Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)
by Marissa Meyer
Publishing: 2.4.14 from Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 560

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.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation for this review.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is Marissa's knowledge of fairy-tales and herdeft ability to work them together; including small details of the original stories that might be skipped over in a retelling. From the start this aspect of Cress had me squealing in joy. What can I say but that I'm a nerd over the fact that certain things from the original happened. Actually cut that, I'm a nerd over this book. Cress was literally perfection. One of the BEST sequels I have ever read. And I'm not just saying that. From the get-go we are pulling into an intense action and plot twists that rip your heart out. And from then on it's the must epic, un-put-downable-ride ever.
Starting with the obvious....Cress. She's our new protagonist and so much fun. She's been living a life in seclusion, but she's not just some dumb girl who sings her heart out all day to the birds. Of course, that would be impossible. She lives in a satellite. Heck yeah, SPACE. On top of that she's a hacker. A brilliant one! Cress is a genius when it comes to technology, just as much as Cinder is when it comes to mechanics. I loved seeing her skills come out in the beginning. And Little Cress! She's such a small part but I loved her just as much as Iko(Who I shall quickly mention is so awesome)! But more than her spacey-tech skills, Cress is strong and when she's finally free she does things. She takes action and wants to see things done despite being in a strange new place. She's smart and witty and fun and it's not hard to grow to love her over the course of this book.

Along with her hacking abilities, Cress brings in the fairy-tale aspect of Rapunzel and it was so much fun to read about. I've always loved that fairytale, and know the original story very well. This is where it goes back to my nerdy geek side. If you know the original tale, you'll know that the prince is pushed from the tower and lands in a group of thorny bushes which blinds him, until he's later healed by Rapunzels tears when they are reunited.
I don't know WHY I got so flipping excited when this aspect was portrayed in Cress (Oops, spoiler alert). But I did. Seeing the little things like this throughout the entire series made me appreciate them even more, because Marissa not only tells a great story that is original and a fairy-tell retelling mashup, but she shows us that she KNOWS her fairy-tales and doesn't just want them to be "that other retelling." She has respect and love for them just as much as the next fan. *deep sentimental author love moment*

"Captain?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?"
He squinted, and after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure it was Cinder."

Anyway so this Prince. Because there can't be a new girl without her guy right? Of course right! If you've read Scarlet, you've met him as the infamous Captain Carswell Thorne, comedic relief of the gang and quite the scoundrel. Watching these two be thrown together was hilarious, entertaining and just all around wonderful. Cress knows lots of things, including lots about this guy, and it presents a new side to one of the relationships in this books. Plus the circumstances they are thrown into just makes things awkward, hilarious and endears you even more to the characters until you find yourself riveted and so in love with.
 Thorne goes through so much character development in this book. Watching love change him was so fun. He's still filled with laughs and jokes, but he's stronger and caring and he has more than his ship and his life to live for. He has a cause now and it's soooo beautiful. (He's like the Kristoff of the story!)
I just want to squeal around the house every time I think of Thorne. Especially since I can pinpoint the page (279) and quote where I was officially in a bookmance with Thorne. It will make much more sense when you've read the book:

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

But of course this book was more than just Cress and Thorne. Cinder, Kai and Dr. Erland play a much bigger role in this book. Scarlet and Wolf are not as prominent, but I still love them as much. They're drama gets going early on and it throws quite the wrench in the story, and the characters emotionally. *SOBS* It opens up new doors and again, brilliant storytelling. But back to Cinder and Kai. This is the book where as a reader connected to the characters, I have been the most invested in the story of Cinder and Kai. They keep on growing and developing in new ways as they try to sort out their feelings, ever changing situation and themselves. I love them to pieces and agonizing over their story was quite possibly about 50% of my feels in this book. There was one scene in particular that I was DYING to see and for those who have read it, check out my thoughts (highlight to read):

SPOILER --> [CINDER AND KAI'S REUNION IN THE LAST SCENE was literally my most anticipated scene of the whole thing. Darn that agonizing wait to get there though. But it was so perfect, I must have read it like ten times after reading it. It was beautiful and perfect and I couldn't ask for anything better. Wouldn't you agree?] <--END SPOILER

