I received this book for free from a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 5, 2013
Genres: Dystopian YA, Science Fiction
Pages: 452
Format: ARC
Also in this series: Cinder, Cinder, Cress, Fairest
Also by this author: Cinder, Cinder, Cress, Fairest
Source: a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!)
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-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 and 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 has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.
Friends. It’s possible that you might recall that CINDER, the first book in Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series, was one of my favorite books from last year. I adored everything about it: the world, the characters, the pacing, the drama. I especially enjoyed the fairy tale retelling angle, because it was subtle and perfectly woven into this new world Marissa Meyer created. When I had the opportunity to read SCARLET, book 2, I jumped on it, and MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS. The first book hooked me, but the second one has created a superfan. For as good as CINDER is, SCARLET is BETTER, and it is amazing.
I’m going to do my best to keep this review from turning into some kind of peer pressure vehicle forcing you to read these books if you haven’t yet. (Because you totally should, even if science fiction isn’t really your thing. It’s not mine either. There are times in both of these books that you hardly even notice it. This series is so not hard science fiction. It’s MORE and BETTER.) But here’s my spoiler warning!
So, SCARLET as you might assume is the retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Never fear, though. We don’t lose the threads of Cinder and Kai’s story here. It’s all woven together, even though the bulk of the story in SCARLET focuses on Scarlet Benoit, whose grandmother Michelle (Michelle Benoit might ring a bell or two to you–she was one of the people rumored to have played a role in Princess Selene’s arrival on Earth) has gone missing, and Scarlet is determined to find her. Along for the ride is Wolf, a mysterious, dangerous, moody, conflicted, and secretive guy who protects and leads Scarlet on her journey to find her grandmother before something horrible happens. Scarlet and the fugitive Cinder eventually cross paths in Paris, and the already great drama increases. Many things come to light in SCARLET, and many more questions are asked and unanswered. I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY LOVE FOR IT. Ahem.
The new characters we meet in SCARLET add such depth to the story as a whole. Scarlet herself is strong and determined. She takes no garbage from anyone and struggles with her relationship with Wolf, who is an unknown quantity to her. Scarlet only knows that he’s more than he says, and dangerous. I really enjoyed watching them dance around each other, struggling with their feelings, particularly Scarlet’s. She’s angry with Wolf and accepts his help grudgingly. There’s lots of complexity. But Scarlet is tough and excellent and brave. I LOVED HER.
Since I’ve mentioned Wolf, I have to talk more about him. If Kai is the golden boy of this series, the Prince Charming, Wolf is most definitely the rebel. The bad boy. The emo, damaged one who struggles with his past and the desire to make himself better. I love Kai (who we do see in SCARLET. Poor thing. He’s got LOTS on his plate, friends), but Wolf is appealing to me in a deeper way. I LOVED HIM. Trains will forever be swoony to me.
Scarlet and Wolf are two of the big characters we meet in SCARLET, but Marissa Meyer has also gifted us with the gem that is Thorne. Friends, there are so many exceptional characters in these books, and it’s really difficult for me to choose a favorite. I can say unequivocally that SCARLET wouldn’t be the same without Thorne and his cocky humor. He spends most of his time with Cinder (Thorne is also a fugitive), and his charisma really brings some warmth to Cinder’s story here. She’s got so much on her mind and is discovering things about herself every day. Thorne–an American–keeps things light and lively, although he’s got his own demons, too.
The characters in SCARLET are amazing. Marissa Meyer has a really deft touch with her characterization, and I think that they are really what make her books stand out to me. I’m not much of a science fiction reader because I feel like the focus of hard sci-fi always seems to be the world, and that doesn’t always interest me. But The Lunar Chronicles are about the characters and their stories and relationships and it brings everything together for me. The fairy tale elements are subtle but wonderful, and they let the characters shine.
Have I gotten this far in my review without mentioning anything about SCARLET aside from the characters?! Because the actual plot of SCARLET is pretty excellent, too. I really enjoyed the setting. Scarlet’s farmhouse in Reiux in the French countryside is a stark difference from the gritty metropolis of New Beijing. Marissa Meyer makes every environment so evocative, and Scarlet’s French hometown is no exception. The main story arcs were great, too. Scarlet and Wolf are trying to rescue Scarlet’s grandmother; Cinder and Thorne are trying to keep off Queen Levana’s radar; and poor Kai is looking the evil Queen in the face, with her marriage proposals and general nastiness. The overarching story is advanced in really great ways, and I CANNOT WAIT to meet Cress.
Friends, it’s amazing to me that I’ve managed to read what will undoubtedly be one of my favorite books of the year already. But Marissa Meyer’s books really are that good to me. If reading is at its core a means of escapism and imagination, then these books are perfect examples of both. Sure, there were things in SCARLET that weren’t a surprise to me (mostly to do with Wolf), but that in no way dampened my enjoyment. SCARLET has taken something super and improved on it. The minute I finished it I was dying to jump into CRESS, and I think you will be too.
Definitely agree that Scarlet is better although character-wise I do still prefer Cinder and Kai to Scarlet and Wolf. But Scarlet just showed Meyer stepping up her game and has me dying for book 3!
So yeah, when I finished Scarlet I was totally PISSED that I have to wait for 20freaking14 to read Cress! I am not sure how I can wait. I also wanted to read Scarlet over again the second I finished the last page. Like my love for it seriously was way too intense. I have major intense love for this series and had to be super careful when writing my own review so it wasn’t a 1000 word fangirl session! Glad you loved this one Amy! 🙂
OMG yes! Trains ARE SO SWOONY. I swoon just thinking of trains and this book in particular. And also yes to EVERYTHING ELSE. I’m so freaking impressed at how Meyer can add all of these new characters but still create depth/give more depth to those we already knew without making the plot seem cluttered or overworked. Seriously, the woman is a magician, because she makes it look easy.
AMY. I can’t wait to discuss all the things with you! WEEEE!
Your review of Scarlet is utter perfection, since you basically just wrote down EXACTLY how I feel about this book. I loved Wolf too (and yes, trains are swoony places indeed!), and I loved Thorne too! I can’t believe we need to wait another year for Cress *cries*