Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
By: Marissa Meyer
Publication: February 5th, 2013
Genre: Fairytale re-tellings, fantasy, science fiction
Find it: ~Goodreads~Barnes & Noble~Amazon~
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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.
*This review may contain spoilers for the first book*
Scarlet was successful: it raised the stakes and confirmed what I already knew from Cinder: Marissa Meyer is a genius.
Fairy tale re-tellings? In our futre? Science fiction and fantasy elements? Cyborg princesses? Angry people from the moon invading? Do any of these things sound like they belong in the same genre or category? Nope, but Marissa Meyer intertwines them perfectly, creating a story and a world that just fits. I swear, it’s like she sprinkled some magic on her laptop and bam! The Lunar Chronicles was born.
Scarlet was just as good as Cinder, though some of the pacing was odd at a few moments and the story felt slow to me. Other than that, I had so much fun venturing deeper into this futuristic world, and was glad that Meyer let me read from the perspectives of not just Scarlet, but Cinder, Kai, Wolf, Throne, and even Queen Levana. Two words to describe Scarlet: Politics and There’s so much on the line: Cinder’s life, Kai’s position as Emperor, and ultimately, the lives of every person on earth. Stupid decisions are made, promises are broken, lies are spread. With everything on the line, all of the characters have weight on their backs and jobs to do, and there’s many moments in Scarlet where they’re alive by the skin of their teeth, attempting crazy missions such as fighting wolf hybrids, breaking into the bad guy’s headquarters, and escaping prison (and our planet) with a spaceship.
I liked Scarlet as a character, but I think Cinder will always be my favorite. The one thing I can say is that they’re both very strong girls: bold, brave, and beautiful. Their lives, goals, and roles are completely different and I definitely felt an obvious distinction in their POVS. In terms of romance, there is nearly nothing between Cinder and Kai, and the romance between Wolf and Scarlet takes center stage. Keep in mind that Scarlet is a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood, so not everything between Wolf and Scarlet is always rainbows and butterflies, but they do have great tension. The only problem I had with their relationship was that it happened so fast: one day. I wished things between them would’ve stretched longer, giving me time to take in all the little moments between them. Other than that, I’m very pleased with all of the relationships in this book, whether friendship, love, or family.
Summing up: A hat tip to Marissa Meyer for her excellent world of the Lunar Chronicles, and a hat tip for Scarlet and her story and all the stakes it raised. I’ve heard Cress is mind-blowing amazing, so I hope the issues I had with the pacing will be fixed. I encourage everyone to go read the Lunar Chronicles and realize the awesomeness that they’re missing.
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