Can I read this book without reading the previous ones in the series?

The narrative is deeply interconnected with the preceding installments, and reading them in the order they were published is essential to understanding the character development and the overarching plot. Skipping the earlier books will likely lead to confusion regarding the established world and the relationships between the core group of characters.

Did the author base the characters of Thorne and Cress on the movie Tangled?

The author has confirmed that the similarities between these characters and those in the film were coincidental, as she had already completed the first draft of this book before the movie was released.

Cress

Science Fiction Young Adult

Pages: 552
Published: 2014
Language: English

Synopsis

Cinder and Thorne are fugitives, joined by Scarlet and Wolf, as they plan to overthrow the tyrannical Queen Levana. Their only hope is Cress, a hacker imprisoned on a satellite, who is ordered to hunt them down. A rescue attempt goes wrong, separating the group and forcing Cress to confront her newfound freedom and its steep cost. With Levana determined to marry Emperor Kai, these unlikely heroes might be Earth's last chance.