Meyer knows so well how to write a good series. Focusing on a different character for each book is such a brilliant way to tell a larger story. I feel like we get all the benefits of a series without sacrificing the good things about a standalone. Each volume provides a satisfying beginning, middle, and end with a unique storyline. Then we also get a larger, overreaching plot that brings things to a more epic level – plus the chance to revisit and follow characters we grew to love from the prior volumes. I know Meyer isn’t the first to do this, but it works really well for her.

While I enjoyed Scarlet, I think Cress is even better. It uses Rapunzel as its springboard, focusing on a girl named Cress who lives in a satellite and spies on the Earthens for Queen Levana. Her hair grows long because she has no need to cut it. She has connections to Cinder, as you’d expect, which are teased out over the course of the story. As in Cinder, some of the major plot revelations are expected – but not all.

Cress as a character is different from both Cinder and Scarlet. She’s incredibly naive due to her situation – she’s never been out in the world and has no clue how to interact with anyone other than her captors. With no one around to keep her company, she’s taken to fantasizing about the people she spies on, namely Carswell Thorne. It’s easy to admire someone from afar, to create elaborate stories about them in your head. It can be very difficult to then reconcile the person as they are with the person you imagined them to be. Such is Cress’ dilemma. Cress and Thorne’s interactions are often funny but also quite painful (secondhand embarrassment is a killer for me). Cress herself is socially awkward, and not really in a “I’m a special snowflake” sort of way. She’s awkward in a way that makes you cringe. She’s awkward in a way that I know teen girls can relate to.

Cress is full of action and excitement. These books are long but never feel long. The major plot is furthered nicely. Nothing feels extraneous or makes you think “Wow, I can really tell this is a middle book in a series.” And the end of this volume has a fantastic tease for Winter, due out in 2015. So far, this series hasn’t disappointed.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Cress is available now.