, don't worry).

So much stuff went down in this book. The action was non-stop but what I really adored about the action/plot was that it was realistic. Even though it is a sci-fi and a fairytale retelling, it doesn't shy away the fact that things that happen is realistic if you know what I mean. Ms Meyer's writing left me thinking what on Luna (hah, see what I did there?) is going to happen next? 

I'm both anticipating and sort of terrified for Winter. I really don't want this fantastic series to end but I really want to know what will happen, am I the only one feeling this way? I loved Cress and, as it is a new favourite, stars cannot portray my love for this book.

Hagar Manssour

P.S -- I think the series would make a really great TV show, if done right!

Book Review: Half Bad by Sally Green (Half Life #1)

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green                                         
Series: Half Life (#1)
Published: 1st March 2014
Source: Bought from Waterstones
Goodreads             

 Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.                          

I finished this book about an hour ago and I still cannot fully process my thoughts on this book. This book has a lot of hype so, unsurprisingly, I picked it up in Waterstones. I'm not as amazed as everyone else was but it was overall a good book.

Half Bad is set in modern day where witches live among fains (muggles basically). There are White witches; the "good witches" and the Blacks; the "bad". The witch society is ruled by a council of White witches and White hunters who hunt down and kill the Blacks. Our main character, Nathan, is a Half Code - half White and half Black, which isn't supposed to happen. His mother, now deceased, was a highly respected White witch but his father is the most evil Black. If the Council decide that Nathan is more Black than White, he will be killed instantly. There is more to this witch world but it is a lot more fun to figure it out while reading.

 The book starts off with a second person narration - talking to you; the reader and you find out that Nathan (you) are in a cage being tortured. It then goes back to when he was a child which then leads up to the point where the book started and carries on from there. I found this quite an interesting technique to be using but it fit the story.

This book is heavily based on Nathan's character development from when he was 5 to his current age; 17. It can be quite slow at points and I found myself just reading the words while day-dreaming so then I'd have to read the same paragraph over again. Half Bad might not be for you if you are looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven story. This book is more of a lead-up to the rest of the trilogy and will probably depend on the sequels for an overall good series mark from me.

The world did intrigue me though. The way that the Whites look at themselves as the "good" and "superior" ones while they may be just as "bad" as Blacks or even worse just made me wonder how this society came to be. Whites hunt Blacks but the Blacks are only trying to defend themselves. It's almost racist.

I found the relationships that Nathan had with others weren't strong or well-developed, especially with Annalise - the supposed "love interest". Ms Green focused to much on Nathan's development and no-one else's.
 

If you are squeamish, I suggest you take note that some scenes may be gruesome before picking this up.

Overall, I enjoyed how unique this book was and I hope to enjoy the sequels even more. 3.75/5

Hagar Manssour

Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Title: Scarlet                                     
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Published: 5th February 2013
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling instalment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.                 

Wow ... just, wow. This book was a-maze-ing! It surpassed all my expectations based from it's proceeder; Cinder and kicked butt.

Scarlet is a strong and fierce red-head with a caring heart. She is not to be messed with, at all (see first 20 pages for proof). The way she would follow a debatable lead to find her missing grandmother is just heartwarming. She cares a lot for her grandmother and nothing would stop her from achieving her goal - thank the heavens she's on the right side!

Wolf ... well, he really is something, isn't he? He really is just confused about everything isn't he? I can't go into detail as there are spoilers but I enjoyed his character development very much so.

We still got to see Cinder's side of the story throughout this book which was great. You feel really sorry for her because she hadn't asked for any of this to happen. She really just needs to have a lie-down.

My favourite part of this book was probably the character of Carswell Thorne. He is a hilarious guy but he's also loyal. His lines just crack you up throughout this novel - trust me.

The romance between Wolf and Scarlet was so adorable and cute but with everything else going on, it just confuses them. There is one scene where Scarlet is on Wolf's back while he tries to jump onto a train but he stumbles but his excuse wasn't that she was heavy - it was that he was distracted. I don't know why but that line makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

The plot was action packed and full of twist and turns. The things you discover are just so shocking and jaw-dropping. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this book.

Overall, I loved this book a lot more that Cinder, which is tough mind you, so I give an infinity/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour        

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Title: Cinder             
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles
Published: 3rd January 2012
Source: Library
Goodreads

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Cinder is one of those books that is all hyped up by the book-lover community so you pick it up and you love it more than you thought you would. We all know the story of Cinderella (you know slave, lovely prince, ball, perfect fit of a shoe even though it falls off etc), well, Marissa Meyer puts an effortless twist to the story and you're left thinking this is a fairytale retelling?

The character of Cinder is such an interesting one. She is treated as if she were a disease, and is blamed as if she caused her sister's. She is a compassionate person but finds very few to show that love and compassion for. There are only a handful of people she loves and cares for deeply, like her sister, and is shocked when someone else feels that way for her, after all, she is a cyborg. 
 
Everyone seems to adore Kai and I'm just here like really? this guy?. I care for him and all but I didn't really fall head-over-heels in love like everyone else. I cannot fathom how he can keep his head held high because of the things that happen to him. I'm quite surprised that he didn't break down.

Even though I did see the plot twist coming, I still really enjoyed reading the plot. It was action-packed yet heartbreaking, adoreable yet grim. Ms Meyer really does a great job to set up this book for the rest of the series.

Overall, I really loved this book - 5/5 stars!

Hagar Manssour

Cover Reveal: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave #2)

Title: The Infinite Sea                            
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #2
Published: 16th September 2014   

The riveting follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The 5th Wave, hailed by Justin Cronin as “wildly entertaining.”

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

We've all been waiting for the cover of the sequel to Rick Yancey's fantastic book; The 5th Wave*.
This cover gives all of us fangirls out there the feels, just look at that cover damn. Will this be the scenery to where an important scene takes place? Does this have a double meaning? I guess we'll just have to wait until September *cries internally.*

*Review coming soon!*

Hagar Manssour

Favourite Book Covers!

I don't know about you but I love to look and admire books with gorgeous covers. I thought I'd list some of my favourites ( in no particular order ).

 

1. Sisters Red and Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (Fairytale Retellings #1 & 2)

 

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgentstern

  

3. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

4. Champion by Marie Lu (Legend #3)

 

 

5. Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1) 

 

6. Splintered by A.G. Howard (Splintered #1)

Hagar Manssour