Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)

4.5

I loved this book more than I loved Cinder (and I did love Cinder so much!). Once I got the hang of the action it took me a day and a half to go from its first part and the ending. Scarlet was an awesome character and I'd have liked to know her grand-mère better, I squealed like an idiot everytime Wolf did or said something. I wasn't expecting to like Thorne the way I did, he was so funny, intelligent, sassy and such a good side-kick for that bamf that Cinder is! And Iko... OH Iko, I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was re-installed into the Rampion! Everytime she had a comment regarding Kai I laughed like an idiot! I cannot wait to know what happens to Kai now, poor thing and Levana... LEVANA! I haven't hated a queen so much since when I used to watch Cersei Lannister on Game of thrones! But deep down I do think she's another badass... Everyone's a badass! ... Except Miss and Mrs Linh... God, erase them from the face of the earth, please!

A lot happens in such a short time during Scarlet. The story picks up immediately after the ending of Cinder, but we’re not in New Bejing anymore. Scarlet starts out in France, where we meet its title character. At first I was worried that the entire book would be about Scarlet, since I was missing my favorite cyborg mechanic. However, that is not the case at all. The story actually alternates between Scarlet, Cinder, and Kai! I loved seeing old favorites as well as new characters, even though it felt like quite a bit was happening to contain into one book.

The plot is extremely fast paced as it only covers a few days, but those couple of days certainly keep each of the characters busy. First we have Scarlet searching for her missing grandmother with the help of Wolf, a street fighter. If you’ve read The Queen’s Army (a free short story), you’ll recognize him as I did. I was always wondering if he could actually be trusted or not. I did like how Scarlet didn’t just immediately trust him, even after she accepted his help. She’s not one to just follow blindly. Second, we have Cinder busting out of prison! She also picks up an accomplice in the overly charming Thorne, another prisoner. I loved Cinder’s new found confidence as she escapes! Finally, we have Emperor Kai. He’s dealing with the aftermath of discovering Cinder’s Lunar heritage and the attacks from the Lunar Queen. I felt so sad reading his chapters, since he doubts Cinder and thinks she just another manipulator.

For the first three quarters, Scarlet read like two separate stories. I was a little iffy about this in the beginning, but by time the two storylines collide, I felt like this was the only way to tell it. As I said before, we follow Scarlet as she searches for her grandmother and Cinder as she escapes from prison. But guess who she’s looking for? Scarlet’s grandmother! Of course they team up in the end. Both storylines taught us so much more about how Cinder got to where she is and about the Lunars in general. There’s some super strange medical/scientific stuff going on there, and I’d love to learn more of the specifics! Perhaps in the next book?

I really don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a lot of stuff revealed in Scarlet. The war between the Lunars and Earthens is just getting started, but Cinder is going to have to make some decisions and soon! Kai has already made one, but I really hope he doesn’t go through with it! I’m not sure if I enjoyed this one more than it’s predecessor, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed it! There’s never a dull moment!

I, like many other Marissa Meyer fans, have waited longingly for over a year to read Scarlet . I did not even request an ARC of the novel because it came out a day before my birthday, and it made the perfect gift. (There is no denying that the temptation to get my hands on an ARC was strong.) When the book came in the mail, I petted it - LITERALLY petted it! It has ridden in my purse for a week, just so I can snatch moments to devour the pages. It was a whirlwind romance. Sadly though, it did not sweep me off my feet. I'm so sorry, Scarlet - it's not you, it's me.

No, I mean it, it really must be me. Scarlet had all of the fantastic qualities that Cinder had: strong heroine; Iko; fantastic mix of sci-fi and fairy tale (Meyer is beyond genius in her execution of this); Iko; deliciously evil villainess; Iko (you see where I'm going with this). Little Red Riding Hood is even one of my favorite fairy tales! Scarlet and Wolf had all of the makings of interesting literary characters, but I found myself resenting the time given to their story. The banter between Cinder, Captain Thorne, and Iko (and all combinations thereof) was delightful. Maybe it was just me wanting more of Cinder and her story that disrupted my enjoyment of the novel. Scarlet wasn't a bad character - she was just as strong and determined as Cinder. I just had trouble connecting with her after I spent so long waiting to rejoin Cinder on her journey. I can say that Wolf is far too broken of a bad boy for my taste, and maybe it was the mom in me that wanted to smack Scarlet for taking him along.

All griping aside, Meyer's world-weaving is genius. The most fun part of reading Meyer's works are figuring out where her storytelling intersects with the original fairy tales. I started reading the novel asking myself questions like, "Does Wolf want to eat grandmother?" and "Where is the huntsman?" I did not find all of my answers, but I can tell you without giving anything away that Little Red Riding Hood lives on grandmother's farm, and the Big Bad Wolf is a street-fighter with a Big Bad Secret that could potentially affect the entire world. Grandmother is also in possession of some secrets of her own, which wove the story in Scarlet well into The Lunar Chronicles. I loved being introduced to more of this futuristic Earth, and I honestly cannot wait to read
Winter , which is supposed to be set on the moon.

The fact that Scarlet did not completely work for me makes me no less a fan of The Lunar Chronicles, and I can still happily say it is the one of the most imaginative series currently being published. I'm dying to give Marissa Meyer another chance to make me swoon with Cress . Scarlet is an important building block for the series as a whole, and I will definitely reread it at a later date to see if my bad-naturedness truly played a part in my feelings about this book. I encourage you to check out these two blogs that gave Scarlet very high ratings: A Reader of Fictions and The Starry-Eyed Review .

3.5/5 Stars