I also mentioned Dr. Erland. He is just, wow. I REALLY liked him in this book. He is also a much more prominent character and it was so fascinating to get to see much more of his backstory and how that intertwines with the rest of it. *slaps hand over mouth before the feels come gushing out* Again with the brilliant plot Marissa. Oh and then there's Queen Levana. You evil woman! She's hecka powerful and I really just hate her with a fiery passion. But I liked getting glimpses into her mind and her world. With these side plots introduced we've been set up for a bomb of a last book.
And so, with all these marvelous characters and the new themes and twists they bring, there's lots of trouble, laughter and revelations. The pretty much keep coming down until we're buried under a pile of epic waiting to be built into the most kick-butt ending to a series if I ever saw one. Also leaving me with a big load of book hangover that unfortunately my sister had to live through.
I am therefore left to conclude that the 560 pages that are Cress are some of the best 560 pages I've ever spent my time reading. It's fun, it's fast, it's flirty. Marissa knows how to take an idea and flip it inside, outside and upside down to make it her own, and then translate it into the language of the fangirl. I am blown away, and am undoubtedly left wanting more. The wait for Winter is gonna be painful, but until then at least we have Cress to drool over.
Happy Release Day CRESS! Make sure you all pick up this book if you haven't yet! What are your thoughts? Have you read this yet? Need to pick up Cinder first? Talk to me! XOXO,

Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
Published: 2.5.14
Pages: 454

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment 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.

Welcome to my stop on the Happily Ever After giveaway hop! I'm totally excited about this one, since the theme is Fairy-Tales and Happily Ever Afters! Yay! This hop is hosted by the lovely blogs I Am A Reader Not A Writer & Murphy's Library! Thanks for the fun! I absolutly love a good fairytale so what better way to celebrate them than with a GIVEAWAY?!!


I've sifted through a whole bunch of fabulous retellings and such that you can pick from! Some I've read, others I'm looking forward too. There 25 awesome YA and Middle-Grade books for you to choose from at this stop; see both lists and collages. If you aren't here satisfied by any of the choices I'm offering (I'd appreciate if you weren't that picky), I will allow you to pick another one (must be Happy Ever After ending or some sort of Fairy-Tale), either one you recommend or one from THIS LIST.

*ARC Galley received from Publisher for honest review

THIS BOOK WILL ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. I got it on Netgalley and it BLEW MY MIND! I read it in a day. My mom kept trying to get me off the computer but I couldn't stop! ACK! I loved it! The characters and narrative voices, EVERYTHING!! I'm in a dream haze! IT WAS EPICTASTIC! If you have an ARC of this book, GO. READ. IT. NOW. If you don't have this book early, start saving your money or GO PRE-ORDER! 

Okay now that the fan-girling is over onto the real review. It was amazing, we've already established that fact. I loved how well it was told! The narrations were very well done, especially for being told in 3rd. In some of my reviews I've mentioned that I prefer 1st, but this was very impressive! And yes there are multiple POVS. Mostly from Celaena, but also from two of the guys. It was all so awesome. Snarky and funny comments provided quite a few laughs. I loved it!

As I was reading the novel I found scenes that reminded me of fairy-tales. I was kinda just like "Oh that's neat..." but then after I finished the book I read this review that said it was lightly based off of Cinderella. That was really nicely woven in. But I could also see a few little things from other fairy-tales. Another great plus! There is mystery-magic twist that felt a little bit out of place, but I'm guessing it's going to lead into something bigger and amazing in the next book so I think I could forgive that. But still a little awkward.

The romance...I'm honestly standing right in the middle. I'm totally in love with Chaol. But I also love the Prince. (Yes, he does have a name, but I've forgot) So I'm still not sure who I'm rooting for. Probably Chaol. Either way she gives you a cliff-hanger and now I NEED BOOK TWO! Overall it was AMAZING and I highly recommend you get your hands on this book AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT! Which would be in a month!

Content: Mild [D*** word throughout, not heavy. B**** a couple times, He** a couple times. A couple instances of innuendo. Mention of women's "moon time".]









This review is 100% from Inky's brain
Use of this review w/out consent is prohibited.

Author: Alex Flinn
Published: 2. 8. 11 by Harper Teen
Pages: 341

I’m not your average hero. I actually wasn’t your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all. It all started with the curse. And the frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I’ve ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades. Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe it either. But you’ll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got CLOAKED.

