Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Publication Details: February 4th 2014 by Square Fish
Genre: Fantasy, fairy tales, YA
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.
A refreshing, modern re-telling of Red Riding Hood.
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I dived into the book without knowing what it is about so I had no expectation whatsoever. But I really had a good reading experience with Scarlet. 😊
While the book is inspired by Red Riding Hood and it has some old tropes of a fantasy YA, Scarlet still brought a unique twist to the usual plot elements. I enjoyed reading it and found myself looking forward to how the events will unfold. I especially liked how the author was able to connect Cinder's story to that of Scarlet's. I think it's amazing and I am excited to read more of them in the next books.
There were no dragging parts, as well as very predictable bits. And the scenes are relevant to the plot and character development. I liked the progression of events leading to answered questions and the pending challenge especially for Cinder.
I also liked the switching of point-of-view. I thought Scarlet will only have one POV (Scarlet's), but it also has POVs of the new characters and our old friends, Cinder and Kai. I did not actually expect to read Cinder's and Kai's stories so I was surprised and happy to know what happened to them after the first book. The switching of POV also gave me a wider view of the world they are living in, and their circumstances.
There's one thing I did not like about the book though, the insta-like between Wolf and Scarlet. But plot-wise, Scarlet is an amazing read.
Characters
We have new characters in The Lunar Chronicles. 😊
I think Scarlet, one of the main characters, is still a raw one, but I liked her resolve in her set mission. Though that resolve blinded her and made her irrational about things, it's not totally annoying and it made her easier to relate to. With the challenge they are about to face, I'm looking forward to how her character will develop more.
Among the new characters, I especially liked Captain Thorne. He's arrogant but funny, so he's really enjoyable to read about. I'm also excited to read more of him and his upcoming role. I do wish though that Cinder and Thorne will stay as friends and will not blossom into something more. lol
As for Wolf, he's still a mystery to me. A short background was given, but I'm still not sure what to feel about him. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to reading more of him in the next books.
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Overall, I think Scarlet is an amazing read. I actually liked this more than I liked Cinder. I definitely recommend reading Scarlet if you're up for a refreshing retelling of Red Riding Hood.
I can't wait to read the third book, Cress!
I can't wait to read the third book, Cress!
Marissa Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her fiancé and their two cats. In addition to her slight obsession with books and writing, she's big on road-tripping, wine-tasting, and hunting for antiques. Marissa Meyer is represented by Jill Grinberg.
Cinder is her debut novel.