Cress by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles bk 3. Feiwel and Friends, 2014. ISBN 9780312642976.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Science Fiction. Cress considers herself the definition of a damsel in distress. She's been stuck alone in a satellite for years against her will, spying on Earthens for Queen Levana of Luna. If only Carswell Thorne - handsome spaceship captain and wanted criminal - would come to her rescue. In exchange, she has a lot of dirt on her dangerous queen that Thorne and Cinder, Lunar cyborg princess-in-hiding, will want to know. First of all, Emperor Kai should not marry Levana, even if she's willing to exchange her hand in marriage for the antidote to Earth's deadliest virus, because Levana wants to rule over all of Earth and Luna herself (cue maniacal laugh). Finally, Thorne's ship responds to Cress's call and docks on her satellite, but the rescue goes down in about as tangled a mess as Cress' crazy-long hair. Between kidnappings and crash-landings in the Sahara, how on Earth and Luna are they supposed to stop Kai and Levana's wedding on time?
In Cress, it does take almost 500 pages for Cinder and Kai to see each other again. And in Scarlet poor Cinder was stuck with Captain Thorne the whole time while Scarlet and Wolf got to have their romantic story line. Luckily, with the introduction of Cress, the 500 pages is worth the wait. She's the most naive character readers will find themselves rooting for. It must be something about her amazing hacker skills. And somehow Thorne ends up a lot a lot more likeable when he meets Cress.
Marissa Meyer's great characters will draw readers in first, and they'll stick around for all the impossible situations: the characters rescuing Cress, saving Wolf from a bullet wound, stopping a royal wedding. What'll be next? Saving the world/worlds? Yup, it looks like that's what's in store for Winter (2015).
Joanna B. (Student)