This is my first Alex Flinn book and it probably won't be my last. I really had fun with this one! I love fairytales so naturally I was drawn to this. Boy was it a ride! This book is a combination of over 5 fairytales, some more common, such as The Frog Prince, and some less known like The Salad. I loved the fact that my favorite fairytale, The Wild Swans, was a part of this book! Loved it!

First off, this book is narrated by a male voice. Shocker right? I wasn't expecting that but it wasn't bombed like I thought it might be. In fact I loved reading from Johnny's POV! He's funny, pretty smart and loves shoes. What more can you want than a guy who loves shoes? Haha. It also really neat reading from his POV as a girl reading and knowing things...yeah, things. Haha. Okay so specifically like how girls act and what that means. I think Flinn did a great job portraying him.

So the plot didn't have a problem keeping me interested. I loved where it went and the clever situations that arose. The way it all fit together in the end. It was super cool! Yay! The romance part was cute as well, but a bit obvious. Okay. It's staring you in the face. But it was sweet nontheless and I had fun watching it play out. Happy Ever After. *sigh*

I had a delightful time reading this and would recommend it to anyone in want to a good fairytale jamboree! A definite new favorite on my part.

Content: Mild
(A few Deity references, innuendo spots, a couple drug mentions and kisses)









This review is 100% from Inky's brain. Use of this review w/out consent is prohibited.

Yeah that's right! I'm doing a giveaway! *applause and cheering* What's so great about this giveaway? IT'S ALL ABOUT FAIRY-TALES. I'm a nut for fairytales! So, I'm going to offer some of my FAVORITE retellings.  (Cue: This is where you start to hyperventilate about amazing prizes you could win) .

Now first, I should tell you all about my favorite fairy tale! It's a little uncommon mind you...


~Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
~The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott

Okay, so are you ready to see what you can win? Of course you are!

Your Book Choices:




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author: Aprilynne Pike
Series: Wings Quartet
Publisher: Harper Teen
Released: 5. 1. 09
Pages: 294
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful--too beautiful for words. Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.


My Thoughts: I read this a couple summers ago I remember really enjoying this fresh take on faeries. I honestly can't remember all my thoughts about it but it was engaging and enjoyable, a quick light read. Not to dark at all. The plot was interesting and leaves you ready for book two, Spells. 


Laurel, the main character was well plotted and portrayed. I remember being able to understand her confusion and feelings throughout the book, something that find find really increases how much I like the book. The main love interest, David is one that I loved. He was a great guy and one that you want to route for. However, I found that he was suffering from Second Book Syndrome a little in book two and there. More on that in later review. 


If you are looking for a light summer read or just a fun book to curl up with, this is for sure one that you should consider. 


Content: Mild
((a few light instances of language. One time of the S-word. a reference to Faery sex. some kissing. ))


This review is 100% from Inky's brain, and use of this review without consent is prohibited. 

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Published: May, 13, 2005
Published: Bloomsbury
Pages: 400
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? 


The Book in Three Words: Epic, Magical, Stirring


Rad Review: This is like one of my favorite books ever. I've got a bit of a soft spot for Fairy Tale Retellings, and this one is like THE BEST. I love Shannon Hale's voice. Her writing is fresh and new beautiful. I simply love it! Her retelling of the original Grimm Tale, The Goose Girl was just amazing. It's well tied to the original but this book is all her own. The way that she develops the land, the magic, the culture and the characters is just wonderful. There is depth and you just grow to love them all.


This is one of those books that I love to read over and over again. I come back to it whenever I need a good re-read. It's told so well and it just draws you in that you won't want to leave. It's clever, fun, and just masterfully done. Shannon has often said that writing books does not come easy for her. It takes drafts and drafts and lots of revisions. But through her books it's totally clear that all her hard work pays off. It's incredible. This book can be a stand-alone, but there are 3 sequels in the Books of Bayern trilogy: Enna Burning, River Secrets and Forest Born. Don't miss them, or any of Shannon's other books! Must reads!


Content: Clean Read!

But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop. When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

 The development of the society, customs, royal family, magic...all amazing. And at the grand finale when they have to defeat the villain, it is extremely gripping. You CAN NOT stop. You are stuck to your chair, heedless of anything else around you. You do not break until you finish. And it's just amazing. I love the magic. The magic is timeless and creative. I've never seen anything like it it. The little twists that make this book amazing are so cool. You'll be like yahda-yahda...WHAT?! It's totally great. 


Content: Clean Read!

Source: Library